The Burgtheater, the Vienna Royal Shakespeare Company - Austria

Founded in 1741 by Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa of Austria to be a theatre next to her palace, and her son, Emperor Joseph II called it the "German National Theatre" in 1776. The theatre is extremely well-known, especially as three of Mozart's operas premiered here. The actual building, located on the Ring facing the Rathaus, was built in 1874 in a neo-Renaissance style, mixed with baroque and Second Empire elements. Inside the building there are two grand sets of staircases to the left and right of the lobby. In the past, one of the staircases was used for the public and the other was reserved for the members of the imperial entourage. The interior of the Burgtheater is decorated with ceiling fresques by Gustav Klimt and his brother Ernst, as well as by Franz Matsch. Hit by the 1945 bombings, the Burgtheater had to be refurbished and reopened its doors in 1955. The refurbishment is a greatly admired one due to its exactitude. A frieze of Ariane Bacchus, a statue of Apollo and statues of Shakespeare and Molière can be admired here. © Photo : Carlos Rodrigues

  Otto Wagner Pavilion, Karlsplatz

The Votivkirche, in memory of Franz Joseph