Last week marked 110 years since Thoman Edison’s visit to Brno to see the Mahen Theatre, one of the first buildings in the world to be illuminated entirely by electric light, according to plans designed by Edison himself over 25 years earlier. Photo credit: KJB / BD.
Brno, Sep. 19, (BD) – The Mahen Theatre was one of the first public buildings in the world to be equipped with entirely electric lighting. The theatre’s lighting system was designed by Thomas Edison, inventor of the lightbulb, who arrived in Brno to visit the theatre in person 110 years ago last week, on September 13th, 1911.
The Mahen Theater blends different architectural styles, including Neo-renaissance, Neo-baroque and Neoclassical. The foundation stone was laid on July 18, 1881 and the construction work lasted 18 months. The theatre opened on November 14, 1882 but Edison was able to visit the theater for the first time only several decades later.
Today one of Edison’s bulbs has been deposited in a decorative copper case and placed in the “closing” stone, next to the main staircase. His visit is also commemorated in the art installation in nearby Malinovského náměstí, constructed of four intertwined steel light bulbs.
