VOLKSTHEATER

Volkstheater: translation

(Vienna)

The Volkstheater, completed in 1889, was built inViennaidealistically to accommodate the variousVölker, or nationalities, of the Habsburg Empire by presenting a wide variety of fare in its repertoire, featuring German-speaking playwrights from Hungary, the Balkans, and areas of the Ukraine and Poland under Habsburg jurisdiction. It was, at the time of its construction, one of the largest theaters dedicated to spoken drama; it had a seating capacity of more than 1,000. The theater reached its height of popularity in the 1920s, ironically after the Habsburg Empire ceased to exist. It was damaged during World War II and underwent extensive restoration, reopening in 1980.