1 0 . O P E R
L E I P Z I G
AUGUSTUSPLATZ 12
The present opera house on Augustusplatz , opened in 1960 as the only new opera house in
the GDR and now a listed building , captivates as a closed Gesamtkunstwerk of architecture
and interior design of the 50s . The trapezoidal auditorium in the form of a Einrangtheaters
offers 1273 seats . It impresses with its excellent acoustics . From every seat there are
excellent viewing possibilities .
The architects Kunz Nierade and Kurt Hemmerling were commissioned in 1954 to build the
new Opera House on Augustusplatz . The facade is made of bright Pirnaer sandstone . It has
a 350 - meter long attic shelf . Above the ground floor windows is a bas - relief depicting
theater symbols and state emblems of the GDR . The entrance area consists of a two - story
simple loggia . The house has the shape of a step pyramid in the dimensions 115 x 85 meters ;
from the foundation to the top , there are 52 meters in seven floors . The building appears
sober by day . At night , when everything is enlightened , the house looks festive and glassy
through the large window fronts . Today , the Leipzig Opera House in Germany is one of the
most beautiful buildings of the architectural style of the late 50s .