Burgtheater, Vienna: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

The Burgtheater faces the Rathausplatz on the Ringstrasse in Vienna, the Austrian national theater and one of the most important German-language stages in the world, founded by Empress Maria Theresa in 1741. The current building, designed by Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer, opened in 1888 with a grand staircase decorated by ceiling paintings from Gustav Klimt and his brother Ernst, completed before Klimt's famous Secessionist period. The auditorium seats 1,175 across four tiers. Heavily damaged by bombing and fire in 1945, the theater was rebuilt and reopened in 1955. is just one of many options in Vienna. Major attractions worth considering include Albertina Museum, Dürnstein, and Historic Center of Vienna.