{"id":85,"date":"2015-08-19T08:03:57","date_gmt":"2015-08-19T06:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=85"},"modified":"2025-07-08T12:28:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T11:28:24","slug":"burgtheater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/theaters\/burgtheater\/","title":{"rendered":"The Burgtheater"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/burgtheatersign.jpg\" alt=\"Burgtheater sign\" class=\"wp-image-16671\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/burgtheatersign.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/burgtheatersign-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Consider the Burgtheater or simply &#8220;The Burg&#8221; as Austria&#8217;s most prestigious theatre. The main building forms one of the historical landmarks that grace the Ring boulevard that curls around Vienna&#8217;s centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The pinnacle of Austrian theatre, but all plays are in German<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Subtitles&#8221; accessible for some performances<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tours of the 19th-century building available<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gustav Klimt worked on the interior d\u00e9cor as a young man<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a themed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/vienna-city-tours-l205280\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_CityTours\" rel=\"sponsored\">guided tour<\/a>* of the city<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A stop on the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/transport\/sightseeing-bus\/\">Hop on Hop off tours<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/activities\/theatres-cinemas\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1664\">Theatre in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/burgtheater-tour\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"19099\">Tour of the theatre<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/\">Sightseeing tips<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The peak of theatre<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/burgtheaterdistance.jpg\" alt=\"The Burgtheater from the Rathausplatz\" class=\"wp-image-45198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/burgtheaterdistance.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/burgtheaterdistance-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(View from the Rathausplatz square opposite. What you can&#8217;t see is the 300m<sup>2<\/sup> solar panel facility on the roof)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This version of the Burgtheater opened in 1888, but the institution itself has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/theaters\/burgtheaterhistory\/\">long history<\/a> involving emperors, wars, and even fan fiction rewrites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, an in-house ensemble puts on regular performances of plays penned by promising contemporary playwrights through to such great names of theatrical history as Shakespeare, Schiller (who has his own Viennese <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/the-schiller-monument\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"39850\">monument<\/a>) and Goethe (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/goethe-monument\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"39856\">ditto<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be part of that ensemble in whatever form is a badge of honour you might compare to being a member of the RSC in the UK. And, although a purely German-speaking theatre, even English-speaking audiences might recognise some of the actors who belong (or belonged) to the Burgtheater&#8217;s company.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/burgtheater2024a.jpg\" alt=\"Lower front fa\u00e7ade of the Burgtheater\" class=\"wp-image-71735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/burgtheater2024a.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/burgtheater2024a-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The main entrance and also a good spot to take photos of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/rathaus\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"79\">Rathausplatz square<\/a> opposite)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Klaus Maria-Brandauer gained an Oscar nomination for his role in <em>Out of Africa<\/em> opposite Meryl Streep in 1985<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Oskar Werner starred opposite Julie Christie in Truffaut&#8217;s <em>Fahrenheit 451<\/em> in 1966<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Felix Kammerer played the lead in the 2022 Oscar-winning film, <em>All Quiet on the Western Front<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/shakespeareburgtheater.jpg\" alt=\"Shakespeare bust at the Burgtheater\" class=\"wp-image-45199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/shakespeareburgtheater.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/shakespeareburgtheater-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The homage to Shakespeare)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walk around the outside of the theatre to find numerous tributes to famous playwrights and poets. Shakespeare himself gets a bust and a representation of the <em>to be or not to be<\/em> scene from Hamlet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inside, one of the opulent staircases has another Shakespeare tribute: a fresco of a performance of <em>Romeo and Juliet<\/em> at the Globe Theatre, London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The three artists responsible for creating that ceiling fresco cheekily put themselves into the Globe\u2019s audience. Which is why you find a young <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/gustav-klimt\/\">Gustav Klimt<\/a> in the painting. His subsequent career went quite well to say the least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tickets, tours &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you just want to take a look inside the Burgtheater and view the Klimt frescoes, then go on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/burgtheater-tour\/\">guided tour<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to view a play, do remember that performances are in the German language. However, some of these performances have English &#8220;subtitles&#8221; available through a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.burgtheater.at\/uebertitel\">free app<\/a> for your phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the record, tickets usually go on sale as of the 10th of each month for the following month; no performances take place during a summer break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Burgtheater, despite its origins as the imperial theater of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/habsburg-monarchy-introduction\/\">Habsburg Empire<\/a>, has an egalitarian tradition that continues today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seats with unrestricted views can cost as little as a cinema ticket. You can even see a performance for less than the price of a coffee when standing tickets are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the Burgtheater<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll find this ca. 1,200-seat theater on Vienna&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/ring\/\">Ring<\/a>, opposite the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/rathaus\/\">Rathausplatz<\/a>. A near neighbour is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/volksgarten\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"16829\">Volksgarten park<\/a>, specifically the rose garden section that looks gorgeous in early summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you fancy a quick coffee and cake before a performance (or tour), the Burgtheater&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/cafespubsbars\/cafe-landtmann\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"20500\">other immediate neighbour<\/a> belongs to that long list of traditional institutions that makes Vienna (possibly) the coffee house capital of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subway: the Burgtheater is just a short walk from three subway stations: Rathaus on the U2 line, Schottentor (also on the U2), and Herrengasse on the U3 line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tram\/bus: three tram lines serve a tram stop right outside the front door: 1, 71 and D. Get off at Rathausplatz\/Burgtheater (the clue is in the name).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Dr. Karl-Lueger-Ring 2, 1010 Vienna | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.burgtheater.at\/\">Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1CvFy08QgKnm1x4rkMf89o2bjRoLw78on\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Consider the Burgtheater or simply &#8220;The Burg&#8221; as Austria&#8217;s most prestigious theatre. The main building forms one of the historical landmarks that grace the Ring boulevard that curls around Vienna&#8217;s centre. The peak of theatre (View from the Rathausplatz square opposite. What you can&#8217;t see is the 300m2 solar panel facility on the roof) This [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-85","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-theaters","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84591,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85\/revisions\/84591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}