The opera house designed by Wilhelm Riphahn at Cologne's Offenbachplatz was opened in May 1957. This architecturally groundbreaking theater has premiered significant works of musical theater, such as Wolfgang Fortner's "Bluthochzeit" in its opening year and Bernd Alois Zimmermann's "Die Soldaten" in 1965. Renowned artists like conductors Günter Wand, István Kertész, and John Pritchard have since shaped the performances of the Cologne Opera. The Mozart cycle directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung" by Robert Carsen and Patrick Kinmonth gained international recognition. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the current opera house, a comprehensive account of the history of the Cologne Opera from its beginnings in the 17th century to the present day in the early 21st century is being published for the first time. The authors of the individual chapters are Martina Grempler, Dieter Gutknecht, Egbert Hiller, Eberhard Illner, Johannes Jansen, Klaus W. Niemöller, Stefan Rütter, Kerstin Schüssler-Bach, Christoph Schwandt, Michael Struck-Schloen, Thomas Synofzik, Claudia Valder-Knechtges, Grete Wehmeyer, Robert von Zahn, and Christoph Zimmermann.