If financial restrictions slow down the end of the project, it is also technical and unexpected constraints that undermined the architect. To go to the Opera from his residence in the Tuileries, Napoleon III asked Haussmann to create the Avenue de l’Opera, which was not originally part of the plans.Ĭharles Garnier, thrilled that such a beautiful prospect enhances his monument, asked only one thing : no tree planted on the edges of the avenue, so that nothing could disturb the view of passersby! That’s why, even today, there are no trees on this avenue. It was finally a 35-year-old unknown man, Charles Garnier, who won the competition. 171 candidates answered the call, including the architect of the City of Paris, Rohault de Fleury, and Viollet-le-Duc. In 1860 an international – and anonymous – competition was launched for the construction of the Imperial Academy of Music and Dance. The next day, the Emperor decided to build a new opera, from which he could easily and safely go from his residence in the Tuileries. If the imperial couple will recover unscathed, despite some scratches, there will be eight dead and several wounded in the attack perpetrated by an Italian revolutionary, Felice Orsini. When his coach parks, several bomb explode, reaching horses and riders.

On January 14, 1858, Napoleon III went to the opera, then located rue Le Peletier, in the current 9th arrondissement. The attack against Napoléon IIIĪ tragic fact is behind the birth of the opera Garnier. A rich heritage of stories and anecdotes, which contribute to the reputation of this Parisian cultural center. Symbol of the French Second Empire and the transformations that profoundly marked Paris during this period, the one that was called “the Paris Opera” until the birth of his little brother in Bastille in 1989 is today a key monument of the capital.

Bolero opera garnier