Burgtheatre, Vienna

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The Austrian National Theatre was created in 1741 following the express wish of Empress Maria Theresa to establish a theater at the Imperial palace. Taking over a vacant banquet hall, the Burgtheater soon turned into the world's most important German-speaking theater by staging performances such as the premiere of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" in 1786 and Beethoven's first symphony in 1800. All this prompted it to be moved to a bigger and more fancy location in 1888. The new venue is a spectacular Italian Renaissance-style building that can sit close to 1,200 spectators. Among other artists, Gustav Klimt and his brother Ernst contributed to its interior design. If you don't have time or are not interested in seeing a performance, you can still go on a guided tour - these are offered only once a day (at 3:00 pm) and cost 5.5 Euro. Check the Burgtheater's website for more info.

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The building, by architects Karl von Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper, combines Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque elements. On the Ringstrasse every monumental building is neo-something. Fortunately for the visitors it is good neo-something architecture so that it is always a pleasure to walk on this part of the Ringstrasse.
It replaced in 1888 the old Burgtheater (Imperial Court Theatre) founded in 1741 under Maria Theresa on the Michaelerplatz.
In 1945 a bomb destroyed the main building, leaving only the wings. The restoration took ten years but was so successful that at reopening in 1955 it was difficult to recognize the new parts of the old ones.
The main entrance faces the neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus, and the south side is the limit of the Volksgarten with its neo-Greek Theseus temple. An interesting architectural contrast!

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The Burgtheatre was the former imperial court theatre and is one of the most important theatres in Europe, being the second oldest theatre still in existence. It has an all German program and includes all the variety of spoken theatre; the classics and contemporary pieces, as well as experimental theatre and readings. The Burgtheatre is large and has 1175 seats, 81 standing places, and room for 12 wheelchairs and escorts. In spite of that it is often worth buying tickets in advance. The building has a beautiful facade, whose white marble has recently been cleaned, it is adorned with statues of famous writers like Goethe and Schiller and allegoric figures depicting love and hatred.

Facing opposite the Neues Rathaus is the Burgtheater. It is a theater built in 1888. It was destroyed by bombs in WWII but rebuilt. One funny story is that the auditorium had to be renovated in 1897 after it was discovered that there were a bunch of seats with no view of the stage.

Guided tours are available and admission is charged. Don't miss seeing the Grand Staircase!

The Burgtheater is one of the most prestigious theatres in the German-speaking world. The original theatre was built in Maria Theresa’s reign. This was replaced in 1888 by an Italian renaissance style building built by Karl von Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper. The theatre was bombed during World War II leaving only the side wings and grand staircase intact. The restoration was so successful it is hard to see where the damage was.

The Burgtheater (the former imperial court theatre), one of the most important theatres in Europe, ist the second-oldest theatre still in existence after the Comédie Francaise. Its all-German program includes all the variety of spoken theatre: classics and contemporary pieces, as well as experimental theatre and readings.

The Burgtheater is the most important and prestigious theatre in Austria. The present day theatre was built in 1888 and replaced an earlier theatre built during the reign of Maria Theresa in the Hofburg. The present day theatre was designed by Karl von Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper and was built in the Renaissance style. The impressive front facade is crowned with a statue of Apollo.

the original burgtheater was built during the reign of empress maria theresa. it was replaced by an italian renaissance design building in 1888. sadly this beautiful building was bombed in WWII but since has been meticulously restored to it's original condition. guided tours of the opulent interior of the theater are available. a must see site when visting vienna.

This is a picture of Burgtheatre I took from the Rathaus on the opposite side.Burgtheatre was built between 1874 and 1888.The vaults over the grand staicases are decorated by Klimt frescoes.This place has occupied a fundamental place in the theatre circuit of Vienna and of Europe.

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The Burgtheater (en: (Imperial) Court Theatre), originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1920 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world. The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the Viennese population; its theater company of more or less regular members has created a traditional style and speech typical of Burgtheater performances.

On March 12, 1945 the Burgtheater was largely destroyed in a bombing raid, and, one month later, on April 12, 1945, the Burgtheater was further damaged by a fire of unknown origin. After the war, the theatre was restored between 1953-1955. The classic Burgtheater style and the Burgtheater-German language were trend-setting for German language theaters.