Revisit the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin

I wanted to revisit a post I did a few weeks ago on Berlin’s Friedrichstadt-Palast. I had updated the Palace’s Wikipedia page because it was missing information on its current events. There have been no changes to my text, but some photos of the current theater have been added.

As I mentioned on the Wiki page and on my blog, the Palace specializes in complex state-of-the-art performances with hundreds of performers and elaborate sets. It certainly would be a different type of performance than one I would see at one of Berlin's three opera houses.

3 Opera Houses in Berlin

While introducing Berlin’s neighborhoods a few posts ago, I mentioned the State Opera house was in the Mitte district. Since then I’ve done more research and found that there are not one, but three opera houses in Berlin. What a delight!

For me, as a dancer and a performing artist, European opera houses are a sea of history. I love to walk into these fabulously decorated architectural gems, stroll on the red carpets, and feel the spirits of famous artists who graced their presence in these houses. I was lucky enough to have seen the Paris Opera Ballet perform La Fille Mal Gardée at the Palais Garnier last summer in Paris. This summer, I plan to relive that memory by visiting Berlin’s opera houses.

Berlin’s three opera houses are the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Komisch Oper Berlin.

Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin

Berlin’s Hot Spot is Friedrichstadt-Palast. It is Europe’s biggest and most modern show palace with quite an interesting past. It opened in 1867 as Berlin’s first market hall. Then in 1873, it converted into a circus arena. After World War II, the abandoned building reopened, but had to close a few decades late due to the building’s unstable foundations. Finally in 1984, Berlin opened the doors to this spectacular new entertainment venue.