Musiktheater Linz

Das Musiktheater Linz stands beside the Volksgarten in the city centre, a modern building designed by Terry Pawson and completed in 2013. It is the main stage for opera, operetta and musical productions of the Landestheater Linz. The theatre’s opening gala featured the world première of Philip Glass’s opera *Spuren der Verirrten* after a play by Peter Handke. The building’s long journey began with plans in 1938 when Linz was to become a Nazi showcase. After decades of debate, a citizens’ vote in 2000 halted the first site. A second competition chose the Blumauerplatz, and Pawson’s design was selected in 2006. The final cost reached 186.4 million euros, with the city contributing 36.3 million. Visitors enter a seven-metre-high main foyer that doubles as an interval space. A broad staircase leads up to the café and restaurant, both planned to open all day so the building becomes a daytime meeting place. The Great Hall has 970 seats but can expand to 1,130 by seating the orchestra pit and side areas. Outside, the forecourt bridges the tram tunnel and offers space for performances, while a sloping stair links the theatre with the Volksgarten.