Page 87 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

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sphinx, and columns of
male figures who support
the ceiling, by the sculptor
Giovanni Giuliani. Since 1961
the palace has housed the
Ministry of Justice, so there
is no public access.

r Volkstheater
Neustiftgasse 1. Map 1 C5.
Tel 52 111-0; tickets 52 111-400.
% Volkstheater. v 1, 2, 46, 49, 71, D.
@ 48A. ∑ volkstheater.at
Famed as a venue able to
combine classic and modern
drama with popular Viennese
plays, the Volkstheater (People’s
Theatre) was, for many years,
a staging post for directors
and actors on their way from
The opulent auditorium of Theater in der Josefstadt the provincial theatres to the
estimable Burgtheater. Today,
w Theater in der e Palais Trautson classic and modern, or even
Josefstadt Museumstrasse 7. Map 1 C4. experimental drama dominate
Josefstädter Strasse 26. Map 1 B4. % Volkstheater. v 49. @ 48A. the repertoire. The Volkstheater
presents many plays for the first
Tel 42 700. % Rathaus. v 2. @ 13A. Closed to the public. time, or for the first time in the
∑ josefstadt.org
The Baroque Trautson Palace, German language.
This intimate theatre, one of built between 1710 and 1712 for The Volkstheater was built in
the oldest still standing in Prince Johann Leopold Donat 1889 by the Austrian architects
Vienna, has enjoyed a glorious Trautson, to a design by Johann Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann
history. First established in Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, Helmer. They employed the
1788, the theatre was later was acquired by Maria Theresa latest in theatre technology,
much altered. After renovation in 1760. She then dona ted it to including electric lighting
by Joseph Kornhäusel, for its the Royal Hungarian Bodyguard, throughout, and many theatre
reopening in 1822, Ludwig van which she had founded. designers later copied their
Beethoven composed his The Neo-Classical façade, work. The auditorium, with more
overture The Consecration of with rows of Doric columns, than 1,000 seats, is one of the
the House, conducting it himself is heavily ornamented. Its largest in a theatre devoted to
at the reopening gala. finest sculptures, including that German-language drama, and
In 1924, the directorship of Apollo playing the lyre, tower is a great example of Viennese
of the theatre was given to above the first-floor windows. fin-de-siècle architecture. In front
Max Reinhardt, one of the The palace has a beautiful of the theatre stands a
most outstanding theatre staircase, decorated with statue (1898) of the
directors and reformers, who carvings of the dramatist Ferdinand
supervised its further restoration Raimund.
and intro duced an ambitious
modern repertoire as well as
magnificent productions of
classic drama. He transformed
what was once a middle-of-
the-road provincial theatre
into the most exciting stage
in the German-speaking world.
The theatre is worth a visit for
viewing its interior alone. As the
lights slowly dim, the crystal
chandeliers float gently to the
ceiling. It offers excellent produc-
tions of Austrian plays, with an
emphasis on comedy, classics
and the occasional musical. The majestic entrance to the 19th-century Volkstheater

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