Sights and history

Grand Theatre (Opera House)

The Grand Theatre building was designed by the Munich architect Max Littmann. It was built in only 18 months as a new municipal theatre and opened in 1910 with Mozart's “The Magic Flute”. The neoclassical façade is crowned by a figure of Pegasus, which is why the building is known locally as the House under the Sign of Pegasus (Dom pod Pegazem).

Hours Box office, Tue–Sat: 13:00–19:00 · Box office, Sundays: 2 hours before the performance · Behind-the-scenes tour: dates agreed individually
Tickets “Behind the Scenes of the Theatre” tour: PLN 10 per person · Performances: prices depend on the event

History

The theatre stands on ul. Fredry in the Imperial Quarter, built by the Germans at the beginning of the 20th century. On the other side of ul. Fredry lies Mickiewicz Park, and beyond ul. Wieniawskiego Wieniawski Park.

In 1919 the theatre was taken over by the Polish authorities. On 31 August 1919 the Polish opera began its work here with Stanisław Moniuszko's “Halka”. Between the wars the theatre staged, among others, the world premiere of Feliks Nowowiejski's “Legend of the Baltic” and the Polish premiere of Karol Szymanowski's ballet “Harnasie”.

During the Second World War a German theatre operated here. In 1950 the opera was named after Stanisław Moniuszko.

Behind the scenes

The theatre runs a “Behind the Scenes of the Theatre” tour. On a walk through the opera's interiors you can see the places where theatre life happens and learn how many people work on preparing a performance.

The tour lasts 45–60 minutes, costs PLN 10 per person and is for people aged 7 and over. The date is agreed individually by writing to edukacja@opera.poznan.pl.

Performances

The repertoire includes operas, operettas, ballets and concerts. Ballet does not require knowledge of Polish.

The box office is open Tuesday to Saturday 13:00–19:00, and on Sundays 2 hours before the performance (only if tickets are still available). Reduced tickets are available to, among others, pupils, students up to 26, and pensioners. All Poznań stages are described on the Theatres and concerts page.