The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, has reopened following a six-year, RUB24bn (US$804m, 570m euro, £500m) redevelopment programme.

Considered one of the finest performance venues in the world, the theatre was designed by Russian architect Joseph Bové and first opened in 1825.

It was closed in 2005 with the initial reopening date set for late 2009. The discovery that the structure was more unstable than first thought, however, lead the opening date to be pushed back.

Funding for the work has come entirely from the federal government.

Most of the brickwork has been replaced and thousands of intricate frescos have been restored to their original appearance.

A lot of effort has also been made in restoring the venue's acoustics, said to have been damaged by Soviet-era adjustments to the structure of the theatre. Symbolically, the large hammer and sickle that adorned the main stage's huge curtain has also been removed.

The opening of the theatre will be celebrated with a special opening gala. The first full-scale production on the theatre's main stage will take place on 2 November when a new production of Ruslan and Ludmila - an opera by Mikhail Glinka, based on an epic poem by Alexander Pushkin - will be given its premier.