Felsenreitschule

During the first half of the 17th century conglomerate rock was quarried here for the building of the cathedral. In 1693, during the reign of Prince-Archbishop Johann Ernst Thun, according to plans by the Baroque master architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, three tiers of 96 arcades were hewn into the walls of the disused quarry so that from here people could watch equestrian displays and animal baiting events.

In 1926, when Max Reinhardt first attempted to use the Felsenreitschule to stage Goldoni’s »Servant of Two Masters« for the Salzburg Festival, the ambience was ideal for the »realistic« character comedy in the style of popular theatre: the action took place on a so-called »Pawlatschenbühne«, a small raised platform, the ground consisted of compressed earth and the audience sat on wooden benches. In 1933 Clemens Holzmeister built a remarkable set for the production of »Faust« in the Felsenreitschule, the »Faust Town« which is still regarded as one of the most impressive transformations of this venue. The first opera production in the Felsenreitschule took place in 1948 when Herbert von Karajan conducted Gluck’s »Orfeo ed Euridice«.

For the first time, the Salzburg Easter Festival 2023 will also perform at the Felsenreitschule. Here, for example, the dance piece »Träume« by Emanuel Gat will be premiered.