A jewel building incorporating typical examples of neoclassical, 19th-century architecture, and an important cultural hub of Patras, the Apollon Municipal Theater is located on Georgiou Square, and its wonderful building was designed by the famous German architect Ernst Ziller. The theater is also known as a miniature of Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. It was built between 1871 and 1872, using the most expensive and luxurious materials, domestic and imported, for its construction. Its neo-Renaissance-style façade is characterized by the portico with five arched openings, while the roof parapet is decorated with Viennese-made ceramic statues, and the balcony boasts beautiful, elaborate railings.
It is a proscenium theater with its interior comprising the stage, developed rows of galleries around it and an atrium with rich relief decoration. The stage is 13.5m wide and 7.5m deep.
The theatre, which is the main stage of the Municipal & Regional Theatre of Patras, has a capacity of 250 seats and hosts major theatre productions, as well as musical performances. The inaugural performance here was Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Dance of the Masquerade”, staged by an Italian troupe in October 1872.
