Operalnia

Operalnia was an opera house in Warsaw in Poland, built in 1725 and torn down in 1772. It was situated in the Saxon Garden. It was the first public opera theater in Poland.

History
It was constructed by the order of Augustus II and modelled after the small court theater of Dresden from 1687. Prior to the Operalnia, opera and theater had only been performed in Poland at the private royal court theatres.

The opera house was finally inaugurated in 1748. It was the first public opera in Poland. Foreign (mostly Italian and French) opera, ballet, and theater was performed on the stage of the Operalnia.

In 1765, the National Theatre, Warsaw was inaugurated in the Operalnia opera house. The theater shared the building with opera and ballet for several years.

The building was deemed no longer sufficient in 1772 and torn down. The National Theatre as well as the opera was moved to the Radziwiłł Palace at the Krakowskie Przedmieście and in 1778 to a building at the Krasiński square, where it remained until 1833.