Oper Leipzig

The Oper Leipzig at Augustusplatz is one of the most tradition-rich German opera houses, founded in 1693 as the third civic opera house in Germany after Hamburg and Braunschweig — only a few years after the founding of the Hamburgische Oper. The current building, opened in 1960 in the style of socialist classicism, was built on the foundations of the New Theatre of 1868 destroyed in the Second World War, and forms together with the neighbouring Gewandhaus zu Leipzig an architectural ensemble of GDR modernism. The stage seats 1,273 spectators and houses the Leipzig Opera Ensemble and the Leipzig Ballet. The Gewandhausorchester, one of the oldest and most renowned concert orchestras in the world, plays in the orchestra pit at every performance — a unique dual function that distinguishes Leipzig in the European opera landscape. Historically, significant works were premiered at the Oper Leipzig, including Wagner's early operatic oeuvre. Under the directorships of Joachim Herz (1959-1976) and Udo Zimmermann (1990-1998) the house attained international significance for director-led theatre. Since 2022 Tobias Wolff has directed the house, pursuing a repertoire that combines classics with rediscovered rarities.