Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia
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Mariinsky Theatre, also written Maryinsky Theatre, and previously known as the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in St Petersburg, Russia. The theatre got its name from Empress Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of Tsar Alexander II. The theatre building was established in 1783 at the behest of Catherine the Great. Before it was built, ballet and operas were performed at the wooden Karl Knipper Theatre on Tsaritsa Meadow, near present-day Tripartite Bridge, while the Hermitage Theatre, next to the Winter Palace was where performances was given to aristocratic guests of the Empress.
The theatre building was designed by Antonio Rinaldi and opened in 1783. It was then known as the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre - "bolshoi" is Russian for "big" while "kamenny" means "stone", to distinguish it from the wooden theatre.
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