Palais Garnier

The Palais Garnier, also known as the Opéra de Paris, Opéra Garnier, or simply the Paris Opéra, is a large opera house located on the Place de l'Opéra, a square in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The 19th century neo-baroque (or baroque revival) building of the opera, designed by Charles Garnier and inaugurated in 1875, can accommodate nearly 2,200 people. The construction of the opera was commissioned by the Emperor Napoleon III during the great reconstruction of Paris in the years of the Second Empire and lasted for 13 years, mainly due to the discovery of an underground lake which still exists under the building of the opera. It was originally named the Académie Nationale de Musique - Théâtre de l'Opéra, however, in 1978, it was renamed the Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris. Since that time it changed its name several times. Palais Garnier is commonly regarded as one of the architecturial wonders of its time. Today, it is mainly used for the ballet shows. 

Palais Garnier is one of the largest theatres in the world. Its façade is decorated with various sculptures, rose marble columns, multicoloured friezes, and the statues of Greek deities. Here you can also find bronze busts of world-class composers, such as Mozart, Rossini, Daniel Auber, Beethoven, Meyerbeer, Fromental Halévy, Spontini, and Philippe Quinault. Inside the opera, suspended from the ceiling of the auditorium, hangs a large chandelier weighing over six tons. Below, there is an enormous stage which is big enough to accommodate up to 450 artists. Also, one of the most impressive structures of the opera's interior is the marble Grand Staircase which is 30 metres high.

The underground lake located beneath the opera's building became an inspiration for the gothic love story "The Phantom of The Opera" written by a detective writer Gaston Leroux in 1910, which in 2004 was adapted for cinema by Joel Schumacher.