The Burgtheater (English: Castle Theater), originally known as Theater an der Burg, then from 1918 known as the Hof-Burgtheater, is the Austria's Federal Theater in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.

It was created on 14 March 1741 by Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa of Austria to be a theatre next to her palace, and her son, emperor Joseph II called the "German National Theatre" in 1776. Beginning in 1794, the theatre was called the "K.K. Hoftheater nächst der Burg". The theatre was moved to a new building at the Ringstraße on 14 October 1888 designed by Gottfried Semper and Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer . After it was burned out in 1944, the castle theatre was restored in 1955. The classic Burgtheater style and the Burgtheater German language were trend-setting for German language theaters.

The directors of the Burgtheater

• Joseph Schreyvogel (1814 to 1832)
• Heinrich Laube (1849 to 1867)
• Mirko Jelusich
• Josef Gielen
• Adolf Rott
• Ernst Haeusserman
• Paul Hoffmann (1968 to 1971)
• Gerhard Klingenberg
• Achim Benning
• Claus Peymann (1986 to 1999)
• Klaus Bachler (since 1999)

With many debut performances of plays written by Thomas Bernhard, Elfriede Jelinek, Peter Handke, Peter Turrini and George Tabori, Claus Peymann managed to affirm the Burgtheater's reputation as one of Europe's foremost stages. Among the best known actors in the ensemble of about 120 members are: Sven-Eric Bechtolf , Klaus Maria Brandauer, Kirsten Dene , Bruno Ganz, Karlheinz Hackl , Robert Meyer , Gertraud Jesserer , Ignaz Kirchner , Jutta Lampe , Susanne Lothar , Michael Maertens , Tamara Metelka , Birgit Minichmayr , Nicholas Ofczarek , Hedwig Pistorius , Elisabeth Orth , Martin Schwab , Peter Simonischek , Ulrich Tukur , Gert Voss , Gusti Wolf , and Heinz Zuber .

Some famous former members of the ensemble are Max Devrient , Josef Kainz , Josef Lewinsky , Joseph Schreyvogel , Adolf von Sonnenthal , Charlotte Wolter , Ludwig Gabillon , Zerline Gabillon , Attila Hörbiger, Paula Wessely, Paul Hörbiger , and Fritz Muliar. Particularly deserving artists may be designated honorable members. Their names are engraved in marble at the bottom end of the ceremonial stairs at the side of the theater facing the Volksgarten . Members of honor are: Annemarie Düringer , Wolfgang Gasser , Heinrich Schweiger , Gusti Wolf , and Michael Heltau .

See also

• Burgtheater (movie)
• Raimund Theater
• Wiener Volkstheater

External links

• Burgtheater homepage