NIKONCOOLPIX S9300 22mm
/ 5.7
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/ ISO 125
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Palais Garnier sits at the top of Avenue de l′Opéra, one of the major Paris routes, connecting the Louvre with the opera house in a straight line. The avenue was deliberately kept free of trees so that not to obstruct the view of the building.Both Avenue de l′Opéra and Palais Garnier were part of the massive renovation of Paris, ordered by the then Emperor Napoléon III (Napoléon Bonaparte’s nephew) and carried out by Baron Haussmann in 1853-1870.In 1858, Count Orsini had attempted to assassinate Napoléon III and his wife Eugénie outside the old opera house on Rue Le Peletier. The royal couple survived, but the opera house perished in the resulting fire. ⇨ ⇨ So, Paris needed a new opera theatre, preferably the one easily accessible from the palace (hence the quick and straight ride from the Louvre), and with the Emperor′s security considered (we will see later how that was done).Just 2 years after the assassination attempt, a competition for the design of "Le Nouvel Opéra de Paris" ("The New Opera of Paris"), was launched. To the surprise of many, it was won by a then-unknown architect Charles Garnier.[That white area above the building, which looks like a clumsy photoshop, is actually a tent on the roof due to the repairs going on. And you don′t always see this tent on the photos because I took these pictures on two different trips to Paris - in 2015 and 2022.]After 15 years of construction, which went way over budget and practically bankrupted the country, Garnier created a showpiece that would not only be a standalone landmark, but would become the initiation of a whole new architectural style. When Empress Eugénie demanded to know, what the hell was the style of the opera house ("What is this? It′s neither Louis XIV, nor Louis XV, nor Louis XVI!"), Garnier said: "It′s Napoléon III, so you really shouldn′t be the one complaining".Opéra Garnier is not only the first, but also the most notable exemplar of the Napoléon III style, which can be defined as "an opulent extravagance". With its (real!) gold leaf, colored marble, Corinthian columns (the fancy column order), friezes, sculptures and busts, Palais Garnier looks more like a wedding cake than a building.Believe it or not, the building is even more lavish inside. The sweeping marble staircase, magnificent gilded grand foyer, opulent crimson-and-gold décor of the auditorium... Don′t take my word for it, see for yourselves in the following galleries.The contemporary Parisians didn′t appreciate the new opera house. They called it “an overloaded sideboard”. Renoir outright hated it. But hey! This fussy and spoiled lot didn′t like the Eiffel Tower too. (Ironically, Charles Garnier himself was one of the major critics of Gustave Eiffel′s creation). Fun fact - Napoléon III himself was never able to attend a performance in his new opera house. The construction took so long that by the time it was finished, Napoléon had lost a war, been captured and subsequently exiled to England, and died. ⇨ ⇨ His regime, known as "the Second Empire", ended, France became a republic (for the 3rd time), and the Emperor′s former favorites fell out of grace. Garnier himself had to pay for his ticket on the opening night in 1875. There are two stories about Opéra Garnier that need to be mentioned. They were part of the inspiration behind Gaston Leroux’s 1911 novel "The Phantom of the Opera", which itself has become the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber′s musical "The Phantom of the Opera" (my favorite musical, by the way. I saw it 3 times on Broadway).The first story is about a real lake underneath the building. It′s partly true. During the construction it was discovered that the area was very swampy, so Garnier had to create a special reservoir under the building to collect the water and drain the ground. ⇨ ⇨ It′s not a lake, more like a huge flooded basement, but with high vaulted ceilings there is technically enough room for the Phantom to glide in his boat.The second story that made it into Leroux’s novel, is about the chandelier that crashed onto the audience during the performance. That is also partly true. ⇨ ⇨ In May 1896, during a performance, one of the chandelier’s counterweights (not the whole chandelier, which weighs 8 metric tonnes!) fell. A concierge (an usher), standing in the auditorium below, got killed.Leroux’s novel is responsible for another rumor, that of the box #5, which ostensibly was reserved for the Phantom and therefore was never sold. The reality is quite the opposite. Box #5 is indeed special, since it has the best views while being discreet, so it gets sold out first.Press ESC to exit
