Cologne Opera

Cologne Opera is a music theatre in the Altstadt-Nord district, housed in a modern building with seating for around 1300 people. The auditorium foregoes the classic arrangement of multiple tiers and instead uses continuous seating without strongly separated levels.

The current building opened in 1957 after the previous structure was destroyed during the Second World War. Chancellor Konrad Adenauer attended the opening ceremony and thereby honored the importance of this new beginning for the city.

The venue takes its name from the city and ranks among the leading stages in the country, where classic works and new productions share the program today. Visitors experience performances in a hall that deliberately avoids traditional balcony tiers and instead offers an open seating arrangement.

The building is centrally located in Altstadt-Nord and easily reached via the surrounding streets. Major renovation work starting in 2012 led to temporary relocations of performances to other venues around the city.

In 1996 the first dedicated children's opera in Europe was established here, offering fairy tales, baroque pieces and contemporary compositions for young audiences since then. This section has grown into a permanent part of the program and specifically reaches families with children.