The opera house built by Gottfried Semper burnt down in 1869. The current one was built between 1871 and 1878 by Manfred Semper using the plans designed by his father, the builder of the first opera house. This building uses the forms of the Italian Renaissance. The arc-shaped façade consists of three floors, the upper one of which is set back. Observe the niches dug into the lateral returns of the façade and you will find the statues of Shakespeare and Sophocles, Molière and Euripides.