Vienna State Opera

architecture · Austria · music · history

Built for emperors. Emperor Franz Joseph I paid for and chose the location of the Vienna State Opera, and he attended its opening ceremony in 1869 with his wife, Empress Elisabeth.

Renaissance Revival beauty. The opera house was designed by three talented architects and has 1,709 seats arranged in a stunning building that looks like a palace from the Renaissance period.

First building on famous street. The Vienna State Opera was the first major building constructed on the Vienna Ring Road, a grand circular street that later became lined with other important buildings.

Name changed with government. When Austria became a republic in 1921 instead of having an emperor, the opera house changed its name from the Vienna Court Opera to the Vienna State Opera to reflect the new government.