Nationaltheater (National Theater)

Nationaltheater (National Theater) Review

Bavaria's original National Theater at Max-Joseph-Platz didn't last long. Though opened in 1818, in 1823, before it was completely finished, it burned to the ground. It had been rebuilt by 1825 with its eight-column portico, and went on to premiere Richard Wagner's world-famous Tristan und Isolde (1865), Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1868), Rheingold (1869), and Walküre (1870). Allied bombs destroyed much of the interior in 1943, and its facade and elements of its interior were rebuilt as it was prewar. It finally reopened in 1963. Today, it is one of Europe's largest opera houses and contains some of the world's most advanced stage technologies. Moreover, as the principle home to the Bavarian State Opera, it is considered one of the world's outstanding opera houses. See also Cuvilliès Theatre and Prinzregententheater, which are also home to the Bavarian State Opera.