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OPERA
Opera de Paris (the old one, since a new one is
situated in
Bastille Square
) is one of the
most beautiful and representative buildings of
Paris
, looking
impressive in the middle of
Opera Square
, always full
of tourists and fans (also professional) doing lots of photos,
where are the accesses to the metro.
Opera
is located in the Opera Square
to which it
gives name. It’s very near to the Museum of the Louvre – only
about 10min walk by the avenue of Opera – one of the few in
Paris that does not have any trees planted, this is by the will of
Napoleon III, who feared to be shot from the windows of lateral
buildings where the killer might have been hidden by the branches
and leaves.
The
Building
of
Opera
was
constructed by the architect Charles Garnier between 1861
and 1874 by the order of Napoleon III that ironically would not
get to see the inauguration performance in 1876, the opera Jeanne
D’Arc of Mermet. Although initials N-E (Napoleon Eugene his
woman) preside over the main façade.
More than a place to enjoy the opera, the building was a place of
prestige, when elite circle of bourgeoisie and aristocracy went
for the private meetings; nowadays Opera de Paris continues making
an impression by its monumental and splendid stairs of entrance
and its sumptuous decoration overloaded of gilded and candelabra.
Nowadays, the Palace of Opera de Garnier lodges ballet spectacles,
and special single performances since usually these
representations take place in the new opera, in Bastille,
more cosy and contemporary but much less spectacular. In order to
have an idea of how big it is - enough to say that its surface is
11,237 square
meters
.
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