Teatro Real
Madrid's royal opera house on Plaza de Isabel II, staging opera, dance and concerts.
Teatro Real stands on the eastern side of Plaza de Isabel II, facing the Royal Palace across Plaza de Oriente. Commissioned under Ferdinand VII and begun in 1818 to designs by Antonio López Aguado, the theatre was finished by Custodio Teodoro Moreno and inaugurated in November 1850 with Donizetti's La favorite. Its irregular hexagonal plan follows the awkward site between the two squares, and the restrained neoclassical elevations are faced in granite and brick.
Structural problems closed the house in 1925, and for decades it served as a concert hall and recording venue rather than an opera theatre. A lengthy reconstruction returned it to operatic use in 1997, leaving the historic shell while installing a deep modern stage tower and extensive technical machinery. The auditorium seats roughly 1,700 across stalls, tiers and the Royal Box. Today the theatre presents opera, dance, recitals and a flamenco series, and opens for self-paced audio-guided tours of its public rooms.
Highlights
- Neoclassical opera house facing the Royal Palace across Plaza de Oriente
- Horseshoe auditorium with tiered boxes and the restored Royal Box
- Reopened in 1997 after a reconstruction adding a deep modern stage tower
- Audio-guided tours of foyers, salons and backstage areas
