Teatro Real
Madrid
The Teatro Real is Madrid's opera house. It opened in 1850, and today it is among the most important opera houses in all of Europe.
From washhouse to opera house
In 1738 the Real Teatro de los Caños del Peral opened on this spot. It took its name from a nearby public washhouse. For decades it was the city's opera house.
In 1817 King Ferdinand VII ordered it to be demolished and a new theatre built. The first stone was laid in 1818, but the work lasted more than thirty years.
A special shape
The design is by the architect Antonio López Aguado. The building has an unusual plan, with six irregular sides.
A façade faces the gardens to the west. The other, plainer façade looks onto the Plaza de Isabel II, where there is a metro stop.
Closures and comebacks
The theatre opened on 19 November 1850, on the feast day of Isabella II. For more than seventy years it was among Europe's great opera houses.
In 1925 a collapse inside forced it to close. After long works it reopened as an opera house in 1997. Today it has a modern stage, and the main hall is full of music again.
