Strasbourg Opera House

The Strasbourg Opera House (French: Opéra de Strasbourg), located on Place Broglie on the Grande Île in the city center of Strasbourg, in the French department of the Bas-Rhin, is the main seat and mother house of the opera company Opéra national du Rhin. It has been classified as a Monument historique since 1921.[1]

Strasbourg Opera House
Opéra de Strasbourg
Façade in June 2014
Strasbourg Opera House is located in Strasbourg
Strasbourg Opera House
Location in Strasbourg
Former namesGerman: Strassburger Stadttheater (1871–1918)
Alternative namesThéâtre municipal (before 1871)
General information
TypeOpera house
Architectural styleFrench Neoclassicism
LocationStrasbourg, France
Coordinates48°35′09.31″N 7°45′08.54″E
Completed1821; 1888
Design and construction
Architect(s)Jean-Nicolas Villot, Jean Geoffroy Conrath, Johann-Karl Ott

History

After a fire in 1800 that destroyed a previous opera house, also located on Place Broglie, the Strasbourg municipality set up plans for a new one in 1804. As the Napoleonic Empire came and went, the plans for the théâtre municipal were altered several times, until the building, designed in the Neoclassical style by architect Jean-Nicolas Villot (1782–1857) finally opened to great acclaim in 1821. The monumental façade is adorned by sandstone statues of six muses by Landolin Ohmacht (three muses were left out: Clio, Thalia and Urania),[2] each statue corresponding to a column below.

During the Siege of Strasbourg in 1870, the opera was heavily damaged by Prussian artillery. It was faithfully rebuilt by the architect Jean Geoffroy Conrath, who also rebuilt the Hôtel de Klinglin nearby, and reopened in 1873. In 1888, a semi-circular wing was added at the rear by Johann-Karl Ott (1846–1917).

The auditorium has 1,142 seats and a height of 18 metres (59 feet) from the floor to the ceiling.[3] It has seen performances being conducted by Hans Pfitzner, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Klemperer and George Szell.

See also

Literature
  • Recht, Roland; Foessel, Georges; Klein, Jean-Pierre: Connaître Strasbourg, 1988, ISBN 2-7032-0185-0, page 228

References
  1. Base Mérimée: Théâtre municipal, actuellement Opéra du Rhin, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. "Péristyle après rénovation". archi-wiki.org. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  3. "L'Opéra-Théâtre de Strasbourg - Opéra national du Rhin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
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