Großes Festspielhaus

The Großes Festspielhaus (lit. Great theatre of Festivals) in Salzburg is a music hall and opera theatre located in the city’s old center in Austria.It was known as the Neues Festspielhaus from 1960 to 1962.It is the location of the Salzburg Festivals.

It was based on a design by Austrian architect Clemens Holzmeister, who was also responsible for two other Festival performance spaces: the Kleines Festspielhaus from 1925 (now known as Haus für Mozart ) and the Felsenreitschule from 1926, which was built on the Archbishops of Salzburg’s riding school.Work began in 1956, when 55,000 m3 of stone were taken from the slope of Mount Mönchsberg to make way for the massive stage box, which is one of the world’s biggest at 100 meters wide.

The stage is 25 meters deep, with a mouth 30 meters wide and 9 meters high.It may be used equally for opera and symphonic events to cover the orchestra pit.The auditorium is square in shape, 35 meters on each side, and has a capacity of 2,179 people.The public enters the area through five big bronze doors from the main entrance.The architect used local materials, such as conglomerate excavated from Mönchsberg or Adnet limestone.Murano glass chandeliers light the space.The entire structure is adorned with diverse pieces of art.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra headed by Herbert von Karajan launched the theater on July 26, 1960, with a performance of The Knight with the Rose.They sought to pay respect to three of the Festival’s most famous personalities: composer Richard Strauss, librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal, and stage director Max Reinhardt.

During the summer festivals in Salzburg, the Großes Festspielhaus normally holds the year’s two major theatrical performances, as well as the majority of symphonic concerts.It also offers opera productions and symphonic performances during the Pentecost and Easter festivals.