Four centuries of marionette theatre, a UNESCO listing shared with Slovakia, and how to spot a real puppet from a souvenir one.
Puppetry in the Czech lands is not a children’s novelty. It kept the Czech language alive when it was suppressed, produced internationally admired animation, and is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. It is also the source of most of the tourist tat in the Old Town, which makes telling the two apart worth learning.
Why it mattered politically
Under Habsburg rule, German dominated official and theatrical life. Travelling puppeteers kept performing in Czech, in villages, beyond the reach of censors. For generations of children, marionette theatre was where the national language survived as performance.
Spejbl and Hurvínek
The father-and-son duo created by Josef Skupa in the 1920s are the most famous Czech puppet characters — still performing at their own theatre in Prague. Skupa’s wartime performances were pointed enough that the Nazis imprisoned him.
Jiří Trnka and animated puppets
Trnka took puppetry into film in the 1940s and 50s and won prizes across Europe; he was called “the Walt Disney of Eastern Europe”, a comparison he disliked. Jan Švankmajer later pushed puppet animation into surrealism, influencing Tim Burton and the Brothers Quay.
UNESCO
Czech and Slovak marionette theatre was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016.
Where to see a performance
Der National Marionette Theatre in Prague has run a marionette Don Giovanni for decades — a nod to Mozart premiering the opera in this city in 1787. Spejbl and Hurvínek Theatre is the place for the classic characters. The Puppet Museum in Český Krumlov is worth a stop on a day trip.
Buying a puppet
A genuine marionette is carved from lime wood, strung with individual control strings and costs from around 2,000 CZK upward. The mass-produced ones on Karlova Street are resin, cost a few hundred, and are made abroad. Look for workshops rather than souvenir shops.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Where can I see puppet theatre in Prague?
The National Marionette Theatre for Don Giovanni, and the Spejbl and Hurvínek Theatre for the traditional characters.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes for the dedicated children’s programmes. The marionette Don Giovanni is a full opera and better suited to adults.
How do I know a marionette is genuine?
Carved wood rather than resin, individually strung, sold by a workshop, and priced accordingly.
Read more: shows in Prague, Czech cinema Und souvenirs worth buying.
Last reviewed in August 2026.
