Bayerisches Nationaltheater, Munich

The Bayerisches Nationaltheater is the opera house before you, with a monumental portico of Corinthian columns and a paired triangular pediment. Its classical design comes from Karl von Fischer and Leo von Klenze, and the building’s present appearance recreates Fischer’s original plan after later reconstruction. The theatre is home to the Bavarian State Opera, the Bavarian State Orchestra and the Bavarian State Ballet.

Look at the broad entrance and the pediment mosaics: this façade belongs to a house with an unusually turbulent history. Construction began in 1811, and the theatre opened in 1818. Fire destroyed it in 1823, and bombing reduced it to its enclosing walls in 1943.

The building was reconstructed and reopened in 1963. Inside, the auditorium has room for 2,101 people, with a royal box forming the focus of the interior design. Its stage covers about 2,500 square metres, making it Europe’s third-largest opera stage.

This is also a place where Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre received their premieres. The theatre’s story is written into its repeated return: performance, destruction, and renewal, all behind this temple-like façade.