Sydney Opera theatre is the main calling card of Australia. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II of England in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has become one of Australia's most important attractions, which would be avoided. unforgivable mistake. Until 1958, on the site where the opera house now stands, there was a tram depot, and even before the depot there was a fort.

The theater took 14 years to build and cost Australia around $102 million. Initially it was planned to complete the project in 4 years, but due to difficulties with internal work In terms of finishing, the moment of opening was significantly delayed. For normal operation, the theater needs as much electrical energy as would be enough for a city with a population of 25 thousand people. For the construction of this unique complex in ocean floor Sydney Harbor was driven into piles to a depth of 25 meters. The roof covering consists of 1,056,006 pieces of tiles white and tiles with a matte cream shade.

The Sydney Opera House has very recognizable shapes, reminiscent of giant sails. But if many people recognize the theater immediately, seeing it from the outside in a photo or on television, then not everyone will be able to answer with confidence what kind of building it is, looking at its decorations from the inside. You can experience all the beauties of the theater with a tour that departs through its depths at 7 a.m., that is, at a time when the Sydney Opera House is still dozing and its walls are not disturbed by sonorous and loud performances.

This excursion is conducted only once a day. A huge variety of different performers from all over the world perform in the theater, among them the tradition arose of kissing the wall before a performance, but only the most worthy and great among them are awarded such an honor. For example, on the kissing wall you can find imprints of Janet Jackson's lips. But still, the excursion can only be an introductory stage into the world of the Sydney Opera House. In order to get maximum impressions and positive emotions, you need to attend at least 1 performance.

Another impressive performance venue in Sydney is Stadium Australia, which seats 83.5 thousand people.

Information for visitors:

Address: Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000.

How to get there: The opera house is located on Sydney Harbor at Bennelong Point. It will be easy for you to get here from anywhere in Sydney; the intersection of sea and land transport routes is nearby.

Working hours:

Every day (except Sunday) from 9:00 to late evening;

Sunday: from 10:00 to late evening (depending on the event).

Prices: depending on the event.

Sydney Opera House on a map of Sydney

The Sydney Opera House is the main attraction of Australia. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II of England in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has become one of Australia's most important attractions, and it would be an unforgivable mistake not to visit. Until 1958, on the site where the opera house now stands, there was a tram depot, and even before the depot there was a fort.

– Sydney Opera House, and even if you haven’t heard of it, you will certainly easily recognize the photo of this unusual sail-shaped structure.

Our story will introduce you closer to this unique building, you will find out why it has gained such popularity among tourists, and you will be able to decide whether it deserves your attention or not.

The history of the Sydney Opera House

The history of the construction of the world-famous landmark began in the distant past. 1954 year when the British conductor Sir J. Goossens Having come to work for work, I discovered that there was not only an opera house, but also any other sufficiently spacious room where people could listen to music.
He got excited about the idea of ​​construction and soon found appropriate place- Bennelong Point, where the tram depot was located at that time.
J. Goossens did a lot of work, and so, on May 17, 1955, the Australian government announced a competition to develop a project for a new opera house. Architects from all over the world sent in their projects, but in the end the Dane won J. Watson.
Large-scale construction began, which dragged on for 14 years and instead of the initially calculated 7 million Australian dollars, it required 102 million.
In 1973, the official opening of the Sydney Opera House took place, soon after which the building became the main architectural symbol not only of Australia, but also of Australia as a whole.

Key attractions – what to see at the Sydney Opera House?

Without a doubt, the Sydney Opera House attracts the most attention from people around the world. he is attracted by the easily recognizable roof, which to some resembles sails, to others shells, and others say that it is a symbol of frozen music.

Did you know? Many people think that the roof has a white surface, but in fact, some of its tiles are white, others are cream, due to which, depending on the solar lighting it can “change” color.

But besides the roof, there are many other aspects that make the building truly outstanding. It is surrounded by water on three sides and stands on huge concrete stilts. The area of ​​the theater reaches incredible numbers - 22 thousand square meters. m.!

The theater houses 4 large halls:

• Concert hall, which can simultaneously accommodate 2679 visitors;
• Opera theatre, designed for 1507 spectators, not only opera is performed here, but also ballet;
• Drama Theater, capable of accommodating 544 people;
• Maly Drama Theater- most cozy room for 398 spectators.

