Frankfurt, Germany: Opera House

All right, maybe you don't like opera. It's allowed. But you have to like opera houses, especially when they are as spectacular as the one in Frankfurt. What's more, it is presiding over an amazing square in downtown Frankfurt, surrounded by fountains and parks. It's a great place to walk.

The Alte Oper, as they write in Germany, first opened in 1880. The structure stayed around until 1944, when it was badly damaged by bombers in World War II. There was talk of putting up an office building there, but smarter heads prevailed. After more than 25 years of fund-raising, the new place opened up in 1981. Snobbish note: Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 was the first tune played there.

Got a minute? Let's look around.



Be notified of new posts on this site via Twitter @WDX2BB.