bg Graz

Graz Opera

- Kaiser-Josef-Platz 10 -
The construction of the multi-story cultural building began on April 12, 1898, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Emperor . The design for the construction was created by the Austrian architects and . The construction company of and Heinrich Loetz, and the municipal architect Ludwig Muhry were responsible for construction implementation. The Graz Opera was inaugurated on September 16, 1899, with a play by the German poet and playwright, . The first opera performance took place the following day at the opening, which was the play Lohengrin by , which was given under the musical direction of .
An old postcard that shows the interior
During a restoration that was carried out before the , a reduction in the sculptural decoration on the external facades took place, some of which were created by the sculptor . In 1944, during the Second World War, an aerial bomb destroyed the upper foyer and the colonnade. As part of the reconstruction, there was no reconstruction of the temple architecture. Between 1983 and 1985, it underwent a renovation which saw the installation of modern equipment and facilities without significantly changing the original exterior and interior of the building.
The building after the bombardment
An that's crowned with a is placed on both sides of the Neo-Baroque building. The reliefs, sculptures, and that can be seen around the entire building refer to the building's function as a house of performing arts. The that's placed above one of the entrances, contains a sculptural relief depiction of the Greek god , who's surrounded by and . The lyre harp on top of the tympanum, a symbol that's used regularly on theaters, is surrounded by even more putti. The tympanum, as well as several other parts of the building, are embellished with .
The large amounts of pilasters and columns, which can be admired around the entire building, are either crowned with an Ionic, a Doric, or a Corinthian . Some of the balustrades and contain geometric forms, while others contain . The ornamentation around the windows consists of , garlands, and . Above some of the side entrance doors, a is placed, which is placed in the midst of a . In addition, the building contains several ornamentations, including , adorned with , and all sorts of .