National Theater

The nation’s architectural showpiece, the Teatro Nacional (Avenida 2, Calles 3/5, tel. 506/221-9417, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 1:30–5 p.m. Saturday, $3), on the south side of Plaza de la Cultura, is justifiably a source of national pride. The theater was conceived in 1890, when a European opera company featuring the prima donna Adelina Patti toured Central America but was unable to perform in Costa Rica because there was no suitable theater. Jilted, the ruling cafelateros (coffee barons) voted a tax on coffee exports to fund construction of a theater, and craftsmen from all over Europe were imported. It was inaugurated on 19 October 1897, to a performance of Faust by the Paris Opera and its great Corps de Ballet.

Outside, the classical Renaissance facade is topped by statues symbolizing Dance, Music, and Fame. Inside, the foyer, done in pink marble, rivals the best of ancient Rome, with allegorical figures of Comedy and Tragedy, stunning murals depicting themes in Costa Rican life and commerce (if the giant mural showing coffee harvesting looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen it on the old five-colón note), and a triptych ceiling supported by six-meter-tall marble columns topped with bronze capitals.

Art and good taste are lavishly displayed on the marble staircase, with its gold-laminated ornaments sparkling beneath bronze chandeliers. A grandiose rotunda painted in Milan in 1897 by Arturo Fontana highlights the three-story auditorium, designed in a perfect horseshoe and seating 1,040 in divine splendor. The ceiling fresco depicts naked celestial deities surrounding a giant crystal chandelier. The auditorium floor was designed to be raised to stage level by a manual winch so that the theater could be used as a ballroom.

Guided tours are offered.