Burgtheater, Vienna, Austria - SpottingHistory.com

The Burgtheater (Imperial Court Theatre) opened on 14 March 1741, the creation of the Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa of Austria who wanted a theatre next to her palace. Three Mozart operas premiered there. The theatre's first building adjoined the Hofburg at Michaelerplatz, opposite St. Michael's Church. The theatre was moved to a new building at the Ringstraße in 1888 designed by Gottfried Semper and Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer.

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

References:

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User Reviews

Robert Patruna (11 months ago)
Beautiful building

Gregor Petri (14 months ago)
The Burgtheater in Vienna is an Austrian federal theatre. It is considered one of the most important theatres in Europe and is the second oldest European theatre after the Comédie-Française as well as the largest German-language theatre. The old Burgtheater had been located on Michaelerplatz since 1748. In October 1888, the new building on today's Universitätsring (then Franzensring) was opened. After it was completely burnt out in 1945 due to bombing, the Ronacher served as an alternative venue until its reopening on 14 October 1955. The Burgtheater is considered the Austrian national theatre. Older names of the Burgtheater were k.k.. Theatre nächst der Burg and thereafter until 1918 k.k. Hof-Burgtheater. Especially in Vienna it is often called "Die Burg" for short, the ensemble members are known as "Burgschauspieler". According to the number of employees and budget, it is the "richest and largest repertory theatre in the world". The director of the Burgtheater since September 2019 is Martin Kušej.

D P Rogers (2 years ago)
Beautiful 18th century theatre rebuilt several times, most recently after being damaged in WWII. Home to some amazing premiers by Mozart and Beethoven. Very accessable and some very reasonably priced (before Covid). Two bars inside, great for drinks and snacks.

Benedict Uy (2 years ago)
I was only able to look at it across the road in Rathasupark. The building looked quite nice and intricate but was not able to examine it closer or go inside.

TY Nesher (2 years ago)
Am rating just the outer building look. Very beautiful

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Royal Palace of Naples was one of the four residences near Naples used by the Bourbon Kings during their rule of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1734-1860): the others were the palaces of Caserta, Capodimonte overlooking Naples, and the third Portici, on the slopes of Vesuvius.

Construction on the present building was begun in the 17th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Intended to house the King Philip III of Spain on a visit never fulfilled to this part of his kingdom, instead it initially housed the Viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro, count of Lemos. By 1616, the facade had been completed, and by 1620, the interior was frescoed by Battistello Caracciolo, Giovanni Balducci, and Belisario Corenzio. The decoration of the Royal Chapel of Assumption was not completed until 1644 by Antonio Picchiatti.

In 1734, with the arrival of Charles III of Spain to Naples, the palace became the royal residence of the Bourbons. On the occasion of his marriage to Maria Amalia of Saxony in 1738, Francesco De Mura and Domenico Antonio Vaccaro helped remodel the interior. Further modernization took place under Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. In 1768, on the occasion of his marriage to Maria Carolina of Austria, under the direction of Ferdinando Fuga, the great hall was rebuilt and the court theater added. During the second half of the 18th century, a 'new wing' was added, which in 1927 became the Vittorio Emanuele III National Library. By the 18th century, the royal residence was moved to Reggia of Caserta, as that inland town was more defensible from naval assault, as well as more distant from the often-rebellious populace of Naples.

During the Napoleonic occupation the palace was enriched by Joachim Murat and his wife, Caroline Bonaparte, with Neoclassic decorations and furnishings. However, a fire in 1837 damaged many rooms, and required restoration from 1838 to 1858 under the direction of Gaetano Genovese. Further additions of a Party Wing and a Belvedere were made in this period. At the corner of the palace with San Carlo Theatre, a new facade was created that obscured the viceroyal palace of Pedro de Toledo.

In 1922, it was decided to transfer here the contents of the National Library. The transfer of library collections was made by 1925.

The library suffered from bombing during World War II and the subsequent military occupation of the building caused serious damage. Today, the palace and adjacent grounds house the famous Teatro San Carlo, the smaller Teatrino di Corte (recently restored), the Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III, a museum, and offices, including those of the regional tourist board.

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