Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre

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The Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre building before a major restoration in 2011

This article is about the building, for the performing company see Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Company

Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre is an opera house in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It serves as the national opera building of the country. It is located between the Slovenian Parliament building, on one hand, and the National Museum and the National Gallery, on the other hand.

Opera in Slovenia

Main article: Music of Slovenia

The history of opera in Slovenia goes back to Giuseppe Clemente de Bonomi's Il Tamerlano in 1732. The national opera company is now a subsection of the Slovene National Drama Theatre in Ljubljana (Slovensko narodno gledališče, SNG DRAMA) as the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Company.

The current building

The building was previously named the Provincial Theatre (Slovene: Deželno gledališče) and was built between 1890 and 1892 in the Neo-Renaissance style by the Czech architects Jan Vladimír Hráský and Anton Hruby. Before the construction of the German Theatre (the present Slovene National Theatre (SNG) on Erjavčeva 1) in 1911, the building served as a venue for productions in both Slovenian and German, and afterwards only in Slovenian.

The facade of the Opera House has Ionic columns supporting a pediment with a tympanum above the entrance and has two niches at the side adorned with allegorical statues of Tragedy and Comedy by the sculptor sl (1859–1935).

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  The Genius with the torch and other statues above the old entrance

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  The interior after a major restoration in 2011

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  Slovenian National Opera House after a major restoration in 2011. The expansion is visible in the back.