Burgtheater Vienna

The Burgtheater is the largest German speaking theater and one of the most important stages in Europe. From 1748 to 1888 it was located on Michaelerplatz, until it had to make way for the extension of the Hofburg to include the Michaelertrakt. In October 1888, the new building on Universitätsring was opened, which - with a war-related interruption from 1945 to 1955 - is still the home of the "Burg". The theater has two other venues: The Academy Theater on Lisztstrasse and the Casino on Schwarzenbergplatz. The rehearsal stage of the Burgtheater is located in the arsenal.

When Joseph II declared the Burgtheater, which did not have that name at the time, as the “German National Theatre” in 1776, this primarily referred to the language that was to be spoken on this stage from then on. The imperial measure was a step towards upgrading the national language and was directed against the dominance of French and Italian on the stages - languages that could only be spoken and understood by an elite.
(program preview of the 2019/2020 season)

Martin Kušej will take over as director in September 2019. We are curious.

From now on, the Burgtheater will no longer see itself as a “German national theatre” that only speaks with one tongue and only listens with one ear. It will not be able to cope with itself and the languages spoken in and around it. It will never be finished at all.
(program preview of the 2019/2020 season)

The Burgtheater was opened in 1748 as a theater next to the castle, but had to make way for the redesign of the Michaelertrakt in 1888. It moved to the new building on Ringstrasse. The Burgtheater is one of the most important theaters in the German-speaking world. Many of the most prominent artists of the respective era worked at the Burgtheater. Martin Kušej has been artistic director since 2019. The building is characterized by a powerful, arched central section, with expansive wings extending to both sides, which accommodate the two loge stairs, among other things.

Burgtheater. 1748 theater next to the castle; 1776 national theater next to the k.k. Castle; 1794 k.k. Court theater next to the k.k. Castle; 1804 k.k. National Theater next to the k.k. Castle; 1807 K.k. Court theater next to the k. k. Castle; 1828 k.k. Hofburgtheater; 1848 k.k. Court and national theater; 1852 k.k. Hofburgtheater). The old Burgtheater was part of the Hofburg and had to give way to the new planning of the Michaelertrakt. The theater has been based in the theater building of the same name on Ringstrasse since 1888.