The Ljubljana Opera House ( sl, Opera, or ) is an

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

, the capital of

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. The seat of the national opera and ballet company, the

Ljubljana Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet The Ljubljana Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet ( sl, Slovensko narodno gledališče Opera in balet Ljubljana, ), or shortly Ljubljana SNG Opera and Ballet, is Slovenia's national opera and ballet company. Its seat is the Ljubljana Opera Ho ...

, it serves as the national opera building of the country. It stands at 1 Župančič Street () between the

Slovenian Parliament The Slovenian Parliament ( sl, Slovenski parlament) is the informal designation of the general representative body of the Slovenian nation and the legislative body of the Republic of Slovenia. According to the Constitution of Slovenia, the gen ...

building, on one hand, and the National Museum and the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

, on the other hand.

History

The building was originally named the Provincial Theatre ( sl, Deželno gledališče) and was built between 1890 and 1892 in the

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

style by the

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

architects

Jan Vladimír Hráský Jan Vladimír Hráský (1857–1939) was a Czech architect, builder, engineer, and hydrologist. Hrásky is known in Slovenia as an original author of building in Neo-Renaissance style of Carniolan Provincial Manor in Ljubljana (1899–1902), w ...

and Anton Hruby. Before the construction of the German Theatre (the present

Ljubljana National Drama Theatre The Ljubljana Slovene National Theatre Drama ( sl, Slovensko narodno gledališče Drama Ljubljana, ), or the Slovene National Theatre Drama in Ljubljana, is the national theatre in Ljubljana, Slovenia, best known for its conservative repertoire, ...

(SNG) at 1 Erjavec Street) in 1911, the building served as a venue for productions in both Slovene and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, and afterwards only in Slovene.

Architecture

The facade of the Opera House has

Ionic column The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...

s supporting a

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

with a tympanum above the entrance and has two niches at the side adorned with

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

statues of

Tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

and

Comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

by the sculptor (1859–1935).

Gallery

File:Top of the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre.jpg, The Genius with the torch and other statues above the main entrance File:SNGOperaLj-Dec2011.jpg, The interior after a major restoration in 2011 File:Ljubljanska Opera 3.jpg, Ljubljana Opera House after a major restoration in 2011. The expansion is visible in the back.

References

{{authority control Opera and Ballet Theatre Opera houses in Slovenia Music venues completed in 1892 Opera and Ballet Theatre Opera and Ballet Theatre Jan Vladimír Hráský buildings Theatres completed in 1892