The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, founded in 1776, is one of the most famous opera and ballet houses in the world. The word Bolshoi simply means big. The current building at Theatre Square was erected in 1825 and comprehensively restored 2005-2011 for over 700 million dollars after several fires and war destruction. The magnificent hall with eight tiers of boxes and around 1,770 seats is a central icon of Russian high culture. The Bolshoi Ballet, founded in 1776, is one of the oldest and most prestigious ballet companies worldwide — Tchaikovsky works like Swan Lake have been core repertoire for generations. The house produces opera and ballet at the highest international level each season.
Over the course of its history, the theatre was destroyed eight times by fires and war — and rebuilt every time.
At a glance
- Type
- Opera house
- Location
- Moscow, Russia
More venues in Moscow
- Nowaja Opera · Opera house, Moscow
More venues in Russia
- Mariinski-Theater · Opera house, Sankt Petersburg
- Michailowski-Theater · Opera house, Sankt Petersburg
- Opernhaus Jekaterinburg · Opera house, Jekaterinburg
- Opernhaus Kasan · Opera house, Kasan
- Opernhaus Nowosibirsk · Opera house, Nowosibirsk
- Opernhaus Perm · Opera house, Perm
- Opernhaus Samara · Opera house, Samara