The Grand Theatre in Łódź is an architecturally stunning, iconic presence in the city, offering up operas, ballets, concerts and more for over half a century. And it's really a key visit as you travel through the city -- either to catch a performance or just marvel at the beauty of the space. And this year is the time to do it, as it's the 70th anniversary of the space's grand opening!



The successor to the popular Łódź Opera (which presented opera and ballet premiers on various stages around Łódź in the 1950s), the current Grand Theatre building opened in 1964. The multi-story building was constructed over the course of 15 years and remains a prime example of classical socialist realism architecture from the 1950s. 



Since 1967 the Grand Theatre has put on over 330 premieres, including operas and ballets, musicals, and compositions by Polish composers, as well as producing work from classical composers such as Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Verdi and Wagner. It's also organized the international ballet art festival since 1968: the popular  Łódź Ballet Meetings held in May. The international event features performances by some of the best ballet groups from around the world. In its heyday the theatre was so popular that queues for tickets were huge (though huge queues were commonplace in those days), with people coming from all over the country to see performances.



In 2019, with funds from the European Union, the Grand Theatre in Łódź became one of the first institutions of its kind in Poland to create a Digital Museum, featuring over 12,000 photos, more than 300 posters and playbills, and over 800 costumes in 3D