Vienna Opera House

Stuart Jacome
Arch 211- M11
Prof. Khorsandi
Blog Post
Vienna Opera House
The opera house was the first major building on the Vienna Ringstrasse commissioned by the Viennese "city expansion fund".  Built in an impressive Neo-Renaissance style to demonstrate the emergence of its art, construction was started in 1861 and was completed in 1869 the plans for this structure were created by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll. The public was far from satisfied with the design of this focal point of the new Vienna; they believed it to be too grand, even if this is difficult to envision for any modern guest of the opera house. This hostile opinion was at partially due to the fact that the level of the Ringstraße was raised by one meter, giving the building a feel as if it was sinking.
Throughout World War One the building remained unharmed, but unfortunately in the second World War due to bombing and fire the auditorium and stage were destroyed as well as almost the all of the décor and props. Luckily the front section, which had been walled off as a safety measure, remained unscathed as well as the foyer, with frescoes by Moritz von Schwind, the main stairways, the vestibule and the tea room was pristine.
An architectural competition was announced to decide who would design the new opera house, which was won by Erich Boltenstern. Boltenstern decided on a design that corresponded to the original with slight modernization to keep with the design scheme of the 1950s. In regards to the interior of the structure, there are many conditions to creating the opera house such as, attaining  good acoustic by using wood which was the favored building material. In addition, the quantity of seats in the parterre (stalls) was reduced, and the fourth gallery, which had been contoured with columns, was restructured so it would no longer need columns, as well as the new auditorium which had been minimized to a capacity of about 2,276, including 567 standing room places.
The façade, entrance hall and the "Schwind" foyer were refurbished and remains in its original style adorned in Renaissance-Style arches, and the veranda on the ring road side.The statues of the two riders on horseback were placed on the main facade and were created by Ernst Julius Hahnel. On the arches above the veranda there are five bronze statues that represent: heroism, tragedy, fantasy, comedy, and love. On the right and left sides of the opera house are two fountains by Josef gasser which represent two different worlds the one on the left: music, dance, joy, and levity and the one on the right: seduction, sorrow, love, and revenge. The back end is broader and includes the stage and the surrounding rooms. The narrower front part contains the auditorium and the adjoining rooms that are accessible to the public. The design calls for a vaulted roof over the sage and auditorium that is above all the secondary rooms, the hipped transverse wings, and the french roof or the towers. The transverse wings are perpendicular to the main building, originally served as driveways for horse drawn carriages.
The backstage area was newly constructed during the postwar period. In order to have seamless backstage operations not only is there hydraulically operated lifting platforms and electromechanical lifts were installed using the latest technology, but there was a new power supply, and a new heating system, ventilation system, fire protection system and fire detection systems were installed. In 1944 when the opera house was closed for renovations unused space was acoustically changed into a new rehearsal hall; in addition there are three halls for ensemble rehearsals, with space for a choir and an orchestra as well as the organ hall on the sixth floor.


https://www.concertvienna.com/blog/vienna-opera/history-of-the-vienna-state-opera/
http://www.theatre-architecture.eu/en/db/?theatreId=334

https://www.gustav-mahler.eu/index.php/plaatsen/139-austria/vienna/1245-court-opera-hofoper

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