Aalto Theatre

The Aalto Theatre is Essen's main opera house and one of the most admired buildings in the Ruhr — a curved, organically shaped structure designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in the 1950s but not completed until 1988. It is home to the Aalto-Musiktheater opera company and the Aalto Ballett, and hosts an active programme of opera, ballet, and orchestral concerts.

The building's exterior is characteristically Aalto: gentle curves, natural materials, a sense of something grown rather than constructed. The interior is more intimate than many opera houses of comparable status — sight lines from all positions are good and the acoustics are excellent. The theatre sits between the city centre and the Museum Folkwang, making a combined cultural afternoon straightforward.

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A story
The Aalto Theatre was designed in 1959 by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto but not completed until 1988 — a gap of 29 years between design and completion, during which the design was modified several times to fit changing budgets and political priorities. Aalto died in 1976 without seeing it built. The building is considered one of the finest opera house designs of the twentieth century and one of the best examples of Aalto's work outside Scandinavia.