Vienna · Ringstrasse
Burgtheater
The German-speaking world's most prestigious stage, with Klimt ceilings on the staircases
The two staircases, painted by Gustav and Ernst Klimt before either was famous
Founded by an empress in 1741 and installed in this building on the Ring in 1888, the Burgtheater is the reference stage for German-language acting, with an ensemble system and a level of textual seriousness that visitors either love or find airless. Performances are in German, without surtitles.
Even without the language, the building is worth twenty minutes: the ceremonial staircases carry ceiling paintings by the young Gustav Klimt, his brother Ernst and Franz Matsch, done before Klimt broke with the academy and became someone else.
The detail
Good to know
- Founded
- 1741
- Building
- 1888, on the Ringstrasse
- Staircases
- Ceilings by Gustav and Ernst Klimt
- Language
- German, no surtitles
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