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| Frankfurt Travel Guide - Opera House
Old Opera House
The Old Opera House is a building typically representative
of the Gründerzeit (the time of the founders), the moment
in which Germany experienced an industrial launch in the late
19th Century. The building is the result of a donations of
the wealthier neighbours of Frankfurt; on October 22, 1880,
after 7 years of work, The Opera Theatre was officially opened
with a rendition of Mozart's "Don Giovanni".
Until its destruction sometime near the end
of the Second World War, Frankfurt 's Opera House had eight
artistic directors, many premiers and famous composers and
soloists using its facilities and stages. Some of Wagner's
newest operas were performed here, and names such as Bizet,
Leoncavallo, Puccini, Mascagni, Smetana, Richard Strauss and
Humperdinck were all on the program.
After the war, an arduous debate broke
out that lasted for several years, which contemplated if the
Old Opera House should be reconstructed or if the ruins should
simply be removed. Fortunately, the first post-war mayor's
proposal to dynamite the remains failed hopelessly. Restoration
and reconstruction lasted until 1981, when the Opera House
was formally reopened. Today it hosts over 600 concerts a
year and special performances such as the dance arts, have
made the Opera come to be a crucial cultural center in Frankfurt.
