Staatsoper Unter den Linden

Concert enthusiasts from all over the world have been waiting for the reopening of the famous Staatsoper Unter den Linden. The renovation of the 275-year-old opera house took significantly longer and also cost more than originally planned.

The opera house is considered one of the most beautiful buildings on the magnificent boulevard Unter den Linden. Musically, the Staatsoper is one of the world’s most renowned houses. The building was constructed from 1741 to 1743 according to plans by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff as the Royal Opera. This court opera of Frederick II thus belongs to the complex of the Forum Fridericianum, the heart of Berlin at that time. The opera was then the first freestanding opera house in Germany and the largest in Europe.

The building experienced a checkered history; almost completely burnt down in 1843, it was rebuilt by Carl Ferdinand Langhans. After the Second World War, the foundation walls still stood, and the building was rebuilt again in the 1950s. The interiors were masterfully designed by Richard Paulig, a former Poelzig student and assistant to Walter Gropius. In 1986, during GDR times, the Staatsoper was renovated and now – also according to the wishes of General Music Director Daniel Barenboim – it was renovated and restored again from 2010 to 2017.

With new technology, a modern acoustic ceiling, new seating, and fresh gold leaf, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden reopened on October 3, 2017, with a free “Concert for Berlin”. The Staatskapelle and General Music Director Daniel Barenboim thus thanked taxpayers for the renovation of the house. Works by Edward Elgar and Giuseppe Verdi, among others, were performed.

The renovation costs of approximately 400 million Euros are partly borne by the federal government with 200 million, the rest comes from the Berlin budget. After the opening celebrations, the opera house will close for two months to adapt the new technology to the requirements of regular opera operations. The Staatsoper will resume its regular operations after the renovation starting December 07, 2017.