The Grand Theatre of the Liceu was built at the proposal of the Liceu Filharmònico-Dramàtic Barcelonès. Joaquim de Gispert, a member and director of the institution, got the allowance of the lands of the former Trinity Convent in the Rambla, where construction of the theatre began in 1844, under the direction of the architect Francesc d'Assís Soler, who was replaced a year later by Josep Oriol Mestres and Miquel Garriga i Roca. The Gran Teatre del Liceu was inaugurated in 1848.



Founded in 1847 on Barcelona’s La Rambla, the Gran Teatre del Liceu is an opera house that has kept hold of its role as a culture and arts centre throughout its history and one that represents one of the symbols of the city. Today, it is a publicly-owned theatre - by the Catalan Regional Government, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council and the Ministry of Culture - under the administration of the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu, which, besides the above institutions, incorporates the Patronage Committee and the old Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu.

The Gran Teatre del Liceu stands in the central part of Barcelona’s bustling Rambla, the emblematic promenade of the Old Quarter, which has retained its leading role and colorful personality over the years.

Of the traditional building, the part of the central façade on La Rambla, the main vestibule with the staircases and the Hall of Mirrors were saved from the 1994 fire and are maintained just as they were. The authentic imitation of the main hall and the stage, which had been completely destroyed by the fire, has allowed a number of changes and improvements. The main hall of the first building, explicitly inspired by Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, is laid out as a horseshoe with stalls and five levels. Seating capacity is 2,292, one of the largest opera houses in Europe. The boxes - with small box foyers - are in the proscenium, around the stalls and the amphitheatre, which have three rows of seats in the front.

The good acoustics of the Liceu’s hall was due to an adequate judgment of its geometry, now reproduced, and the average reverberation time of between 1.3 and 1.5 seconds is the optimum for hearing the human voice. The new hall has retained and improved these ideal conditions with a number of corrections.

This monument to Belle Epoque is one of the grandest theaters in the world. It was designed by the Catalan architect Josep Oriol Mestves. The Theatre of the Liceu is the Barcelona’s opera house, one of the best in Spain. It was built in the XIX Century with private shareholders, being a good bourgeois place to meet each other. Every type of performance, from musical galas, operas and ballets to rowdy carnival dances, are held in this theater. At present, it is a publicly-owned theatre - by the Catalan Regional Government, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council and the Ministry of Culture - under the administration of the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu. It has retained its role as a culture and arts centre throughout its history and one that represents one of the symbols of the city.