Henning Larsen designed the opera house, which the A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation gave to the Danish state in August 2000. Politicians objected, partly because the full cost was tax-deductible. Construction began in June 2001, it was completed on October 1, 2004, and it opened on January 15, 2005. The article calls the style neo-futurism and gives the cost as 2.5 billion kroner.
The building has 14 floors, five below ground, and 441,000 square feet (41,000 m²), with six stages. The facade is Jura Gelb limestone, and the original large glazing was changed to a metal grid after Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller argued that glass ages poorly. Larsen later called the building a mausoleum in a critical book.
The auditorium ceiling is gilded with about 105,000 sheets of gold leaf. The infobox gives 1,700 seats, while the text gives 1,492 to 1,703. The pit holds 110 musicians. Guided tours cover the auditorium and backstage.
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