Iberia Route
The Iberia Route of the European Route of Historic Theatres presents the most unique and interesting historic theatres in Portugal and Spain. (Please move your cursor along the route to get more information about the theatres.)
The route starts at the most Western tip of the European continent, in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon. One of Europe’s most famous opera houses is located here, the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos. It dates from 1793 and is beautifully preserved.
Up in the north of Portugal, in Braga, we find the Theatro Circo (1915), a unique circus theatre.
In the central part of the country, the Teatro Garcia de Resende (1892) in the medieval city of Évora is the best example of Neo-Baroque style in Portugal.
And in the south, a small but really exceptional theatre can be found in Faro: the Teatro Lethes (1845/1908).
Staying in the south, cross the border into Spain and move to Cadiz. This part of Spain was ruled for a long time by the Arabs, and until today, their style has continued to influence the arts. A fascinating example is the Gran Teatro Falla, built in Moorish style in 1910.
The town of Almagro guards the oldest theatre in Spain: the only preserved Corral de Comedias. In this courtyard theatre from 1620 one can experience what theatre was like in the Golden Age of Spanish literature, the times of Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca and Tirso de Molina.
Not far away, in the world heritage city of Toledo, the Teatro de Rojas (1879) houses a unique treasure: a completely preserved historic stage machinery plus a unique machinery that raises the entire parterre to stage level!
A detour to the island of Menorca introduces the oldest still operating opera house in Spain, the Teatre Principal (1829) in Maó-Mahón.
Back in Madrid the Teatro Español awaits you. It started its life in the 16th century as a Corral de Comedias, like the one in Almagro, and thus all Spanish theatre history can be told by this building!
North of Madrid, the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial not only features the world heritage monastery and palace, but also the court theatre Real Coliseo de Carlos III, inaugurated in 1771.
Further north, in Burgos, the best preserved theatre from the reign of Queen Isabella II can be found: the impressive Teatro Principal (1858).
The Iberia Route ends in Bilbao with the Teatro Arriaga (1890), the best example of Neo-Baroque style in Spain.
Circus Theatre
Garcia de Resende Theatre
Lethes Theatre
Grand Theatre of Falla
Corral de comedías
Theatre of Rojas
Principal Theatre of Maó
Spanish Theatre
Teatro Real Coliseo de Carlos III
Main Theatre
Arriaga Theatre
The European Route of Historic Theatres
Theatre has been a corner stone of European culture for over 2500 years. The buildings created for this art mirror our history. They can be found everywhere in Europe. Together they form a very special part of our common European heritage.
The “European Route of Historic Theatres” was initiated in 2007. It proved to be an excellent idea for travellers and theatres alike, and the European Commission agreed to support its extension to all of Europe until 2017.
Every six months, a new part of the European Route will open, until the European Route will be complete in 2016. It consists of 12 part routes, each comprising about 10 theatres, so that one can easily travel along any part route in a week (or see two or three theatres during a week-end trip).
The part routes of the European Route of Historic Theatres are:
- Iberia Route (Spain, Portugal)
- French Route
- Channel Route (Great Britain, Netherlands, Belgium)
- German Route
- Nordic Route (Sweden, Norway, Denmark)
- Baltic Route (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia)
- Black Sea Route (Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece)
- Adriatic Route (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia)
- Emperor Route (Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary)
- Alpine Route (Southern Germany, Switzerland, Northern Italy)
- Italian Route I + II
As of autumn 2013, five part routes are already operating: the Nordic Route, the Channel Route, the German Route, the Emperor Route and the Italian Route I in northern Italy. In the following years, we are planning to open the next routes like this (subject to change):
Opening 2014: Adriatic Route and French Route
Opening 2015: Baltic Route and Iberia Route
Opening 2016: Alpine Route and Black Sea Route
More information: www.europeanroute.info