Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater

The building of the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre is one of the greatest architectural monuments of Ukraine and one of the most beautiful theaters in the world. Opera is a real jewel of Odessa, which worthy enters the list of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine. Learn more about this monument of architecture and art.

The history of Odessa Opera Theater starts since the foundation of Odessa. It was built in 1809 according to design of the French architect Thomas de Thomon. In 1873 the theater was completely burned, this was a tragedy for the city, but fortunately there were no human casualties. 11 years after the fatal fire, the Odessa Opera Theater began to be built anew. At this time the construction was carried out under the leadership of the Viennese architects F. Felner and H. Helmer. And the opening of the new theater was held on October 1, 1887.

Odessa Opera Theater is famous primarily for its architecture, and is one of the best in Europe due to its planning and technical data. The building itself is constructed in the style of the Viennese "baroque", which was the major stile in European art since the end of 1916 to mid-18th century. Above the facade there towers a group of sculptures depicting one of the Muses – Protectress of the Art Melpomene. She sits in a chariot, harnessed with four furious panthers. Downstairs, near the main entrance, there are two groups of sculptures on high pedestals embodying the comedy and tragedy: on the left - a fragment of the tragedy of Euripides “Hippolytus", on the right - the episode of the comedy by Aristophanes “Birds”. Across the pediment of the building one can see the busts of brilliant creators of Russian Literature and Art: Pushkin, Glinka, Griboyedov, Gogol, who embody the poetry, music, drama and comedy.

But the most beautiful part of the building is the auditorium. Similar to the interior of the theatre, the hall corresponds to the slogan: “Golden content for the gold form”. It is created in the style of Louis 16 - "rococo". Everything inside is created in harmony with each other: dome, columns, arches, sculptures, reliefs, candles and candlesticks, gilding, which is very nice combined with white, beige and warm cream-colored walls and ceilings. On the ceiling there are paintings - scenes from famous works of Shakespeare. And the huge luxurious crystal chandelier seems to tower over everything, weighing about 2 and half tons. The seats and boxes are covered with dark red velvet; mirrors are in gilt frames. In combination with the beautiful music all this is just a delight!