Alte Oper, Frankfurt am Main

Education is what survives when what has been learnt has been forgotten.
The Old Opera House at Bockenheimer Tor in Frankfurt's center (built 1880) is now also a congress and concert hall. Right beside on Fressgasse lies a nice Starbucks'. Pull down or rebuild: For years the fate of Germany’s most beautiful ruin was under discussion. But the people of Frankfurt provided an example of civic appreciation and on how to deal with historical heritage. Thanks to civic protests and generous donations the representative building from the Wilhelminian era, which had been bombed down to its foundation walls, was faithfully rebuilt to the original. On 28th August 1981, the inauguration of the Old Opera House was celebrated.

Old Opera House
Opernplatz 1
Frankfurt, 60313
ph: 01149 069-1340-400
email: info@alteoper.de
S-station: Bockenheimer Warte

2 more images

Probably it worth it to go to a concert there (it works now as a concert hall), I don’t know, but for sure it worth it just to look at it. The building was made at the end of XIX century and worked as one of the best operas in Germany. But then in The World War II was destroyed and renovated again in 1981.

4 more images

The Old Opera Hall, or Alte Oper as it is known in German, is a grandiose and impressive structure that lends an imperial air more often associated with German cities other than Frankfurt. The structure was opened in 1880 with its neo-Classical façades, columns and green copper roofs, all of which was financed by the citizens of the city. The building was substantially destroyed during the Second World War, with only the façades remaining, and several prominent German politicians planned to remove the structure to make way for offices. It was once again the goodwill of the people of the city that helped to preserve this beautiful landmark, providing over DM15 000 000 of the DM160 000 000 needed for its reconstruction and restoration. Today it is still the site of many performances and concerts, although it does not have the same prestige it once did, accommodating the premieres of operas by famous composers.

3 more images

If you can afford it, by all means go to a concert at the "Old Opera" concert hall. Some of the best orchestras in the world give concerts there, and they also have a full program of recitals, pop concerts and musicals. Going to a concert is also the only way you can get to see the inside of the Old Opera House, which has been done up quite elegantly.

The "Alte Oper" is a beautiful building -- and a very prominent Frankfurt landmark -- but it's not the opera house any more. The only operas you can see there are concert versions, in which the singers stand in front of the orchestra and sing, with no acting, no costumes, no stage sets, no lighting effects, nobody disappearing through a hole in the floor or flying in from the ceiling.

But don't despair! A mere three blocks away (just turn your back on the Alte Oper and walk through the strip of park in front of you) is the real opera house on Willy-Brandt-Platz, where you can see fully-staged opera productions for about a third of what you would pay for a concert ticket at the "Old Opera".

Second photo: In the lobby of the Old Opera
Third photo: The Large Hall as seen from the cheap seats up in the "Olymp"
Fourth photo: A look down at the lobby during the intermission

the alte oper was built between 1872 and 1880. sadly this beautiful building was destroyed in WWII. the alte oper was rebuilt after the war and now is used for concerts and stage plays. there is a new modern opera near by. of interest is it's beautiful italian renaissance facade.

1 more image

The Alte Oper is Frankfurt's old opera house, which dates back to 1880. Unfortunately it was almost destroyed by fire in 1944, and it took years to be restored, not reopening until 1981. (In the meantime, a new Opera House was built elsewhere)

The exterior and lobby were rebuilt based on the original Renaissance-style design, however the rest of the interior is modern, containing various concert halls and a congress centre. Statues of Mozart and Goethe can be seen on the façade, overlooking the square.

2 more images

The opera was inaugurated on 20th October 1880. The responsible achitect was the Berliner Richard Lucae. The old opera held 2010 spectators. Towards the end of WWII on 23rd March 1944 the old opera burnt out to an empty shell.

The Alte Oper (Old Opera) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, used to be one of Germany's most important opera houses and is now one of the most beautiful concert halls in Germany. The Grosse Saal (Large Hall) of the Alte Oper has seating for an audience of 2500. The building also includes the Mozart-Saal with 700 seats as well as some smaller halls used for conventions.
The building, designed by Berlin architect Richard Lucae and financed by the citizens of Frankfurt, was inaugurated in 1880.
The Alte Oper was almost completely destroyed by World War II bombing in 1944 and the city magistrate planned to build a modern office building in place of the ruin. Because a new opera house had already been built in 1951, the rebuilt Alte Oper was designed for use as a concert hall from the beginning of its reconstruction. Today, it regularly hosts concerts and plays.