Sydney Opera House can without exaggeration be called one of the most recognizable buildings in the world - who among us has not seen the shot up into the sky or whether the sails, or orange slices, which grow directly from the waters of Sydney Harbour? Opened in 1973 by the Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II, today this musical theater is a true symbol of Australia. It is interesting that once this place on Bennelong Point placed first fort, then tram depot, while in 1958 it was decided to build a theater. Creator of one of the most outstanding buildings of modern architecture became the Dane Jørn Utzon, received for his project the highest award in the world of architecture - the Pritzker Prize.

Initially it was assumed that the construction of the theater take about 4 years and will cost the Australian Government to 7 million Australian dollars. However, because of the interior decoration, it was delayed by as much as 14 years! Accordingly, estimates of construction and increased - up to 102 million Australian dollars.

The building of the Sydney Opera House covers an area of ​​2, 2 ha. Its maximum height - 185 meters, width - 120 meters. The famous theater roof consists of 2,194 sections and weighs over 27 tons! All this with a kind air design hold steel cables with a total length of 350 km. Top "shell" roof tiles covered with a million white and matte cream colors that are under different lighting create different colors.

Inside the building there are 4 scenes. The main concert hall accommodates 2,500 people at a time, and the opera hall can seat 1,500 people. Two other halls used for dramatic theater productions. In addition, the building work a cinema and two restaurants.

For almost 40 years the Sydney Opera House it was visited by over 40 million people, which is several times larger than the entire population of Australia. In 2007, he was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.