The Palais Garnier is a 1,979-seat opera house in Paris, a masterpiece of Neo-Baroque architecture designed by Charles Garnier. Completed in 1875, it is famous for its Grand Staircase made of white marble with balustrades of red and green marble. One of its most intriguing features is the massive six-ton crystal chandelier, which famously inspired a scene in Gaston Leroux's 'The Phantom of the Opera' when a counterweight fell during a performance in 1896. Additionally, there is a literal 'lake' beneath the building—a water-filled cistern designed to manage the high groundwater level and provide stability to the massive structure. While it no longer serves as the primary home for the Paris Opera, it remains a global icon of opulence and the setting for one of literature's most famous mysteries.