Places Where You Can Meet with Antonín Dvořák

Antonín Dvořák is among the Czech composers who are still well known in the world. His operas and other pieces are played on world stages from New York to Tokyo. Follow in the footsteps of the musical genius in the Czech Republic. We will recommend places related to his life as well as festivals where you can hear his unique music.

Family Home and Chateau in Nelahozeves

Antonín Dvořák was born in 1841 in Nelahozeves, north of Prague. To this day you can visit the house where he was born and where he spent his childhood. Today, the house holds the Antonín Dvořák Memorial and is managed by the National Museum. The whole house is furnished to show visitors what it looked like in the middle of the 19th century and how this world renowned music composer spent his childhood and youth. Even though there are not many authentic mementos from that time, personal contact with the environment that influenced Dvořák’s whole life makes a lasting impression.

Make sure you visit the local chateau in Nelahozeves. They say that it is one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings in Bohemia. The permanent chateau exposition called A Look into the Noble Interior of the Lobkowicz Family is a set of twelve period rooms that illustrate the life of the influential noble family in the 19th century. You can walk through the interiors of the gentlemen’s and ladies’ bedrooms, the dining room, the music room, the family chapel and the library where samples of rare books and manuscripts from the Lobkowicz’s collections are displayed.

Sychrov Chateau, Dvořák’s Resting Area

Antonín Dvořák’s life is also closely related to the Sychrov Chateau located near Liberec in an area called Bohemian Paradise. Dvořák was a friend with the secretary of the local knight and often visited him in Sychrov. When you visit the chateau and get to the local chapel, remember that Dvořák often played the organ there during his stays. Also, in June every year, there is a classical music festival called Dvořák’s Turnov and Sychrov.

Dvořák’s Olomouc

In Moravian Olomouc at the Dvořák’s Olomouc festival in May, you can hear the work of Antonín Dvořák as well as other Czech composers – Josef Suk and Leoš Janáček. Every year, the festival offers famous works of Dvořák and other Czech authors.

Dvořák in Prague

Dvořák’s Prague is an annual festival that takes place in September. Even though this festival is quite new, it is already one of the most frequently visited festivals of its kind in the Czech Republic. The main festival events take place in the Rudolfinum, special concerts are performed in the St. Vitus Cathedral and in the Convent of St. Agnes in the Old Town.

Dvořák in New York

In February 2017, the Metropolitan Opera in New York presented a new study of Dvořák’s Rusalka. At this occasion, the Czech Centre in NY has prepared a unique exhibition where you can also see Dvořák’s Rusalka manuscript, borrowed from the National Museum in Prague as well as other artefacts and theatre costumes.