Burgtheater
Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Ring 2
The Burgtheater, also called “Haus am Ring (House at Ring Boulevard) or “Burg”, is the Austrian National Theater in Vienna, which is considered one of the most significant German-language theaters in the world. It is the second-oldest theatre still open after the Comedie Franciase.
In 1741, the Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa of Austria authorize theater manager Joseph Selliers to convert the dance and banquet hall located at the north-eastern part of the Imperial palace into a new theatre, which was inaugurated in 1748. Around 1756, the back wall of the main stage was moved further out onto the Michaelerplatz. The original Burgtheater has a wooden structure that allows acoustic to echo majestically. However, when the Burgtheater moved to a new building in October 14, 1888 at the RingstraBe, which was designed and built by Gottfried Sempre and C. Von Hasenauer, many people complained about the bad acoustics. It was renovated in 1897.
On March 12, 1945, the Burgtheater was greatly destroyed in a bombing raid and was damaged further a month later (April 12, 1945) due to a fire of unidentified origin. As a result, the Burgtheater temporarily moved to the Ronacher variety theater until October 15, 1955 when the new Burgtheater building, which was created and designed by M. Engelhart, O. Nidermoser and S. Nordegg, was inaugurated.
The Burgtheater is adorned with statues of famous writers and allegoric figures depicting hatred and love. Inside, the theater provides a festive atmosphere ideal for any type of cultural events. The classic Burgtheater style and its German-exclusive language became a trendsetter for all German-language theaters.
