Alte Oper

The original opera house in Frankfurt is now the Alte Oper (Old Opera), a concert hall and former opera house in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was inaugurated in 1880 but destroyed by bombs in 1944. It was rebuilt, slowly, in the 1970s, opening again in 1981. Many important operas were performed for the first time in Frankfurt, including Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in 1937.

The square in front of the building is known as Opernplatz (Opera Square). The Alte Oper is located in the inner city district, Innenstadt, within the banking district Bankenviertel.

The Oper Frankfurt now plays in the Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt, completed in 1951, which it shares with the Schauspiel Frankfurt theatre company.

Inauguration

The building was designed by the Berlin architect Richard Lucae, financed by the citizens of Frankfurt and built by Philipp Holzmann. Construction began in 1873. It opened on October 20, 1880. Among the guests was Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany, who was impressed and said: Das könnte ich mir in Berlin nicht erlauben. (I couldn't permit myself this sort of thing in Berlin.)

The citizens of Frankfurt, who had to finance the structure (initial estimate two million marks), were rather sceptical at first.[] Alluding to the inscription on the frieze

"Dem Wahren, Schönen, Guten", ("To the true, the beautiful, the good")

The folkloristic Frankfurt poet Adolf Stoltze wrote, in his best Hessian dialect:

Dem Wahre, Scheene, Gute, die Berjerschaft muß blute. (To the true, the beautiful, the good, the citizenry must bleed.)

Post WWII

The Alte Oper was almost completely destroyed by bombs during World War II in 1944 (only some of the outside walls and façades survived). In the 1960s the city magistrate planned to build a modern office building on the site. The then Minister of Economy in Hessen Rudi Arndt, earned the nickname "Dynamit-Rudi" (Dynamite Rudi) when he proposed to blow up "Germany's most beautiful ruin" with "a little dynamite". Arndt later said that this was not meant seriously.[]

A citizen's initiative campaigned for reconstruction funds after 1953 and collected 15 million DM. It ended costing c. DM160, and the building was reopened on August 28, 1981, to the sounds of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, the "Symphony of a Thousand". A live recording of that concert conducted by Michael Gielen is available on CD.

The Alte Oper has:

  • The Großer Saal (Large Hall) with 2500 seats.
  • The Mozart-Saal, 700 seats.
  • and smaller halls for conventions.

Gallery

See also

  • Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt
  • List of concert halls

References

Notes

Sources

  • Groß, Lothar (2012). Made in Germany: Deutschlands Wirtschaftsgeschichte von der Industralisierung bis heute Band 1: 1800 - 1945. Books on demand. ISBN .

External links

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DHR.com
7 September 2011
This Frankfurt treasure was nearly completely destroyed in World War II, but it was reconstructed in1981. You can grab a bite to eat at the Opera restaurant or have coffee at the Cafe Rosso and bar.
Jai Othman
27 November 2013
Take a walk around this old opera theatre. It has a nice fountains in a very chill surrounding.
Danielle C.
28 July 2019
Beautiful old opera house. A must-see in Frankfurt!
Maynard Tann
24 June 2018
Great place to walk. Anchors the start or end of street full of restaurants.
Sven-Sebastian Sajak
28 October 2017
Pünktlich sein! Während eines laufenden Konzerts wird man sonst nur während des Applauses eingelassen... (was bei einem Rock-Konzert ziemlich absurd und überholt ist ????)
Hotspots Hessen
3 October 2015
Hier geht`s zum Programm: https://www.alteoper.de/de/programm
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foursquare.com
8.5/10
11,930 people have been here
Map
Opernpl. 1, 60313 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Get directions
Fri Noon–1:00 PM
Sat 11:00 AM–11:00 PM
Sun 10:00 AM–11:00 AM
Mon 1:00 PM–2:00 PM
Tue 1:00 PM–3:00 PM
Wed Noon–10:00 PM

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