Most people probably wouldn’t miss The Residenz when visiting Munich, and because of my love of photographing theatres, I also visited its theatre. But not the new Residenztheater but the old one -Cuvilliés Theatre. I was wondering why a German theatre has a French name, but after some quick searching, I found out that it’s named after its Belgian-born Bavarian architect François de Cuvilliés. Even Mozart’s opera “Idomeneo” was premiered here.
Just like many other buildings in Munich, the Cuvilliés Theatre didn’t survive the war. But fortunately, its carving and gold-gilded boxes was dismantled and transported outside of Munich for safety. After the war, it was carefully reassembled in a new building near the Apothecary Court in the Residence. It re-opened in 1958 with a performance of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been to other bigger opera houses like Palais Garnier in Paris, State Opera House n Vienna and The Hungarian State Opera house, I was surprise by how small Cuvilliés Theatre is. However, the magnificence of its southern Bavaria Rococo style decoration is nothing less than these big opera houses. If you have some spare time after visiting The Residenz, Cuvilliés Theatre will be a good place to go.
