The Divadlo v Kotcích, German Theater an der Kotzen, in English more usually Kotzen Theatre, was a Prague theatre and opera venue on v Kotcích street, which had its heyday 1739-1783 as the first public theatre in Prague and a home of Italian opera. For many seasons it was run by Italian impresarios Santo Lapis, then Giovanni Battista Locatelli, who staged Gluck's Prague Ezio, 1750

Ezio (Gluck)

Ezio is an opera set by many composers including first by Nicola Porpora and Pietro Auletta , and notably Hasse's Ezio , Handel's Ezio and Latilla's Ezio .Gluck set Metastasio's libretto first for Prague , then revised it for Vienna...

, and other works. The more correct "Theater an der Kotzen" was often colloquially referred to as the "Kotzentheater," Kotzen being a Slavonic-German term for a market. It closed in 1783 for safety reasons.

It was preceded by Count Sporck's Theatre 1724-1735, and succeeded by Count Nostitz' "Nostitzsches National Theatre," now the Estates Theatre

Estates Theatre

The Estates Theatre or Stavovské divadlo is a historic theatre in Prague, Czech Republic. The Estates Theatre was annexed to the National Theatre in 1948 and currently draws on three artistic ensembles, opera, ballet, and drama, which perform at the Estates Theatre, the National Theatre , and the...

, "Stavovské divadlo," which opened on 21 April 1783. The current National Theatre, "Národní divadlo"

National Theatre (Prague)

The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...

did not open until 1881.