Burgtheater

Burgtheater stands on Vienna’s Ringstraße, where monumental architecture meets one of Austria’s most important stages. The wheelchair-accessible building opened in 1888 beside the Hofburg. Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer designed its present form for performances in German. Its history began in 1741, when Maria Theresa established a theatre beside her palace.

Mozart’s operas Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte premiered here. Beethoven’s First Symphony also received its first performance inside these walls in 1800. The theatre later became known for Burgtheaterdeutsch, a distinctive style of speaking associated with its actors. Klaus Maria Brandauer, Bruno Ganz and Christoph Waltz have belonged to its ensemble, alongside premieres by Thomas Bernhard and Elfriede Jelinek.

The ceremonial staircases carry ceiling panels painted by Gustav Klimt, Ernst Klimt and Franz Matsch between 1886 and 1887. Dionysos, Thespis’s cart and Shakespeare’s Globe appear among the scenes from theatre history. The right staircase traces theatre and classical drama, while the left presents music, dance and medieval plays. Bomb damage in March 1945 and a fire the following month led to reconstruction between 1953 and 1955. Names of distinguished artists remain engraved in marble at the foot of the ceremonial stairs.