<p>130 years ago, a new building of the famous Burgtheater was opened.</p>

At its time, the new theater building was the first large electrically illuminated structure in Vienna. The construction of the theater took a long 14 years. The building's design, which was more representative than functional, sparked a wave of dissatisfaction at the time and required an early reconstruction due to poor acoustics. One of the most famous buildings in Vienna suffered its first major scars in February 1945 when bombs exploded nearby. However, a much more destructive fire broke out here for unknown reasons two months later. The reconstruction of the building dragged on for another ten years due to financing issues, during which the Burgtheater ensemble was forced to perform in makeshift spaces.

The Burgtheater still maintains a high artistic standard. Its premieres and productions regularly generate international attention, and leading theater personalities perform and direct here. Plays by modern Czech playwrights, such as Pavel Kohout and Václav Havel, were staged here even during a time when they were banned in then Czechoslovakia as anti-regime works. After his emigration in the late 1970s, actor Pavel Landovský was also a member of the Burgtheater acting ensemble.

The centennial jubilee of the Burgtheater's first opening in 1988 had a scandalous flavor. At that time, the theater presented the play "Heroes' Square," a work by the significant playwright and relentless critic of Austrian conditions, Thomas Bernhard. He wrote his drama to mark a completely different anniversary - the 50th anniversary of the enthusiastic reception of Hitler by the crowds of Viennese. In his play, Bernhard sharply denounced the Austrian reluctance to come to terms with their Nazi past and the persistent willingness towards far-right and anti-Semitic ideas. He earned hateful reactions from the press and the public, as well as the reputation of an author who tarnishes his own nest.

The Burgtheater has also been the subject of artistic works. In 1936, for example, a film with this title was made, and Austrian Nobel Prize-winning author Elfriede Jelinek also chose it for one of her plays. The controversial author, known for her relentless social criticism, depicted the actors of the Burgtheater who sympathized with the Nazis during the war.