Cultural recreation: the most beautiful theaters in Ukraine

In winter, when you can't wander the cozy streets for long, you can only head to galleries, museums, theaters, or atmospheric cafes. We're sure that staying in a hotel for the whole vacation is definitely not your thing. Thus, we've put together an interesting selection of locations to add to your travel bucket list.

National Opera of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko

The largest musical theater in our country is located in Kyiv. It is nicely situated at the intersection of crowded streets: Bohdana Khmelnytskoho and Volodymyrska. Today it is called the temple of muses and an architectural gem of the capital. People come to it not only for performances but also to simply admire its magical beauty. However, many visitors do not even realize that it owes its appearance to a tragic event.

Until 1896, a small but very cozy building stood on the site of the National Opera. It could accommodate only 849 seats. Kyivans, without exaggeration, loved to come here. However, one morning, right after the performance of Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin, a fire broke out. It was so powerful and strong that the rescuers were unable to put it out.

The fire destroyed everything: costumes, scenery, chairs, and one of the best music libraries. It is still unknown what caused the fire. Most historians are inclined to believe in arson. The fact is that during this period, thieves were rampant throughout Europe, destroying 22 theaters in this way.

The people of Kyiv waited five years for the building to be restored. This period was a living hell for them because they were used to having a cultural vacation and attending performances every weekend. Thus, it was very difficult to give up a good tradition.

Now the doors are open on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays. The main thing is to buy tickets in advance as sometimes there may not be any free seats.

Odesa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet

The outstanding Odesa building has won many awards. It is a real decoration and trump card of the city. No tourist can afford to miss it.

We are not exaggerating here. The fact is that this beautiful theater is among the five most beautiful theaters in the world. It would take more than an hour to list all its awards. Therefore, we will name only the most outstanding ones. The Academic Theater has the best acoustics. Of course, not in our opinion but in the opinion of experts. An organ is installed here. It was also the first theater to be heated with steam and illuminated with electricity.

By the way, there was already a theater in the city before it appeared. In the opinion of "Duke," as Richelieu is called in Odesa, it seemed too small. The mayor wanted to unite people of different nationalities through music. And it was impossible to do this in such a structure. Thus, a new pompous building was built.

The Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is beautiful both inside and out. It is a must-see. Moreover, to see it in all its glory, you don't need to buy a ticket to a performance. You can simply sign up for a guided tour, during which a guide will lead you through all the halls, tell you an interesting story of its appearance, and finally allow you to look behind the scenes and go down into the "dungeon."

Lviv National Opera and Ballet Theater named after Solomiia Krushelnytska

Another outstanding Ukrainian building with a worldwide reputation. It took a lot of money to build a theater of this magnitude: the local authorities alone allocated more than a million zlotys for the project. At the time, it was an exorbitant amount. However, it was not enough. Thus, the locals had to help the administration and organize the collection on their own.

The chief architect was Zygmunt Gorgolewski, who had experience in restoring palaces and castles in Europe. By the way, he managed to beat very strong competitors, including the Fellner & Helmer bureaus. Its owners were involved in the design of the Opera House in Odesa and the Noble Casino in Lviv.

We are very pleased that the construction work was not delegated to foreign masters. They were entrusted to a Lviv company. The scenery is also the creation of our countrymen. They were created by professors and students of the Lviv Art and Industrial School.

Of course, every Ukrainian should come here. Moreover, performances are held here every day. You just need to buy a ticket on the official website.

These three beauties are the pride of our country. Please come and visit them whenever you can. However, be sure to be careful and do not ignore the air raid alerts. Sometimes cities are subjected to massive enemy shelling, so it is still dangerous here.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!