The Grand Theatre in Warsaw, home of the Polish National Opera, stands on the historic Theatre Square. The neoclassical building by the Italian architect Antonio Corazzi was begun in 1825 and opened on 24 February 1833 with Rossini's The Barber of Seville. Stanisław Moniuszko's Halka in its complete version (1858) and The Haunted Manor (1865) had their premieres here; Moniuszko directed the Warsaw Opera until his death in 1872. In September 1939 the theatre was destroyed except for its façade. Rebuilt and enlarged to designs by Bohdan Pniewski, it reopened on 19 November 1965. The Moniuszko Auditorium seats 1,841 and the Młynarski Auditorium 248; the building also houses Poland's only theatre museum. It is home to the Polish National Ballet. Since 2002 the quadriga already planned by Corazzi has crowned the façade.
The Teatr Wielki Warsaw, opened in 1833, is with over 1,800 seats one of the largest opera houses in Europe — the house was destroyed in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 and faithfully rebuilt in 1965.
At a glance
- Type
- Opera house
- Location
- Warsaw, Poland