Building History
The Haus for Mozart was formerly known as the “Kleine Festspielhaus” (Small Festival Hall) and has undergone many alterations since it first opened in 1925. In 1937 the spectator area was rotated 180 degrees which made it necessary to build an addition onto the main stage. In order to make the necessary room the Governor, Franz Rehrl, had his place of birth, the Toscaninihof torn down. In 1939 Benno von Arent redesigned the Festival Hall and replaced the wood panelling with a gold decorated, plaster ceiling. The spectator hall had a length of approx. 55 Meters. The unfavorable viewing and acoustic conditions necessitated another building alteration in 1962/63. The Salzburg Architects, Hans Hofmann and Erich Engels gave the Hall its appearance that it then kept until the 31st of August 2004.

Das Haus für Mozart (Formerly known as the Small Festival Hall)
All 22 of the Operas that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed, starting with his early musical comedies and musical theatre fragments up to and including his world acclaimed Masterpieces, were performed in the year 2006 during the Salzburg Festivals: our gift in commemoration of the 250th birthday of Salzburg’s “favorite son”. The schedule of events for the “Year of Mozart” presented a great challenge, both artistically as well as organizationally. It not only meant engaging the best musical conductors, directors, and vocalists but also to clear up the question: What can be played where?

For many years the Salzburg Festivals have pursued the idea of creating a “Haus fuer Mozart” (House of Mozart) that would do justice in all respects for the Stage works of the Composer: with optimal acoustics and ideal visibility from every seat. Here you should be able to hear even the softest of Pianissimo-Nuances, to see it on the actors’ faces, to be able to follow their expressions. Along with a necessary intimacy, the room must also provide ample seating because Mozart’s music has many friends……

What appeared to be “the square of a circle” was made possible by the Architectural Team of Holzbauer and Valentiny: The former “Kleines Festspielhaus” (Small Festival Hall) was transformed into the “Haus fuer Mozart” in three constructional phases starting in September of 2003 and now meets all the afore-mentioned standards.

The Auditorium
The auditorium of the “Kleine Festspielhaus” was widened, shortened, and lowered. Two new tiers that reach up to the stage on both sides of the hall were added. By doing so the beautiful effect has been achieved that not the bare walls but people in a festive mood surround the stage on three sides. In the future, the “Haus fuer Mozart” will accommodate up to 1,580 people. There is seating for 1,495 and standing room for 85.

The Foyer Area
The Foyer area has also been altered substantially in contrast to the “Kleines Festspielhaus” of the past. High windows that span a number of stories allow a wonderful view from the main Foyer onto the cityscape. By the same token, the brightly lit interior of the Theater casts its light outside at night. The main Foyer is primarily characterized by a gold gilded “Lamellenwand” (A wall with wooden slats) 17 meters high. Through its openings you can view the head of Mozart created out of Swarovski crystals. A terrace located on the front of the hall was never accessible to the public since its construction in 1924. With the new construction it has now become a part of the “Intermission Foyer”. The underlying arcade was glassed-in and now makes it possible to open up the Auditorium from two sides instead of just one, like it has been previously. It also allows you to step out of the “Festspielhaus” into the magnificent urban landscape.

The SalzburgKulisse ( Salzburg Backdrop)
The “SalzburgKulisse“ (Salzburg Backdrop), the new Festival lounge on the roof, is becoming quite an attraction: Just its name alone is an indication of the magnificent view that awaits you as look upon the Old Town and into the Salzach River Valley. The interior walls of the lounge are wainscoted with Pear tree wood and the tapestries in the alcoves stem from Anton Kolig, a contemporary of Anton Faistauer.

The Faistauer – Foyer
The Faistauer-Foyer has become a jewel in this new “House”: The famous frescoes that adorn this room were created by the Salzburg Painter Anton Faistauer in 1926. They were removed during the Nazi invasion and some of them were wantonly destroyed. It was in the year 1956 that they could finally be refitted. They were restored back to their original condition for the Dedication of the “Haus fuer Mozart”. Moreover, the room itself was architecturally restored to its original, historical, state./p>

The Exterior Façade
The exterior façade has retained Holzmeister’s “Ensemble”, from the years of 1924/37, in its original proportions. The optical impression of the façade is determined by the representative hall exits that lead onto the terrace and were designed by the sculptor Josef Zenzmaier: He created large Bronze reliefs that were installed above the portals and portray scenes from Mozart’s “Le nozze di Figaro”, “Don Giovanni, and “The Magic Flute”. The Stone masks of Jakob Adlhart are now well visible in front of the main entrance of the “Haus” underneath the new, far-overhanging, gold leafed, concrete roof. Coarsely spattered concrete surfaces contrast with fine gold leaf throughout the whole house, thereby creating an aesthetic tension.

