Symbol of twentieth century architecture in Sydney, the Opera House has changed the image of an entire country, Australia. With the fusion of ancient and modern architectural influences, the sculptural elegance of it has made one of the iconic monuments and a definite nice travel goal in any traveler. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage list in 2007. More than 10 million people visit here every year to witness the beauty of the building.
Sydney Opera House started to built in 1956 on the port of Bennelong neighboring to Sydney central business district, Royal Botanic gardens and the Sydney Harbour Bridge by covering 4.4 acres of land. State lottery has paid the total cost of $102 million to built upon a design by Jorn Utzon from Denmark. It took 14 years to complete involving 10,000 workers. Interesting fact that the first performance was done by Paul Robeson by climbing the scaffolding and sang to the construction workers. However, the Sydney Opera House was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20th October 1973. Relative humidity and the temperature is thoroughly controlled during a concert to make sure that instruments stay in tune. The building was cooled by using seawater directly from the harbour. On special occasions, the Opera House is lit in various color themes, each lunar new year it is lit by red.
There are five performing venues naming Concert hall, John Sutherland Theatre, Drama Theatre, Playhouse, The Studio and the Utzon Room with a total seating capacity of 5738. Total of 1,500 performances are held annually attended by more than 1.2 million people. The building is also equipped with recording studios, restaurants, cafes, bars and retail outlets.
You can enjoy a guided tour including house front as well as the daily backstage.
