Semper Opera House

The Semper Opera House is one of the most famous historic buildings in Dresden. Construction of the opera house started in 1838 under the direction of Gottfried Semper. The house was opened on April 12th 1841 with a performance of Goethe's play "Torquato Tasso" and Weber's "Jubilation Overture". The Semper Opera House was destroyed by fire in 1869. Construction of the second Semper Opera House began in 1871. The work was supervised by Gottfried Semper's son, Manfred.
On February 2nd 1878, the new building was opened with Weber's "Jubilation Overture" and Goethe's "Iphigenia in Tauris". The opera house was almost completely destroyed in the bombing in 1945.
The outer structure of the building was initially restored between 1952 and 1956 to preserve the substance for subsequent reconstruction. In order to meet modern requirements, the auditorium was enlarged somewhat, the number of seats was reduced from 1600 to 1300 and the stage area was widened by 12 metres. The cornerstone for reconstruction was laid in 1977. On February 13th 1985, after eight years of construction, the Semper Opera House was re-opened with Carl Maria von Weber's opera "Freischutz". Today, stars from around the world appear in the Semper Opera House, and before it, on the Theatre Square. In the opera house, you can also enjoy performances by the Dresden State Ensemble, known as the "Harp of Wonders".

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