Gran Teatre del Liceu

The Gran Teatre del Liceu, opened in 1847 on Barcelona's famous Rambla, is Spain's most important opera house and one of Europe's largest with around 2,300 seats. The magnificent hall in Italian horseshoe style was almost completely destroyed by a devastating fire in 1994 — reconstruction took five years and cost 90 million euros. The auditorium was exactly recreated, the technology modernised. The house is a central institution of Catalan identity and maintains a repertoire connecting Spanish and international opera history — from Verdi and Wagner to contemporary works by Catalan composers. The location on the Rambla makes the Liceu a tourist landmark.