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Teatro Nacional of San José


Teatro NacionalThe National Theater is the crown jewel of the city of San Jose and a source of national pride for its people. Located on the corner of Fifth Street and Second Ave this is a must-see for visitors interested in the culture and history of Costa Rica.
        
The Theater was built in 1897 in a neoclassical style and has statues of Beethoven and Calderón de la Barca outside its entrance. Adorning the top are three large figures representing Dance, Fame and Music.

The lobby and auditorium are lavished with spectacular paintings depicting life from the 19th century, including the famous "Alegoria al café y el banano a canvas" showing coffee and banana harvests. The painting was produced in Italy and shipped to Costa Rica. (This painting was also reproduced on the five colon note - which is now out of circulation.)

The rotunda of the auditorium is impressive. It is a perfect horseshoe, seating 1,040 people with lavish ornamentation in the classic style of the Opera Houses of the 19th-century. Highlighting the three story rotunda is a painting done in Milan in 1897 by the Italian painter Arturo Fontana. The fresco depicts naked celestial goddesses that highlight the Huge crystal chandelier.

Worth seeing also are the marble staircases, floors made of tropical hardwoods and the gilded ceilings all blending into an ensemble of boundless grandeur and beauty.

The hall is open to the public, including the second-floor foyer. There is also a café inside the theater and continuous exhibitions in its vestibule.