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Feel free to drop by during our monthly tours or request a tailor-made tour. You can also buy books about the buildings themselves in our box offices. Be sure to ask for them on your next visit.
Our buildings - Opera Ghent
A story in itself
Anyone entering an opera house immediately gets a special feeling. The imposing buildings with their ancient decorations and stately staircases and columns immediately transport you to another era: that of red carpets and opulent luxury. Going to a performance in this unique setting gives your opera visit that little bit more. However, the opera houses are not only venues for performances, they also tell a story in themselves. Although they are old, they have not always existed, and both locations have undergone extensive restoration. Ten facts give you a quick course in the history of the Ghent Opera.
OPERA GHENT IN 10 FACTS
Towards the end of the seventeenth century, Ghent discovers the opera genre. It was a certain widow Joanny who - against the will of Ghent's bishop - organised a few performances. Ghent got a taste for it and in 1698 the riding school de Pyckerye on the Kouter was converted into a theatre. That theatre burned down and in 1737 Ghent got a new theatre on the same site: the St Sebastian Theatre.In the middle of the nineteenth century, it was the rich Ghent industrialists who wanted a new opera that suited Ghent's image. St Sebastian's Theatre is demolished.
City architect Louis Roelandt is commissioned to erect a new theatre in a new street: the Schouwburgstraat. Roelandt also designed the nearby Law Courts and the La Concorde ballroom on the Kouter. In this way, an entire district forms one architectural whole.
On 30 August 1840 the opera house opened, seating 1800 to 2000 spectators. Today, the hall has 1002 seats. The decorations come from the same decoration workshop that decorated the Bourlaschouwburg in Antwerp.
The banquet halls - the foyer, the Redoute hall and the Lully hall - are 90 metres long.
The Redoute hall owes its name to the Société des Redoutes, which organised its parties and balls there. Originally, the hall features a ceiling painting with a cloudscape. However, the original ceiling has been painted over.
The Lully hall is perhaps the most spectacular of the three parlours. The queen piece is the majestic chandelier, a so-called sac-à-perles.
The chandelier in the theatre hall has a diameter of 3 metres, is 4.5 metres high and has 84 lights.
The stage opening is 11.40 metres wide. The stage tower is 23 metres high.
During its history, the Ghent opera house has been thoroughly renovated. The last major renovation was completed in 1993. After seven years of restoration, in 2002 the façade of the Ghent opera house was unveiled again.
Zaalverhuur
Looking for an original and inspiring venue for an event? Both Antwerp and Ghent offer rooms for hire. The theatre hall is ideal for performances or guest speakers, while the foyers and ballrooms are perfect for parties, receptions, dinners or other events.