The Wiener Künstlerhaus was built on Karlsplatz between 1865 and 1868 - at the same time as the Ringstrasse was opened as a prestigious boulevard by Emperor Franz Joseph I (1865) and the Vienna State Opera was completed as the Imperial and Royal Court Opera (1869). Court Opera was completed (1869)
In 1881, the "French Hall" was added to the Künstlerhaus to accommodate the First International Art Exhibition
This so-called "French Hall" was used in a variety of ways until 2017 - the Vienna State Opera performed here in 1987 for the Austrian premiere of The White Rose by Udo Zimmermann
From 2023, the "Französischer Saal" was extensively renovated to enable opera performances to be staged here
Among other things, two basement floors were built to create more space for the audience and artists!
A workshop room was built on the 3rd floor
Technical Data
Ground floor
Main entrance and foyer
Box office, public checkroom, checkroom lockers for school classes
Intermission buffet
Bathrooms for the disabled
Transport entrance (Bösendorferstraße) and an additional escape route from the stage and auditorium (Musikvereinplatz)
First upper floor
Staircase leading to the entrance to the auditorium on the second floor
Second upper floor
Access to the auditorium for the audience
Lighting and video control desk and control room
Third upper floor
Workshop room: approx. 79 m2 usable area, capacity: maximum 30 people
Bathrooms
Access to building services - ventilation, facilities for electro-acoustics and lighting (dimmer room), winch room
First basement floor
Access to the lower stage with staircase towards the stage
Access to the orchestra pit (playing position: 2.42m below stage level)
Access to the transport podium
Performance options from the lower stage via the openable cover panel stage
Bathrooms for the audience
Facilities for electro-acoustics and lighting
Building services center (heating center, electrical room), technical storage room
Second basement
8 dressing rooms for artists (incl. shower, WCs)
Access to the lower stage, with staircase towards the stage
Technical storage areas
Access to the transport podium
An elevator in the audience area can be taken from the second basement floor to the third upper floor.
Stage
A cover field stage with 38 covers that can be opened to allow performances from the lower stage
Stage dimensions: approx. 85m2 (7.33 m deep x 12 m wide, without projection)
Portal opening: 8 m wide x 5.10 m high
One door and one staircase on each side to access the stage from the auditorium and vice versa
An open staircase (approx. 4 x 1 m) in the rear, right-hand stage area for performances (with railing and handrail)
The orchestra pit (24m²) can be moved up to stage level and can also be lowered to the second basement level (for transportation purposes).
The raised orchestra pit provides an additional playing area of approx. 23 m²
A transport podium can also be moved from stage level via the first basement level to the second basement level (dimensions: 1.3 x 6 x 2 m).
Drawstring floor system with 18 pulls and one pull for the main curtain
There are 6 additional slats for lighting, projector and decorative elements in the auditorium
Connections for sound, lighting and video in the stage area