The destruction of the National Theatre by fire was aided by a number of coincidences

Prague – A fire is always a disaster, and the one that broke out in Prague on August 12, 1881, was a catastrophe of truly national proportions – the National Theatre, which was under construction, was engulfed in flames. The still unfinished "golden chapel," which grew through a public collection and a generous contribution from Emperor Franz Joseph I, caught fire due to negligence during finishing work. An incredible number of unfortunate accidents and strange circumstances accompanied the fire, and its cause is still not completely clarified. However, the tragedy did not destroy the dream of building a national stage, as money began to be raised again shortly after the fire, and in two and a quarter years, the restored theatre was ceremonially opened.

The initial cause of the disaster was likely the installation of a lightning rod. It is said that the roofers, finishing their work on August 12, poorly extinguished the charcoal in the small furnace used for soldering. They dumped the coals into the gutter and poured water over them. However, insufficiently extinguished charcoal can retain a hot core that may reignite, which, according to the investigation, happened. The copper gutter heated up from the coals, igniting the wooden formwork of the roof. A firefighter noticed the fire around six in the evening while patrolling the theatre. The alarm was timely triggered in the building, but coincidentally, at the same moment, a guard from nearby Post Street also reported the fire, so the fire station only recorded a dash instead of the ND code in Morse code and did not recognize where the fire was located.

About half an hour later, a repeated report came too late, and the spread of the fire was aided by confusion during firefighting. The water, in fact, stopped gushing after a few minutes. At the same time, a sprinkler system was activated above the stage, and all the hydrants in the building were opened, which reduced water pressure and soon depleted its supplies. Furthermore, the theatre was supplied by a waterworks in Karlov, where the day before, a supply pipe had burst, significantly lowering the water level in the tank. The iron curtain, beneath which scaffoldings for plasterers stood, was eventually only partially lowered, and by then the fire was already in the auditorium. The spread of the fire was also fueled by a strong wind, and to make matters worse, residual gas in the pipes ignited as well.

When the ceiling with the chandelier collapsed, it was the end. Fortunately, the firefighters saved the surrounding buildings from the fire, especially the neighboring Temporary Theatre. They finally extinguished the fire before six in the morning, revealing a sad sight. The fire completely destroyed not only the theatre's roof but also the stage and auditorium, including decorations for the upcoming premiere of Libuše. The vestibule, foyer, boxes, and several rooms such as the archive, cloakroom, and theatre office were preserved. The firefighters also managed to save many works of art. The First Czech Mutual Insurance Company subsequently paid out nearly 300,000 gold coins for the damage.

In the wake of the tragedy, as blame was sought in the heightened atmosphere, it was whispered, albeit without any evidence, that the theatre burned due to national tensions between the Czech and German populations of Prague. However, the investigation focused on the workers and determined that they had caused the fire through negligence. The crime of arson was not proven, so locksmiths Emil Jenisch and Václav Zinniburg were only convicted of a misdemeanor and ended up with a week in jail. Among the other reasons for the disastrous spread of the fire, a report from the Committee for the Establishment of the National Theatre cited the poor functioning of the hydrants, but also criticized the alleged chaotic organization and insufficient equipment of the firefighters.

Immediately after the fire, fundraising began for a new theatre, as the insurance payout was insufficient. Within four weeks, over a million gold coins was collected, and within two years, the building stood again in all its glory, even enhanced with electric lighting. Architect Josef Schulz completed the restoration. The project designer, Josef Zítek, refused the reconstruction due to disputes with the Committee and never set foot in the National Theatre building again. The restored theatre was ceremonially opened on November 18, 1883.