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Spending a day or two in San Jos é on your way into or out of Costa Rica is definitely a good idea because there is so much to see that your understanding of Costa Rica will surely grow. For example, seeing the over 125 year-old National Theatre which was built using a specific tax on coffee exports set to last the duration needed to build this now National Symbol of Costa Rica plus a later added general tax on the population by setting a tax on imports. It was started in 1891 by a Government Decree when the city had just over 20,000 inhabitants. No expense was spared to create a masterpiece which included very precious local woods plus iron, Carrara marble from Italy, gold and French glass. The architecture style is a neoclassical Renaissance. The metal dome was made in Belgium and the local stone mason experts built the walls. Inside there are murals related to coffee harvesting. Over the three different centuries this building has existed many famous persons have visited and also performed here, and it continues to have world class performances. President John F. Kennedy visited here in 1963. It was inaugurated on October 19, 1897, with the opera "Faust" by Charles Gounod, performed by the French Aubry Company.

NATIONAL THEATER

COSTA RICA´S NATIONAL STADIUM LOOKING WEST TOWARD THE UPSCALE NEIGHBORHOODS OF NUNCIATURA AND ROHRMOSER