In addition to the main halls, the theater has many other rooms - rehearsal rooms, costume rooms, corridors, bars and restaurants.

Entertainment

Without a doubt, the main attraction of the Sydney Opera House is watching his outstanding plays, performances, operas and ballets. World-famous theater and theater companies come here with their performances. ballet companies, as well as orchestras, singers and other artists.

Did you know? The theater can host 4 different performances at the same time!

You can find a poster of upcoming events at official website Sydney Theater operas.
If you are not an ardent art lover or have little time, but want to get acquainted with the world-famous structure, this is easily possible.

By visiting one of them, you can not only learn more interesting facts O famous building, but also to visit “behind the scenes” theatrical life, meet the actors of the troupes and even try theater food. By the way, about food.
There are several good bars and restaurants in the Sydney Opera House grounds. The most popular of them:

• Opera Bar– a bar and restaurant, which is also one of the “favorites” among Sydney residents;
• Bennelong- one of the best restaurants in Australia, whose chef is P. Gilmore, who cooks original dishes made from Australian ingredients;
• Portside Sydney– the most suitable friendly family restaurant for a light snack, a cup of coffee or dessert.

Also in the theater building you will find many souvenir shops, offering tourists a very wide selection of pleasant and memorable things.

Where is the Sydney Opera House located?

The famous structure is located in the picturesque Sydney Harbor on Bennelong Point.
You can easily get here from anywhere in the Australian capital, since the intersection of sea and land transport routes is nearby.
GPS coordinates: 33.856873° S, 151.21497° E.

Sydney Opera House opening hours

• The theater is open to visitors daily from 9 am (Sunday from 10:00) until late in the evening.

• Prices for visiting the theater depend on the purpose of such a visit - either it will be an excursion, or you want to see this or that performance, or you just want to relax and have a delicious meal in one of the theater restaurants - in each case the price can vary significantly.
• For any questions you may have, you can contact the theater’s “Info Service” from Monday to Friday by phone. +61 2 9250 7111, or write to email. address [email protected].
  The official website of the Sydney Opera House is www.sydneyoperahouse.com.

Sydney Opera House - interesting facts

• Author of the Sydney theater project J. Goossens, despite the amount of work he had done, was “exiled” from Australia, because they allegedly found prohibited “Black Mass” items in his possession.
• The initial A$7 million to build the theater was raised thanks to charity lottery.
• The famous sail-shaped roof significantly worsened the acoustics of the theater premises, and therefore it was necessary to make additional sound reflective ceilings. The roof, by the way, also turned out to be too heavy, and the builders were forced to redo the entire foundation of the theater.
• Due to protracted construction, the architect of the Sydney Opera House, J. Watson, encountered difficulties with the Australian government, and he was forced to leave Australia. The theater was completed by another architect.
• She came to the opening of the Sydney Opera House herself. Queen Elizabeth II of Britain.
• The Sydney Theater has the longest theater curtains in the world, and in its large concert hall is the largest organ on the planet.
• The Sydney Opera House is the first building in the world to be listed as World Heritage UNESCO during the lifetime of its architect.
• The opera house building is still not completed. To prepare for the 2000 Olympics, the Australian government invited J. Watson to complete the building, but he refused. The famous architect never returned to Australia after the forced cessation of construction.
• J. Watson in 2003 received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for the project of the world famous theater.
• Sydney Opera House was a contender for the title of one of the 7 wonders of the world.
• So far never no repairs were required to the famous building.

Sydney Opera House - video

In this video you will learn even more information about the Sydney Opera House. Enjoy watching!

These and many other secrets are hidden behind its walls around the world. famous theater- hurry to see it, touch its secrets and touch the great musical and theater arts, which unfolds daily behind the scenes.

Sydney is the oldest and most beautiful city in Australia. Today it is impossible to imagine it without the Sydney Opera House. Since the opening of this majestic Opera, this building has been recognized as the symbol of this extraordinary city.

Opera House in Sydney

The Sydney Opera House is located in beautiful place, on Bennelong Point, near the Harbor Bridge. Before the construction of the opera, a fort was located in this area, and after it a transport depot.

Construction of the opera house started in 1959 and lasted for 4 years. The Sydney Theater was first presented by Elizabeth II, Queen of England on October 20, 1973.

