Created in 1781 by Count Nostitz, the neo-Classical building decked out in a palette of green and cream that dominates the "fruit market" square was made famous by Mozart's triumphant creation of Don Giovanni in 1787. Shows were given here in Czech as well as German, but the theatre was then dedicated exclusively to German as of 1861, under the new name of the Royal Theatre. It was then affiliated to the National Theatre in 1920, only for the Communists to rename it Tyl, after the author of the national anthem.