On May 25, 1869, the opera house solemnly opened with Mozart’s Don Giovanni in the presence of Emperor Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. Eventually, the popularity of the building grew under the artistic influence of the first directors. The years 1938 to 1945 were a dark chapter in the history of the opera house. Under the Nazis, many members of the house were driven out, pursued, and killed, and many works were not allowed to be played and on March 12, 1945, the opera house was devastated during a bombing.
Looking at the front of the building I can see the original structure that has been preserved since 1869. The façade decorated in Renaissance-style arches. The statues of the two riders on horseback were placed on the main façade in 1876 and represent Erato’s two winged horses that are led by Harmony and the Muse of Poetry. On the arches above the veranda are five bronze statues representing heroism, tragedy, fantasy, comedy, and love. On the right and left sides of the opera house are two fountains representing two different worlds: on the left, music, dance, joy, and levity, and on the right, seduction, sorrow, love, and revenge. The transverse wings, which stand perpendicular to the main building, originally served as driveways for horse-drawn carriages.