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Grand Théâtre de Genève

1876 establishments in SwitzerlandConcert halls in SwitzerlandDance in SwitzerlandMusic venues completed in 1876Neoclassical architecture in Switzerland
Opera houses in SwitzerlandTheatres completed in 1876Theatres completed in 1962Theatres in GenevaTourist attractions in GenevaUse British English from September 2014
Grand Théâtre de Genève (46658466335)
Grand Théâtre de Genève (46658466335)

Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland. As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, officially opened in 1876, partly destroyed by fire in 1951 and reopened in 1962, after extensive refurbishments, which houses the largest stage in Switzerland. As an institution, it is the largest production and host theatre in French-speaking Switzerland, featuring opera and dance performances, recitals, concerts and, occasionally, theatre.During the 17th and early 18th centuries, Geneva was heavily influenced by Calvinist orthodoxy and it was not until the middle 1760s that the city agreed to the building of the Théâtre de Rosimond, Geneva's first opera house. Under the influence of Voltaire opera began to flourish at La Grange aux Etrangers and its successor theatre, the Théâtre de Neuve, both of which were located outside the walls of the city.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Grand Théâtre de Genève (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Grand Théâtre de Genève
Boulevard du Théâtre, Geneva Cité

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N 46.201696 ° E 6.142709 °
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Grand Théâtre de Genève

Boulevard du Théâtre
1204 Geneva, Cité
Geneva, Switzerland
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Grand Théâtre de Genève (46658466335)
Grand Théâtre de Genève (46658466335)
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Théâtre de Neuve

The Théâtre de Neuve was a theatre in Geneva, Republic of Geneva. In 1783, the original theatre was replaced with a new stone building, the Théâtre de Neuve, designed by Pierre-David Matthey, with three tiers of boxes surrounding the orchestra seats and an audience capacity of 1000. Nevertheless, Its stage was cramped, with very little room in the wings, and the orchestra pit could not seat more than 30 musicians. At the eve of the French Revolution, as waves of political unrest rocked Geneva, the new theatre's function was still to entertain foreign officers sent as reinforcements and seats were primarily reserved for sponsors and shareholders. As such, most of the Geneva population could not attend performances. The Théâtre de Neuve was destined to stand in place for less than a hundred years. Revolutionary troubles forced the theatre to close several times and it was used consecutively as a revolutionary club and a cotton mill. In October 1797, the theatre was definitely closed to any kind of performance, by decision of the authorities. It remained closed until the French annexed Geneva in April 1798. During this fifteen-year occupation, the theatre hosted several companies of French performers. When Geneva's independence was restored in 1813, the French troops left Geneva, and the actors followed them. The theatre reopened in 1817 and expanded its audiences and repertoire, including works by contemporary composers such as Rossini, Donizetti, Auber and Meyerbeer, Beethoven, Weber and even Wagner, whose Tannhäuser was heard in Geneva long before it was ever performed in Paris. Despite occasional performances by stars of the time, the quality of performance was usually below average, a mix of comedy, vaudeville, operetta and, occasionally, a more ambitious opera. The general trend was partial to the French repertoire, preferably light: Faust was a regular hit, but nowhere near La fille de Madame Angot in popularity.

Reformation Wall
Reformation Wall

The International Monument to the Reformation (French: Monument international de la Réformation; German: Internationales Reformationsdenkmal), usually known as the Reformation Wall (French: Mur des réformateurs), was inaugurated in 1909 in Geneva, Switzerland. It honours many of the main individuals, events, and documents of the Protestant Reformation by depicting them in statues and bas-reliefs. The Wall is in the grounds of the University of Geneva, which was founded by John Calvin, and was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Calvin's birth and the 350th anniversary of the university's establishment. It is built into the old city walls, and the monument's location there is designed to represent the integral importance of the fortifications, and therefore of the city of Geneva, to the Reformation. The monument was the culmination of a contest launched to transform that part of the park. The contest involved 71 proposals from around the world, and was won by four Swiss architects: Charles Dubois, Alphonse Laverrière, Eugène Monod, and Jean Taillens (whose other design came third). The sculptures were then created by two French sculptors: Paul Landowski and Henri Bouchard.During the Reformation, Geneva was the centre of Calvinism, and its history and heritage since the sixteenth century has been closely linked to that of Protestantism. Due to the close connections to that theology, the individuals most prominently depicted on the Wall were Calvinists; nonetheless, key figures in other theologies are also included. At the centre of the monument, four 5 metre-tall statues of Calvinism's main proponents are depicted: William Farel (1489–1565) John Calvin (1509–1564) Theodore Beza (1519–1605) John Knox (c.1513–1572)To the left (facing the Wall, ordered from left to right) of the central statues are 3 metre-tall statues of: Frederick William of Brandenburg (1620–1688) William the Silent (1533–1584) Gaspard de Coligny (1519–1572)To the right (ordered from left to right) are 3 metre-tall statues of: Roger Williams (1603–1684) Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658) Stephen Bocskai (1557–1606)Along the wall, to either side of the central statues, is engraved the motto of both the Reformation and Geneva: Post Tenebras Lux (Latin for After darkness, light). On the central statues' pedestal is engraved a Christogram: ΙΗΣ. The monument gave inspiration to one of the most important 20th century Hungarian poems, written by Gyula Illyés in 1946 under the title Before the Monument of Reformation in Geneva.