History

The history of Palác Akropolis is as chequered and dramatic as the history of the 20th century.

1920s

In March 1927 the architect Rudolf V. Svoboda began to construct, on the border between Žižkov and the royal Vinohrady), and on the corner of today’s Kubelíkova and Víta Nejedlý streets, a monumental building with a café and theater hall.

The artistic décor of the theater was unusual by Žižkov terms of the day. The academic painter Štroff constructed scenes in the building’s foyer from events of the birth of Czechoslovakia, and in the basement genre scenes from theater and film life.

The theater was conceived as a multi-use and modern space with projection on a solid wall that ensured the satisfaction of film audiences, which had not had this experience before.

Palác Akropolis – with comfortable flats and similarly top-rate rental space – was inhabited mainly by upper middle-class families. In the building directory in the 1930s one could find gentlemen, lawyers, a municipal clerk, a state professor, a manager of a tailor shop, pensioners and brokers. Apartments with surgeries were rented to several general practitioners, and the building’s ar­chitects also lived in the building.

On 4. March 1928 Rudolf V. Svoboda received congratulations after receiving approval for the building, which had for several years been in doubt. The prolonged economic crisis triggered a telling decline in building activity and incurred debt, which in part slowed the execution of the sale of Akropolis, which was purchased by a cremation company. Almost as soon as it had begun, Akropolis Theater began to slowly be forgotten.

In the 12th hour it was rented by the company of the Prague theater Komedie led by Prokop Laitrich, who had to then tediously apply for a license.

Celebration of the baptism of the new hall was held on 23. January 1928, when Mahen’s comedy Ulička odvahy was introduced. Thanks to Laitrich and the later director Linka, Akropolis finally acquired the popular actor Karel Želenský along with his wife, actress Laura Želenská, who together led the theater for 6 seasons. Despite the unquestionable effort and artistic quality of the program it wasn’t completely successful in fulfilling its original concept of being a “big city theater.” For the spoiled Prague public, the theater was somewhat eccentrically ba­sed.

1930s

A radical solution was presented by a new type of manager, the then director of Velká opereta, Jiří Koldovský. Under his direction a necessary reconstruction of the hall was undertaken and a new company engaged, who inaugurated their work Modern theater on 27. August 1939 with a concert orchestra consisting of government soldiers and on 3. September a dramatization of Jirásek’s F.L. Věk narrated by the new head of theater, František Filipovský. Renowned actors of that period also participated in presentations of the theater.

During the 2nd World War Akropolis operated intermittently as a cinema. After the war’s end the theater was briefly re-opened.

Post-War

In February 1948 the theater was definitively closed, and served as a warehouse until 1991, when it was purchased by the theater organization Prague Five.

Between 1992 and 1995 an extensive renovation took place, led by David Vávra, Tomáš Vorel and above all František Skála.

Resuscitation of a Cultural Tradition

In 1995 trial operations were inaugurated, since which time this Žižkov theater and music organization has attempted to resuscitate a cultural tradition.

Palác Akropolis v době Žižkovské divadelní a hudební agentury (1998) (Autor fotografie: )