The opera was designed by the famous architect Jorn Utzon. The opera house building is located on an area of ​​2.2 hectares, its length is 185 m and its width is 120.

The construction of the opera house includes about a dozen halls different sizes for all kinds of fees. There are 2.5 thousand seats in the concert hall, 1.5 thousand seats in the opera hall, and drama theater over 500 seats, and there are also a couple of halls small size, one of the halls is located in the open-air courtyard.

In addition to these halls, the Sydney Opera House houses 2 stages and many entertainment venues. In front of the theater on the square there are continuously free performances and concerts. Here you can listen to national music.

At the same time, the theater can host up to 4 different performances on different stages.

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On the territory of the opera there are 6 bars and 4 restaurants, here visitors after the end of the performance and during intermission can refresh themselves and drink refreshing cocktails. There are also numerous souvenir shops for tourists.

In Sydney, the Opera House is one of the extraordinary buildings modern architecture. The property of the Sydney Opera House is the curtain, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest on the planet. And another asset of the opera house is the largest organ on the planet, numbering 10,500 pipes, which is also listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Experts have calculated that since the opening of the opera, almost 40 million people have visited it. tourists from various countries, which exceeds the number of residents of all of Australia.

Entry into the building is free, but visiting the opera itself is very difficult. You need to buy a ticket to the opera a couple of months in advance; the pricing policy is quite high.

Excursions are held here for visitors - every day from 9 to 17 hours. In addition, every morning at 7 am there is a performance with breakfast.

In 2007, the World Heritage Site UNESCO included the Sydney Theater in its famous register.

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Tourism

The Sydney Opera House

Geographical position

| latitude and longitude (decimal): -33.856808 , 151.215264

The landscape of the largest Australian city - Sydney - is uniquely recognizable among thousands of other cities in the world thanks to just two elements: the arched bridge Harbor Bridge and the extraordinary building of the multidisciplinary theater, better known as " Opera House» ( Opera House), one of the most famous buildings in world architecture.

The Sydney Opera House recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in a big way, but its history begins much earlier. Back in 1954 Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the New South Wales Conservatoire put forward the idea of ​​creating a Sydney Opera House. The state government has chosen a site for the future building and declared it open international competition on best project for the opera house.

In Sydney Harbor on Bennelong Point there was once a fort, later there was a tram depot here. It was decided to erect a spectacular building on this site, which will become the face of the city.

By December 1956, 233 applications from 28 countries had already been received. According to legend, the jury had already significantly narrowed the circle of applicants, rejecting most of the projects, when the famous American architect of Finnish origin joined the judges Eero Saarinen. It was he who saw among the rejected options the “clear favorite” - the Dane’s project Jorn Utzon (Jørn Utzon), essentially insisting on his victory. On January 29, 1957, the winner was named - an expressive system of either shells or sails, drawn by Uthon.

In the 1950s There was a change in world architectural preferences: the boring conservative-industrial “international style” with characteristic reinforced concrete “boxes” was replaced by something completely different, expressed in spectacular clean lines of curvilinear forms of clearly natural, organic origin. A new style will be called “structural expressionism” or “structuralism”. One of his supporters was the same jury member Ero Saarinen, who insisted on the victory of the project, now considered an “icon” of structuralism.

The architect decided to make the roofs of the Sydney Opera House from spherical segments of constant curvature. A little later, Jorn Utzon will tell you that the source of inspiration was the peel of an orange, peeled off in triangular segments. The only difference with the building is the scale. The orange for the Opera House would have a diameter of 150 m, and its crust would be concrete, covered with azulejo tiles. The building covers an area of ​​2.2 hectares. Its length is 185 m and its maximum width is 120 m.

During the implementation of the project, numerous difficulties arose, which led to delays, significant reworking of the original plan and large financial costs. Instead of the planned four years and seven million Australian dollars, the opera took fourteen years to build and cost $102 million (that is, it exceeded the initial budget by more than 14.5 (!) times).

The Sydney Opera House was opened on 20 October 1973 by the Queen Elizabeth II.

The perfectly level roofs of the Sydney Opera House are covered with more than a million tiles. Under different lighting, the tiles create different color scheme, and the sun’s reflections reflected from the water play beautifully on them.

