Wiener Staatsoper, also known as the Vienna State Opera, is one of the most famous operas in the whole world, located in the centre of Vienna, Austria in a place filled with history, since it dates back to the mid 19th century.
Its original name was the Vienna Court Opera (Wiener Hofoper) but due to the changes in the government (The Habsburg Monarchy was replaced by the First Austrian Republic in 1920) the name was changed and this is how the Opera got its current name. An interesting fact is that the members that make the Vienna Philarmonic are chosen from its orchestra.
The building was the first major structure in a very important project that aimed to expand and adorn the city with an impressive architecture. The place began to be shaped in 1861 and it was completed in 1869, the plans of the building being outlined and created by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll, who lived together in the 6. Bezirk.
The style of the opera can be easily classified as part of the Neo –Renaissance architectural design.Although the second World War destroyed the place,it took only a couple of years to rebuild the opera. The building is one of the most famous and busiest opera houses in the whole wide world hosting around 50 to 60 opera per year,this thing being achieved through 200 performances to say the least.
Another impressive thing about this place is that you can listen to different opera being produced each day of a week, for example. Over 1000 people work at the Wiener Staatsoper. Starting with 2008 the budget allocated to the Staatsoper was around 100 million Euros (more than 50% coming in the form of a state subsidy). The repertoire that the opera has to offer comprises more than 50 productions per year and you don`t have to worry about a thing since there is a performance almost every day for ten months of the year.
