Enjoy an opera performance in a city that's famous for its rich musical heritage. Leipzig is renowned for many things: universities, fairs, but especially music. It is Wagner's birth town and numerous composers such as Telemann, Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Mahler have contributed to the city's reputation over the years. Besides its opera ensemble, it also encompasses the Leipzig Ballet and the Musikalische Komödie company, which performs operettas and musicals. With the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra accompanying all productions, opera-goers have a musical treat waiting for them. The opera house in Leipzig is located at Augustusplatz and opened in 1960 as the only new opera house in the former GDR and it represents a classic piece of architecture from the 1950s.
A rich operatic heritage
After Venice and Hamburg, Leipzig Opera House is the third oldest municipal musical theatre in Europe. It as a heritage of operatic performances dating back more than 300 years; the first opera house was built on the Brühl boulevard in 1693. In 1868 the new theatre on Augustusplatz opened as a venue for operas and plays. Since then, the opera company has focused mainly on the Wagner repertoire as well as works by Mozart, Weber and Gluck. After the New Theatre was destroyed in December 1943, today's Opera House was built on the same site between 1956 and 1960.
Stunning architecture
The present opera house on Augustusplatz is now a listed building, and is a captivating example of architecture and interior design of the 1950s. A gem of Saxon craftsmanship, it has a sharply defined facade and an attractive, timeless interior. The façade is made of bright Pirna sandstone. Above the ground floor windows is a relief depicting theater symbols and state emblems of the GDR. At night, when it is illuminated, the building makes for a spectacular sight, and the ideal Instagram shot! Enjoy the generously sized foyers, enter the opera through the ticket hall, which is decorated with blue-black diabase flooring. The walls are partially covered with hand-made Meissen porcelain tiles and you will ascend the bright, double-lighted main and parquet stairs. The brass handrails, forged by Fritz Kühn, the color of the walls, the wall lights, ornaments made of gold leaf and the burgundy carpet are typical of the period of construction. The trapezoidal auditorium, with its world-class acoustics, can accommodate up to 1,273 people, including 20 box seats and six wheelchair seats. Each seat has a great view of the stage, allowing the audience to enjoy the performances at their best.
