Burgtheater

The Burgtheater is Austria's national theater in Vienna, one of the most important German-language theaters in the world. It opened in 1741 and is known locally as 'die Burg.' Its company has developed a distinctive performance style and speech.

Don't miss

• Frescoes by Gustav Klimt, Ernst Klimt, and Franz von Matsch depicting theatrical history from Sophocles to Shakespeare and Molière
• The ceremonial stairs with names of honorable members engraved in marble
• The building's location on the Ringstraße, designed by architects Gottfried Semper and Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer
• The theater's small original building had exceptional acoustics

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Burgtheater

Cheapest way inClassical Concerts in the Minorite Church - Tickets Vienna4.8★ · 103 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$22 per personSee dates →Most bookedVienna Classical Concert at St. Peter’s Church4.7★ · 2,299 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$45 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleCity Sightseeing Tour in an Electro Vintage Car (up to 5 people)4.6★ · 56 travelers1-2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$115 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The Burgtheater is known for its traditional style and distinctive Burgtheater-German speech.
• The theater is located on the Ringstraße, near the Rathaus and the Volksgarten.

A bit of history

The original Burgtheater was built in a 1540 tennis court (ball house) in the Hofburg gardens. Empress Maria Theresa opened it in 1741. Three Mozart operas premiered there: Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782), Le nozze di Figaro (1786), and Così fan tutte (1790), as well as his Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor (1786). Beethoven's 1st Symphony premiered there on 2 April 1800. The theater moved to a new building on the Ringstraße in 1888, designed by Gottfried Semper and Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer. The interiors were decorated with frescoes by Gustav Klimt, Ernst Klimt, and Franz von Matsch. The theater was largely destroyed in a 1945 bombing raid and rebuilt between 1953 and 1955.