Palais Garnier became the official name when the Opéra Bastille was built in 1989 to replace the older opera house, although the Palais Garnier still remains and continues to house performances, and many Parisians still refer to the building as the Paris Opera. Its first was Académie Nationale de Musique - Théâtre de l'Opéra until 1978 when it was renamed as the Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris. The name Palais Garnier is only a recent title – by the time it was renamed as such in 1989 it had gone through two other names. The Palais Garnier was inaugurated on January 15, 1875. It wasn’t until the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique (1821 – 1873) burned down that there was a renewed impetus that finally gave Garnier a chance to finish the work, and he did so by the end of 1874. Then the Franco-Prussian War and the subsequent fall of Napoleon III also caused long interruptions between construction periods. It turned out that the building's foundation had unwittingly been laid upon a swamp, which took roughly eight months to drain. The enormous stage could accommodate up to 450 people at one time, and even the building’s corridors and stairwells are cavernous.Ĭonstruction began in 1862, and was quickly plagued with setbacks and delays. The building was always designed to be an extravagant experience, with a lush, richly decorated space incorporating excessive elements such as a six-ton central chandelier, bronze busts of composers, and multiple columns, friezes and statues.

The design, by architect Charles Garnier, was chosen from a competition held in 1861. The Palais Garnier was commissioned during the reconstruction of central Paris by Napoleon III, and the civic planner Baron Haussmann was given the task to clear enough land to build the opera house in 1858. Building and History of the Paris Opera / Palais Garnier

This landmark is a prime example of the Beaux-Arts architecture movement, in part drawing on the 17th century Classical Roman and Baroque style of emphasizing drama and grandeur as well as symmetry. This 2,200 seat opera house was the successor to the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, which had burned down in 1873.

It is centrally placed just a short distance from the Louvre. The Palais Garnier in Paris is most commonly known as the Paris Opera, and is one of the most important buildings in Paris.

The paris opera house chandelier