The two largest vaults form the ceiling Concert hall (Concert Hall) and Opera House ( Opera Theater). In other rooms, the ceilings form groups of smaller vaults. In the smallest "shell" off to the side of the main entrance and grand staircase is the Bennelong Restaurant.

The Opera House has always attracted increased attention from professionals. In 2003, architect Jorn Utzon was awarded the Pritzker Prize (the secret equivalent Nobel Prize in architecture).

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous buildings of the 20th century and certainly the most popular architectural structure Australia in style. It is located on Sydney Harbour, close to the huge Harbor Bridge. The unusual silhouette of the Sydney Opera House resembles a row of sails soaring above the surface of the sea. Now smooth lines are found quite often in architecture, but it was the Sydney Theater that became one of the first buildings on the planet with such a radical design. His distinguishing feature- a recognizable form that includes a number of identical “shells” or “shells”.

The history of the theater's creation is full of drama. It all started in 1955, when the state government of which Sydney is the capital announced an international architectural competition. From the very beginning, the construction was entrusted big hopes– it was planned that the implementation of an ambitious project to create a new magnificent theater would serve as an impetus for the development of culture on the Australian continent. The competition attracted the attention of many famous architects around the world: the organizers received 233 applications from 28 countries. As a result, the government chose one of the most striking and unusual projects, the author of which was the Danish architect Jorn Utzon. An interesting designer and thinker in search of new expressive means, Utzon designed a building that seemed to “come from the world of fantasy,” as the architect himself said.

In 1957, Utzon arrived in Sydney, and two years later construction of the theater began. There were many unforeseen difficulties associated with the start of work. It turned out that Utzon's project was not sufficiently developed, the design as a whole turned out to be unstable, and the engineers could not find an acceptable solution to implement the bold idea.

Another failure is an error in the construction of the foundation. As a result, it was decided to destroy original version and start all over again. Meanwhile, the architect attached paramount importance to the foundation: in his design there were no walls as such, the roof vaults rested directly on the plane of the foundation.

Initially, Utzon believed that his idea could be realized quite simply: make sinks from reinforcing mesh, and then cover them with tiles on top. But calculations showed that this method would not be suitable for a giant roof. The engineers tried different shapes- parabolic, ellipsoidal, but all to no avail. Time passed, money melted, customer dissatisfaction grew. Utzon, in despair, drew tens again and again various options. Finally, one fine day, it dawned on him: his gaze accidentally stopped at orange peels in the form of the usual triangular segments. This was the very form that the designers had been looking for for so long! Roof vaults, which are parts of a sphere of constant curvature, have the necessary strength and stability.

After Utzon found a solution to the problem with the roof vaults, construction resumed, but the financial costs turned out to be more significant than originally planned. According to preliminary estimates, the construction of the building required 4 years. But it took 14 long years to build. The construction budget was exceeded by more than 14 times. Customers' dissatisfaction grew so much that at a certain point they removed Utzon from work. The brilliant architect left for Denmark, never to return to Sydney. He never saw his creation, despite the fact that over time everything fell into place, and his talent and contribution to the construction of the theater was recognized not only in Australia, but throughout the world. The interior design of the Sydney Theater was done by other architects, so between appearance buildings and its interior decoration you can feel the difference.

As a result, the roof segments, seemingly crashing into each other, were made of precast and monolithic reinforced concrete. The surface of the concrete “orange peel” was lined a huge amount tiles made in Sweden. The tiles are coated with a matte glaze, allowing the roof of the Sydney Theater to be used today as a reflective screen for video art and the projection of vibrant images. The roof panels of the Sydney Opera House were built using special cranes ordered from France - the theater was one of the first buildings in Australia to be erected using cranes. And the highest “shell” of the roof corresponds to the height of a 22-story building.

Construction of the Sydney Opera House was officially completed in 1973. The theater was opened by Queen Elizabeth II, the grand opening was accompanied by fireworks and a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The first performance performed in the new theater was S. Prokofiev’s opera “War and Peace”.

Today the Sydney Opera House is the largest Cultural Center Australia. It hosts more than 3 thousand events annually, and has an annual audience of 2 million viewers. The theater program includes an opera called “The Eighth Miracle”, which tells about difficult history construction of the building.