Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Sweden Ekerö Drottningholms Slottsteater
AO Edited

Drottningholms Slottsteater

18th century opera in its original splendor.

Ekerö, Sweden

Added By
Alex Timian
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The exterior of the Drottningholms Slottsteater (Flickr/Holger Motzkau)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/holgermotzkau...
The King’s and Queen’s seats at the theatre   Lilla Mu / Atlas Obscura User
The stage of Drottningholms Slottsteater   Lilla Mu / Atlas Obscura User
A machine for generating the sound of wind on stage   Lilla Mu / Atlas Obscura User
Machinery for simulating waves on stage. A model of a ship can slide along the track.   Lilla Mu / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Drottningholms Slottsteater, or the Royal Theater of Drottningholm, was built in 1766 and is one of the oldest preserved opera houses in the world. But it's not just a relic collecting dust, or an old building with a modern, updated interior. The Royal Theater still uses the 18th century mechanisms that have powered the opera house for the last 250 years to put on shows in what they bill as the world's most genuine early opera experience.

Although the interior appears modest by lavish royal standards, the true innards of the opera house are the most impressive feature of the theater. Wooden levers and pulleys keep the opera house churning during modern performances of classic operas. Each mechanism in the theater is operated solely by hand, which takes a crew performing physical labor throughout a show to keep the stage alive.

In an art form that is almost dead in contemporary opera, the theater performs changements à vue, or set changes within the view of the audience. This entails using the centuries-old machinery to move the 30 preserved sets around throughout a performance. Along with scene-changing mechanisms, the opera house also features an 18th century wave machine, thunder machine and cloud machine.

When it was built in 1766, the 400-seat Royal Theater was commissioned by Queen Louisa Ulrika on Drottningholm, which literally means Queen's Islet. As a part of the Royal Palace just outside of Stockholm, the theater stayed very active under King Gustaf III until his death in 1792, when the theater closed for many years.

Rediscovered in 1921 by a literary historian, the theater was restored, given electricity and new ropes for the pulleys and shortly opened to bring back the glory of its original productions. Now after 250 years, it still functions in much the same way it did in the 18th century, offering visitors a chance to relive a royal opera production in modern-day Sweden.

Related Tags

Music Retro Tech

Know Before You Go

A bus runs between the theater and Stockholm 15 minutes after performances. Tours are given daily from June to September in both Swedish and English. 

Community Contributors

Added By

atimian

Edited By

hrnick, Lilla Mu

  • hrnick
  • Lilla Mu

Published

November 2, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drottningholm_Palace_Theatre
  • http://www.lonelyplanet.com/sweden/stockholm/sights/theatre/drottningholms-slottsteater-teatermuseum
Drottningholms Slottsteater
Drottningens paviljong
Ekerö, 17893
Sweden
59.324896, 17.890212
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Bromma Blocks

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Stockholms Geographical Midpoint

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Nobels spränggropar (Nobel's Blasting Bunkers)

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sweden

Sweden

Europe

Places 381
Stories 42

Nearby Places

Bromma Blocks

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Stockholms Geographical Midpoint

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Nobels spränggropar (Nobel's Blasting Bunkers)

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Sweden

Sweden

Europe

Places 381
Stories 42

Related Places

  • Dover, Delaware

    Johnson Victrola Museum

    Museum houses an impressive display of the origin and artistry from the now-quaint invention's history.

  • Replica of the 7-foot telescope Herschel used to discover Uranus.

    Bath, England

    Herschel Museum of Astronomy

    Eighteenth-century home, where Herschel discovered the planet Uranus.

  • Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Pianola Museum

    A unique collection of gilded age mechanical pianos.

  • The front signage of Third Man Records.

    Nashville, Tennessee

    Third Man Records

    Jack White's record store is the only place in the world that records live shows direct-to-acetate.

  • James Brown Statue in James Brown Plaza

    Augusta, Georgia

    James Brown Plaza

    A towering tribute to the Godfather of Soul.

  • Plenty of big bands got their start at the Purple Fiddle.

    Thomas, West Virginia

    The Purple Fiddle

    Catch rising stars of Appalachia’s music scene before they make it big at this restaurant and community hub.

  • Rock up to the Floyd Country Store on a Friday night for live music.

    Floyd, Virginia

    Floyd Country Store

    Every Friday night, Appalachian string-bands turn this country store and soda fountain into a raucous jamboree.

  • Look for the cheery red and white exterior.

    London, England

    The Dublin Castle

    Once a 19th-century refuge for Irish immigrants, this pub has hosted performances by Amy Winehouse, The Killers, and the Arctic Monkeys.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.