Toscaninihof (Toscanini Courtyard)
From the backstage area a huge iron door opens up onto the Toscaninihof, Attached to the outside wall, on the right and left-hand sides of the door, are six Concrete reliefs: “Maskenhaltende Genien” (Geniuses holding masks). They were knocked down in1938 but were reconstructed in 1979 by their creator, Jakob Adlhart. An organ was installed above the door on the outside and was played during inclement weather performances of “Jedermann”, prior to the construction of the Grand Festival Hall.

The Kollegienkirche is also known as the University Church and was originally intended to be used for the University’s worship services. The Dedication of the church dates back to 1707. It was built by the most significant Church construction engineer of the city, Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, and its construction lasted more than 70 years. This church was used as an architectural model for the construction of many late baroque churches in central Europe and today it also serves as a venue for many of the performances of the Salzburg Festivals.

The Salzburg “Landestheater” began its history as a building decorated with opulent rococo ornamentations. It was dedicated on the 1st of October 1893 with the performance of Mozart’s Opera “La Clemenza di Tito”. In 1938/39 the face of the building was altered. The ramp and the decorative embellishments had fallen victim to the renovation process, and a much needed main foyer and a so called revolving stage were added. A second renovation process, which took place in 1977/78, brought about additional improvements of the stage equipment and a modern air-conditioning system was installed. The spectator hall encompasses 697 seats and is used for Theatrical as well as Operatic performances.

The Mozarteum was built between 1910 and 1914 in accordance with the blueprints of Munich architect Richard Berndl. The building, stylistically designed with an art nouveau influence, fits perfectly into the historical Salzburg cityscape. The monumental concert hall wing that encompasses an auditorium (Grand Hall) with a seating capacity of 807 is accessed through the Entrance Hall with its Bronze sculpture of “Mozart als Musagetè”. This hall is best suited for concerts with a small or medium sized orchestration.

Salt was processed in the large old industrial hall of this historically registered area until 1989. Through the cultural initiative of the “szene Salzburg” a part of this facility was converted into a venue site that is used on a regular basis by the Salzburg Festivals. The conversion was completed in 1992 and was followed in 1998 by the addition of new, more generous seating as well as an Intermission Foyer. The venue site consists of a room with variable seating for up to 800 visitors. The performance and audience area in the former saline purification hall can be structured in accordance with the scenic concept of the Production that is currently being staged. In order to achieve ideal speech comprehensibility during the performances the room acoustics can be modified accordingly by means of variable wall coverings and ceiling reflectors. The stage equipment is mobile and can be integrated and coordinated as required by a particular “event”. This is also true of the Lighting and Electro-acoustics. The technical installations conform to the standards of the Festival Halls.

Schloss Leopoldskron was built in the years 1736 to 1744 to be used as the family seat of the Lord Archbishop Firmian. After his death, his heart was entombed in the Palace chapel. Laktanz, who was the Nephew of the Archbishop, an art connoisseur, and one of the first promoters of Mozart, resided in Leopoldskron palace for the subsequent forty years. With the start of the 19th Century there was a frequent change of ownership. Among the owners was Ludwig I of Bavaria and the banker, Carl Spaengler. In 1918 Max Reinhardt purchased Schloss Leopoldskron and imbued it with new life. In 1938 Leopoldskron was seized and used as a summer residence and guest house by the German Reich. Since 1947 it is owned by the Salzburg seminary which hosts conventions with political, economical, legal, social, cultural, and scientific agendas that are of global interest.
Schloss Leopoldskron was acquired by Max Reinhardt just prior to the founding of the Festivals, and through him became a creative and artistic Salon of the Festivals – a place of free and inspired encounters and discussions. Starting this summer Schloss Leopoldskron will become an event location for the series “Dichter zu Gast” (The Poet as our Guest) and consequently will opened up again in cooperation with the Festivals for the first time since Reinhardts Emigration.