Before the Opera House appeared in the city, the famous Harbor Bridge was the main decoration of Sydney. But the building of an unusual theater eclipsed the glory of the bridge. Today, the Opera House is the main calling card of Sydney, and indeed of the whole of Australia.

The winged silhouette of the Opera House, which seems to hover over the waters of the Harbor, is striking.

The construction of the project was not easy and took quite a long time. It took 14 years for the masters to build the Opera House. The main reason for such a long process was the constant cost overruns: initially, it was planned that the construction of the theater would take no more than 5 years and only 7 million dollars. But eventually, the construction lasted 14 years, and the budget was more than 100 million dollars.

But all these difficulties paid off twofold. After all, the Opera House is a whole complex that includes more than 10 halls of different capacities and purposes. One of the halls is located on the inner territory of the complex under the open sky. There can be five performances in the theater at the same time, and they will not interfere with each other.

An incredible feature of the roof of the theater is that it's all covered with azulejo tiles in cream and white colors. The total number of tiles exceeds one million! This detail is not clearly visible in photos or from a long distance. But it is azulejo that provides the most beautiful effect of overflowing colors when lighting the roof of the theater.

Even though the building is very unusual and memorable, it does not perform its direct functions as well as it could be. The architectural appearance of the theater was handled by one person, while the interiors were done by a completely different person. The result is an unusual but not very functional symbiosis. For example, the largest theater hall has a black interior decorated with a huge disco ball. As critics point out, this is not the most successful setting for a Grand Opera.

But, despite all the minor flaws and peculiarities, the theater is loved by the audience and actors and has been the main recognizable symbol of Sydney for many years.