396
EXPOSITION AT VIENNA.
fire, and its excellent arrangements for ventilation and heating, the Vienna Opera-house could well serve as a model for the world. Less imposing and costly than the similar building now completing in Paris, it is nevertheless admired by all visitors, and is acknowledged by the French as its rival in convenience and taste. It was completed in 1868 from the funds gained by the sale of land acquired by filling the ancient military ditch and levelling the walls, and cost not far from six million dollars. The area upon which it stands has an extent of eleven thousand square metres, of which eight thousand are occupied by the building itself. Its form is symmetrical, and the whole stands free, open on all sides to the view. The front upon the opera ring,—a section of the new boulevards surrounding the interior city,—presents two superposed arcades, containing five arches each, the lower being entrances to the main vestibule, which is reached from this point by crossing the porte-cochere , or at the ends directly from the sidewalk; the upper arches open upon a loggia, which is richly decorated with frescoes, and is, in the evening, brilliantly illuminated. From the centre of the vestibule ascends the main stairway, which, with its vaulted passages, covered with frescoes of light and graceful form and harmonious colors, forms perhaps the most beautiful portion of the interior. This communicates with the private boxes alone, which occupy such a large portion of the galleries of all European theatres. To the right and left are smaller stairways,—like the main one, of course, all of stone, —which lead to the seats in the upper galleries. Following the central line of the building, are next—the'parquet and the front and rear stage. The latter, with their adjoining rooms, receive light from two court-yards measuring thirty-three by eleven metres, and covered -with glass. These are situated symmetrically to the right and left of the central line, and descend below the level of the street to give light to the rooms below the stage. In the middle of each side of the building is a wing, advancing some twenty-five metres, bounding an end of the courts mentioned, and containing stairways for the emperor and arch-dukes. At the rear of the building are two similar wings, connected with the first by arcades, and behind them a row of shops,—these bound-