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The first theatre was commissioned by King Maximilian I of Bavaria and designed by Karl von Fischer, with the Odeon in Paris as its basis. The theatre opened in 1818 with "Die Weihe" by Ferdinand Franzl, but was soon destroyed by fire in 1823. It was immediately reconstructed and re-opened in 1825. This second theatre, designed by Leo von Klenze, incorporated New-Grec features as seen in its portico and triangular pediment.
In 1930, the building was modified to create an enlarged stage area with updated equipment. It survived until bombing during World War II destroyed it in October 1943.
Based on the original plans by Karl von Fischer, architect Gerhard Moritz Graubner recreated the original neo-classical 2100 seat theatre. The new building is slightly larger than its predecessor and only the foyer and main staircase retained their original look. It opened on 22 November 1963 with a performance of Richard Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg."
During its early years, the National Theatre saw the premieres of a significant number of operas, including many by German composers. These included Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" (1865) "Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg" (1868) "Das Rheingold" (1869); and "Die Walkure (1870) after which Wagner's chose to build a theatre in Bayreuth and continued performances there.
During the latter part of the 19th Century, it was Richard Strauss who would make his mark on the Theatre in the city in which he was born in 1864. After accepting the position of conductor for a short time, Strauss returned to the theatre to become principal conductor from 189 to 1898. In pre-War period, his "Friedenstag" (1938) and "Capriccio" were premiered in Munich.
In the post-War period, the house has seen significant productions and many world premieres.
