Royal Opera House

Under the name Covent Garden Theater lies the Royal Opera House, which is the opera house being the seat of the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet. The London opera scene has hosted many Polish artists, such as Marcin Kwiecień, Aleksandra Kurzak and Małgorzata Walewska. The main auditorium has nearly 2,300 seats, which puts it in 3rd place in London. It is inscribed on the list of Class I monuments.

The first building at Covent Garden was designed by Edward Shepherd and opened in 1732. For several years a band operated there under the leadership of Georg Friedrich Handel. His operas were not popular, which led him to bankruptcy and illness. Therefore, theatrical plays began to dominate in the repertoire. When Thomas Augustine Arne became the musical director of the theater in 1750, Covent Garden began to enjoy growing popularity and recognition.

In 1808 and 1856 the building was devastated by fire, therefore it was thoroughly renovated. The last works took place at the end of the 20th century and were aimed at improving the acoustic setting of the performances. The building was expanded, and in the adjacent, glazed structure, the so-called Flower Hall, a bar and restaurant space was created.