The Paris Opera House has been the storyline for many books, movies and theater productions that are told about the story of the Phantom of the Opera. Despite some beliefs that the Opera House may be a work of fiction from Gaston Lerouxs' mind, the Paris Opera House is a real, functioning place in the heart of Paris.

The old Paris Opera House is such a fantastic sight that it bears a very special mention. This impressive structure was built under Napoleon III, but didn't open until 1875 -- five years after the fall of the Empire. Occupying more than 3 acres, the Op�ra Garnier is a weird mix of flashy styles, and exotic details which are not in keeping with any one particular school of architecture. The whole beautiful building seems to sneer with the snobbery and elitism of the monnied class of its day. A separate, ornate carriage entrance was even built so Napol�on III didn't have to rub shoulders with other opera goers on the way in.

But, as impressive as the whole outside is, the facade has nothing on the interior. The things that really stick in your mind from this sight are the entrance's sweeping grand staircase, the golden foyer, and the plush, five tiered auditorium which were all designed so that the opera goers could not only enjoy watching the show, but more importantly each other -- the real reason that most of them were there in the first place!

The ceiling is painted with a 1964 Chagall mural surrounding the base of a six (6) ton chandelier, which fell onto the audience in 1896. This incident found its way into the immensely popular legend of The Phantom of The Opera, who supposedly lives beneath this very spot.

The extremely large Opera house is a marvel to all who have seen it. Not only being the larges theatre in the world, it seats two-thousand, and has seventeen stories, seven of which are below the stage level. This grand opera house was built on three acres and construction was finished fifteen years after it began in 1861. The master of this beautiful structure was Charles Garnier who's creative mind constructed, along with 110 otghe architects, this amazing specticle. All in all, this wonderful opera house cost about forty-seven million Francs, or about 9,400,000 American dollars.

In this extremely large building, all the acclaimed fictional labyrinths are definatly non-fiction. There were many features, such as numerous dressing, cloak, salon, guard, chorus, and orchestra rooms, that made this opera house a wonder. The underground labyrinths were not put to waste, either: they harbored props, costumes, and sets! The opera house even had a stable and horses to be used for some of its wealthy attenders. It is easily understandible that all the passageways and mazes were needed to connect over 2,500 doors!

The rumored lake which lies at the bottom of the labyrinth is most certianlly not a rumor! The constructors, while beginning to build, accidentally sprung a leak at the base of the opera house, and despide all efforst of everyone involved on the project, it could not be removed, and has become one of the most famous parts of the Opera House today!

In its time period, the Opera house was one of the grandest parts of Paris. Still today, people from around the world gather to visit the spectacle which produce the wonderful love triangle of the Phantom of the Opera. Because of the endless support of the famous of Paris and opera prductions the Opera House has remained a key part of Paris and will always be surrounded with a mist of mystical magic because of all the stories it has told.

Operas are no longer performed at this opera house, but you can see ballets and other performances here.

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