The Teatro Real, or Royal Theatre, in Madrid is located in front of the Royal Palace, between the two plazas, or squares, of Plaza de Isabel II and Plaza de Oriente, and right next to the famous Café de Oriente. It stands where the old theatre of Los Caños del Peral once stood. Los Caños del Peral was built in 1708 and was pulled down when almost a ruin in 1818 to make way for the new Teatro Real.

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Teatro de la Opera garnered a reputation as one of Europe's great opera houses. It was especially well known for performances of operas by Verdi and Wagner as well as musical performances of great works by 19th century composer Igor Stravinsky. The Russian ballet also appeared there on a regular basis.

Located on the Plaza de Oriente, all the great European opera singers of the 19th and early 20th century appeared on stage at this grand theater and, for decades, it was at the center of Madrid's cultural scene.

The design for the 3-story Teatro Real was created in 1818, after the old Caños del Peral Theater was demolished. During its construction period, the theater hit lots of obstacles but was finally completed and dedicated nearly 32 years later, in 1850. Present at the inauguration was a young Queen Isabella II, who dubbed the building the Teatro de la Opera (Opera Theater). The first opera was performed that evening - "La Favorita" by Gaetano Donizetti.

Construction of the new theater was erratic for around 30 years due to the lack of funding. The half-completed building was used for various purposes in between: a dance hall, the Guardia Civil quarters, a powder store and more.

Queen Isabel II who was an opera lover took an interest in the construction, and in 1848 work restarted in earnest. It was officially inaugurated on the Queen's birthday, November 19th, 1850, with a performance of La Favorita by Gaetano Donizetti. The young Queen called the splendid new structure, Teatro de la Opera.

By the 1920s, the neo-Classical style Teatro Royal was experiencing some trouble. In 1925, engineers determined that the building was in danger of collapse, due to the infiltration of ground water. It was closed and renovations took more than four decades, with the theater finally reopening in 1966 as a concert hall, but opera performances were diverted to the newer Teatro de la Zarzuela. Due to funding problems, it wasn't until 1965 that the Teatro Real finally reopened. However, it was no longer dedicated to opera; it was merely a concert hall as well as being the headquarters of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid.

Temporarily abandoning its opera roots, the Teatro Real hosted the 14th Eurovision Song Contest in 1969. The performers had to compete for dominance on stage with a striking metal sculpture created by Spain's leading surrealist artist, Salvador Dalí.

In the late 1980s - with the opening of a new concert hall known as Auditorio Nacional - the way was paved for Teatro Real to once again become home to Madrid's opera scene. It was closed in 1988 for extensive renovations and reopened in 1997 with much acclaim.

Reflecting the décor of 19th century Spain yet with plenty of modern amenities, the Royal Theater is a wonderful place to enjoy opera or ballet. Music-loving visitors can choose from a full season of musical offerings.

In 1988 the Teatro Real was closed once again for extensive refurbishment. Nine years later in 1997 it once again opened its doors to the public, this time as a world class opera house. There was much acclaim for the styling, which reflects a 19th century look and feel. It is considered by many to be one of the finest stages in the world for opera with excellent acoustics.

The Teatro Real is now home to the Compañía del Teatro Real. They specialise in opera, though also ballet on occasion. They regularly work with most of Spain's leading talent in opera, including world famous names such as Plácido Domingo. The theatre has also become an important venue for major performances of classical music.

There are daily tours of the Teatro Real. There is also a fascinating museum to explore. To reach Teatro Real take the Metro de Madrid to the nearest Metro station, which is appropriately called Opera on line 2. It lies immediately to the south of the building.

is difficult to identify any dominant architectural style at the Teatro Real, given the many restorations and uses to which the building has been subjected. The first project, designed by López Aguado y Moreno, settled for a hexagonal building with two façades. The main façade (historically reserved for the royal family) is the circular one that dominates the Plaza de Oriente. The second and slightly less grandiose façade looks out onto the Plaza de Isabel II.

The final phase in the theater's restoration also faced serious problems, which included the collapse of the central lighting structure in the auditorium. Francisco Rodríguez Partearroyo inherited the project from González Valcárcel and introduced some important modifications which excited a lively debate about the anesthetic and structural changes being made.

Finally, on 11 October 1997, the Teatro Real reopened its doors as an opera house. The new roof solved the acoustic problems and provided space for rehearsal rooms, but the real jewel of the building is the stage area, whose 1,472 square meters and 18 articulated platforms provide the required space for complex scene changes and can be arranged in a large variety of ways to accommodate different requirements both on stage and in the orchestra pit. The auditorium is fully equipped to allow audiences to enjoy the show in the greatest comfort while retaining historical details such as the drop curtain and exact reproductions of the decorated ceilings and boxes installed in 1850.

With a seating capacity of between 1,748 and 1,854, depending on staging requirements, the theater has 28 boxes on its different floors, along with eight proscenium boxes and a Royal Box that extends to twice the height of the others. In contrast to these, the seating area known as Paraíso is the highest and the one that has grown most since the theater's original construction, though its view of the stage has never suffered.

The only floor devoted exclusively to the general public is La Rotonda, which runs all the way round the building. It includes four large salons, all of which are decorated in different colors and house some National Heritage items and pieces from the Prado Museum. The lamps were manufactured especially for the theater by the Real Fábrica de la Granja. Each of these salons has been given the name of the street that can be seen from its windows: Carlos III, Vergara, Arrieta and Felipe V. You can get there via flight to Madrid.