Staatsoper and Burgtheater - Vienna
Vienna has two magnificent, world-famous theaters: the Staatsoper
for opera and the Hofburgtheater, usually referred to as the
Burgtheater, for plays.
Staatsoper
The Staatsoper was built in Neo-Renaissance style beginning in
1861. It was completed in 1869 as the first building on the
Ringstrasse that surrounds Vienna. The Staatsoper opened in May
1869 with a performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
The Staatsoper is 10,760 square yards with a stage that is 1800
square yards and 148 feet high. It can seat over 2,200
people.
The Staatsoper was partially destroyed during WW II when it was
bombed. In 1945, a fire destroyed the stage and auditorium.
Reconstruction on the historic Staatsoper began in 1948 and was
finally completed in 1955.
The sign next to the theater, Auslander Raus, was placed there
as part of a protest against the Viennese government in the summer
of 2000.
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater, originally established in 1776 under the reign of
Emperor Joseph II, is the second oldest active theater in the
world. The site of the Burgtheater today on the Ringstrasse was
first used for a theater in 1888. The first Burgtheater on that
site was mostly destroyed during World War II and it burned down in
1945. Reconstruction began on the current Burgtheater in 1953 and
it was reopened to the public in 1955.
The Burgtheater is huge, at 445 feet long and 88 feet high and with
a seating capacity of 1,175 and standing room for over 80
people.
