Drottningholm Palace Theatre, Opera house at Royal Domain of Drottningholm, Sweden
Drottningholm Palace Theatre is an opera house within a royal domain in Sweden, built at the end of the 18th century. The hall has an unusual T-shaped layout and retains original stage machinery with a chariot-and-pole system for quick scene changes, along with wooden seating for court members.
The original structure burned down in 1762 during a performance, after which Queen Lovisa Ulrika commissioned architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz to rebuild it. The new theatre was completed in 1764 and has functioned as a venue since then, eventually becoming home to the Royal Swedish Opera from 1951 onward.
The interior uses trompe-l'oeil, papier-mâché, and stucco to mimic expensive materials, creating an illusion of grandeur that visitors can still see today. These techniques by Adrien Masreliez transform simple surfaces into something that looks far more precious than it is.
The venue operates primarily during the warmer months and offers guided tours for visitors exploring the building. Plan your visit for spring and summer when most activities and tours take place.
The theatre preserves its original 18th-century stage system with working chariots and poles that allowed scene changes without modern technology. This mechanical system ranks among the few still intact examples of its kind in Europe.
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