Golden vocal cords
Emmy Destinn was born in 1878 into a wealthy Prague family, where there was no shortage of muses. She painted, wrote poems, played the violin and sang. The last of these muses enthralled her the most, as singing would become a lifelong passion. At the age of twenty, she made her début at the Dresden Opera, where after showing off her talent there was no stopping her. Her career took her all the way to New York, where she wowed audiences at the Metropolitan Opera!
Diva of the opera and the château
When she was looking for a place to settle down in Czechia, her eye was caught by a small country château in the little South Bohemian town of Stráž nad Nežárkou, which came with forests, ponds, a brewery and a distillery. She had the place renovated at great expense, and filled it with exquisite collections of antique furniture, musical instruments, Japanese vases, jewellery, Napoleon-themed souvenirs, and paintings.
Although not all of the furnishings have been completely preserved, the château still rings with the sound of music even today. Classical music concerts, recitals and author readings are regularly held there. During July and August there are three tours of the château presenting the life of Emmy Destinn.
That’ll be one Emmy, please!
Emmy Destinn was so popular that in the early 1990s, when there was talk about which women should appear on Czechia’s banknotes, Emmy was an obvious choice. You can find her on the Czech 2,000-crown banknote.
Emmy Destinn’s wish was that when died, she would be buried in the gardens of her château. Her wishes were not heard, and she’s buried in Vyšehrad Cemetery, among great Czech artists and politicians, where she rightfully belongs.