Description of the attraction
The festival complex of the city of Salzburg is located at the foot of the Mönchsberg mountain, at a distance of 400 meters from the historic city center and the cathedral.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Palace stables were built on this site, and a little later - the building of the Riding School. In 1917, it was decided to hold theater and opera festivals in Salzburg, so these buildings were rebuilt by the architect Clemens Golzmeister, and the artist Oskar Kokoschka helped him.
The construction itself took only 4 years, and the new festival complex was inaugurated in 1960, and at the ceremony the comic opera-buff "Der Rosenkavalier", written by Richard Strauss at the beginning of the 20th century, was performed. The exterior of this new theater retains many of the old details of the façades of the former stables, as well as the western portal of the Riding School building. The facade itself is decorated with graceful columns and a small balcony on the upper tier of the building. Also worth noting are five massive bronze entrance doors, above which a Latin dictum about the connection of the theater with Divine Providence has been preserved.
The festival complex is partially cut into the depths of the cliff, which frees up more space for the audience. For example, the auditorium of the Bolshoi Theater is designed for 2,100 spectators. Not only stage performances, including opera performances, but also symphony concerts, including those performed on the piano, are held here, however, the acoustics in the hall also allows you to arrange vocal numbers. Also, the main hall of the new festival complex in Salzburg is distinguished by its stage, which is considered one of the widest stages in the world - its dimensions exceed 100 meters.
