6 MAP Žerotínovo square 6 On 21 January 1904, the world premiere of Janáček's famous opera Jenufa took place in the building of the Theatre at Veveří which does not exist anymore. The first permanent Czech stage found its place on the corner of the Veveří Street in the place of the former U Marovských pub. The Society of the Czech National Theatre in Brno bought the building in 1883. It was opened in November 1884 but the theatre almost burnt down before that. An adapted pub with a dance hall was not the best solution but it was a major thing for the Czech residents of Brno. It housed the opera, operetta and drama in the Czech language and great attention was paid to Czech authors. Janáček often visited the productions and reported on them, and several times he was even a member of the Society's committee. In 1894, he conducted here the premiere of his opera The Beginning of a Romance. However the modest theatre building made the history on 21st January 1904 as the first place where Janáček's Jenufa was performed. During World War II, the building was damaged and even though it was renovated and continued to be used for some time, the consequences of the wartime bombing were obvious. Eventually, part of the building was demolished and the rest was used by the theatre as rehearsal rooms. The building was finally demolished in December 1973. The theatre building, which was supposed to be only temporary, ultimately served the Brno National Theatre for full 68 seasons. They’ve all left – Leave as well/ Jenůfa Její pastorkyňa 2006 / Brno Janáček Opera Chorus and Orchestra /dir. František Jílek / www.supraphon.cz