Palais Garnier

Charles Garnier won the competition in 1861 and the building opened in 1875, an exercise in Second Empire display: a grand staircase of coloured marble designed so that arriving audiences could watch each other, a foyer of gilt and mirrors modelled on a palace gallery, and an auditorium in red and gold. Groundwater under the site forced the engineers to build a water tank in the substructure, which became the underground lake of Leroux's Phantom of the Opera; it is real, and the fire brigade trains in it. The auditorium ceiling was repainted by Chagall in 1964, over the original, which survives beneath.

History

In 1821 the Paris Opera moved into the temporary Salle Le Peletier, and the search for a permanent home began; a site by the Palais-Royal chosen in 1847 was dropped after the revolution of 1848, but with the Second Empire and Haussmann's appointment in 1853 the plan revived, made more urgent when an attempt on Napoleon III's life was made at the old opera's cramped entrance on 14 January 1858. An imperial decree of 29 September 1860 fixed the site off the Boulevard des Capucines, and the competition announced on 30 December 1860 drew about 170 entries, won by the young Charles Garnier. Built from 1861 to 1875, the 1,979-seat house was the main theatre of the Paris Opera and its ballet until the Opéra Bastille opened in 1989, and it has been a monument historique since 1923 (Wikipedia, Palais Garnier).

What's there

• The grand staircase - coloured marble built for audiences to be seen on.
• The Chagall ceiling - the 1964 painting over the original, above the chandelier.
• The grand foyer - a mirrored gilt gallery the length of the facade.
• The water tank - the substructure reservoir behind the phantom's lake.

When to go

Year-round; daytime visits are possible when no rehearsal is running, which is not always predictable, so checking on the day helps. Performances are a separate and better way to see the auditorium.

What to expect

The auditorium is closed to daytime visitors during rehearsals, which happens often and without much warning. The underground lake is not open to the public. Guided tours book out.

Nearby

Galeries Lafayette lies north; the Louvre is south.

Key facts