Sydney Opera House, Australia in a building

There is no doubt, it is to think about Australia and in addition to the image of a kangaroo and a koala, the Sydney Opera House appears in your head. So much so that it is the number one tourist destination in the country, it cannot be missing in any travel itinerary through Australia and, of course, it is one of those places that you have to see in Sydney even if you have very little time.

The Sydney Opera House building

Today there are many buildings with shapes completely removed from the classic vertical line. Sloping, bulging, undulating walls … abound in large cities.

But when the Sydney Opera House was built in the mid-twentieth century, the effect was almost as exciting as admiring the first Gothic cathedral. That which had only been an idea crossed out as impossible could be put into practice.

As it happened decades later with the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the opera house put Sydney on the map. It mattered little that it was a concert hall, it could have been the building of a museum or a prison.

It was his groundbreaking design and his position on the bay that made up that image that was exported to the rest of the world.
Despite that, it was not until 34 years after its completion, in 2007, when it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Jorn Utzon, the visionary architect

The visionary architect who designed the one that would become a symbol of the whole country was Jorn Utzon. By the name it seems that very Australian was not. Indeed, it was Danish. Together with architects from 31 other countries, he submitted to the international competition promoted by the state of New South Wales.

Despite the similarity of the shells, shells or vaults of the Sydney Opera House with the segments of an orange, it is not clear that it was based on them. Yes, there are those who say that the idea occurred when peeling an orange and opening its segments.

Nothing similar had been designed even less built until that moment. Obviously, he won the contest, but what less people know is that he never saw his finished building … and not because he died before finishing it.

He said the construction was about to end all the characters involved. Well, its architect was one of the first victims.

 The tensions created throughout the process reached the limit in 1966, eight years after the start of the works and Utzon submitted his resignation, left Australia and never returned. To put things in context, the initial estimate was that the entire work would require a total of three years of work … and there were already eight.

Finally they ended up being sixteen years old and the seven million dollars became one hundred and two.

Some curiosities of the Sydney Opera House

Jorn Utzon had never been to Sydney, nor to all of Australia, until he won the contest with 5,000 pounds of prize.

To defray the costs of the work, the state of New South Wales launched a lottery. Australians can say that the building is literally yours.

Queen Elizabeth II inaugurated the building in 1973, although a “concert” had already taken place. In 1960 Paul Robeson sang “Ol’ Man River ”to the workers. That day, the seats were scaffolding.

1,056,000 bright white and cream ceramic tiles cover the building segments. Manufactured by a Swedish company, they are designed to clean themselves.

Information to visit the Sydney Opera House

It is possible to visit the Sydney Opera House with guided tours of two types: the «classic» and the «backstage tour».

During the one-hour visit, some 300 steps are climbed, but there is a special tour for people with reduced mobility. The price is $ 40. It is possible to include dinner in the visit.

All information, and reservations, are available on their website.