Tbilisi State Opera House
The history of the State Opera House spans more than 165 years. The base of the so-called Caravanserai Theatre, which accommodated 800 spectators, was laid out in 1847 by the instruction of Adjutant General, Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, the Viceroy of the Caucasus. The construction of the building lasted four years and was supervised by an Italian architect.
In 1851, the first opera theater in Transcaucasia had a Grand Opening attended by the high society of Tbilisi. The interior, designed in Moorish style, is one of the most beautiful, fascinating and elegant theatrical constructions in Tbilisi. When famous French writer Alexandre Dumas traveled to Tbilisi in 1858 and visited the opera, he wrote a whole chapter about its beauty in one of his books describing how beautiful it was. Since its opening, famous opera and ballet troupes from over the world have performed here, including an Italian group led by composer Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, and St. Petersburg Ballet Company.
In 1874 the opera house was destroyed by the fire, but a new one was constructed in 1896. Victor Johann Gottlieb Schröter, a leading architect of Baltic German origin, built the new opera house in neo-Moorish style. Even though the decorations and style are Oriental, its layout, the main hall, and foyers are typically European. The opera house underwent major rehabilitation works in recent years where everything was modernized with an improved structure.
Tbilisi Opera House, 25 Shota Rustaveli Ave, Tbilisi, Georgia