National Theatre Mannheimis one of the oldest and most respected theaters in Germany. At the end of theXVIII century, the palace theater in the city was the concentration of thetheatre-concert life of the country. Mozart performed here, and in 1782 Schiller’sdrama "The Robbers" first went on stage here. But that historicbuilding, unfortunately, did not survive. Now, the National Theatre’s performancesare held in a new, ultra-modern building-cube that is considered the successorof the old theater. The building, which opened in 1979, has two large halls.One is the Opera House with 1200 seats; the other is the Schauspielhaus (hallfor drama) with 800 seats. The same theater isalso the venue for the International Festival of Schiller, held in Mannheimevery two years.