Burgtheater is a Austrian national theater, and one of the world’s most important German-language theatre facilities.
When it was founded in 1741, the theater was originally known as ‘K.K. Theater an der Burg‘. From 1920, however, the name changed to the current one…
…with locals having a still shorter nickname: ‘die Burg’.
The theater was founded by Empress Maria Theresia. It was his son, Joseph II, who first emphasized the theater’s importance as a ‘German national theater’, in 1776.
PHOTO: The theater building, as seen from Wiener Rathaus (Vienna City Hall).
The theater is, in fact, the 2nd oldest theater of its kind in Europe, with only Comédie Francaise (founded in in 1680), in Paris, being older.
Several famous Mozart operas had their premiere’s at the Burg theater:
- “Die Entführung aus dem Serail” (in 1782),
- “Le nozze di Figaro” (1786), and
- “Così fan tutte” (1790).
These premieres were not held at the current building, however, as it is from 1888, a design by Gottfried Semper and Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer.
As a performance venue, the current building is very spacious, offering…
- seating for 1,175 spectators,
- 81 places for standing spectators, and
- 12 locations for wheelchaired customers.
The Burg theater productions are, in fact, spread to venues around the city, including theater stages at…
- “Vestibül” (Dr. Karl-Lueger-Ring 2),
- “Kasino” (Schwarzenbergplatz 1), and
- “Akademietheater” (Franz-Lisztstr. 1).
The performances, all in German language, include several types of theater art:
- classics and modern theater,
- experimental theater, and
- recitations.
Burgtheater
Address: Universitätsring 2, 1010 Wien, Austria
Official website: Burgtheater.at
…but they are available for purchase only from one hour to showtime.