What's in a Prague street name

Nad lesním divadlem was built in 1968.

Behind this street, you’ve got Velký háj (‘The big grove’), a forested area with parkland. Only a small portion is owned by the City of Prague; the rest is in the hands of various private individuals.

In 1913, Jan Šimsa, a local doctor, established a ‘lesní divadlo’ – a ‘forest theatre’ – here. It was run by the Krč Sokol (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/26/prague-2-day-114-sokolska/ has the story of those) and showed plays by both professional and amateur troupes.

It showed plays between May and September each year; personally, I can think of nothing more delightful than watching a play in a forest on a moonlit summer evening.

In 1935, though, most of the theatre was destroyed in a fire. Once repaired, the theatre also held performances by the Nusle-based Fidlovačka (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/01/26/prague-4-day-15-na-fidlovacce/), and, in 1944, it gained a separate pavilion for puppet theatre.

The theatre had almost 600 performances up until 1951, and could welcome audiences of over 5,000 (although seating was limited to 500 people). However, by the time of the last performance, it was running at a loss, and, in 1958, the buildings were demolished.

That could have been quite a downbeat ending – but, according to https://lesnidivadlokrc.cz/, the theatre should be opened again in the summer of 2026. Somehow, this has made me as happy as someone old enough to remember the theatre as it once was would be.