Altes Theater Steyr

In August 1646, nuns of the order of the "Augustinian Nuns of the Annunciation of Mary," also called "Annuntiaten and Cölestinerinnen," forced to emigrate from Pontarlier in Burgundy due to wartime events, came via Vienna to Steyr, where Empress Eleonora had bought them a spacious house in Berggasse. Ten years later, the order also acquired the neighboring Wolfisches Haus. In 1662, benefactors enabled the conversion of these properties into a monastery building and in 1676 the construction of a church. About fifty years later, in August 1727, the great city fire caused severe damage to these buildings as well. It caused the collapse of the monastery church tower, in which three bells hung, with the vault breaking through to the crypt. The reconstruction of the monastery and church, financed by Abbot Ambros von Garsten and benefactors, was completed as early as 1727. During the time of Emperor Joseph II (1780-1790), the nuns endeavored to educate young women, had a schoolhouse built, and adopted the rule of the Ursulines. Various circumstances, however, led to the dissolution of the monastery on June 1, 1784, "due to insufficient assets." The school building was taken over by the Normalschulfonds, and the church and monastery were bought by the Magistrat of the city of Steyr for the estimated value of 3500 Gulden. In 1789, the church, whose high altar can still be seen today in the parish church of Thanstetten (Schiedlberg), was provisionally equipped for theater performances by installing the stage equipment from the dissolved Garsten monastery. On October 7, the city celebrated the victory of the Austrians at Focsany with a festive performance. The actual conversion into a theater, which Prince Lamberg actively promoted, was only carried out in 1796. The solemn opening took place on the Prince's name day (May 16, 1796) with the performance of the opera "Zigeuner" by Neefe. Subsequently, the temple of the Muses, which could accommodate over 400 people, was leased by the municipality to theater directors and thoroughly restored several times. From 1954, the "old Stadttheater" regularly hosted guest performances by the Linzer Landestheater. The 1956/57 season, for example, offered 58 theater evenings, 36 of which were by the Linz ensemble, with a total of 18,750 visitors. In 1958, the construction of a larger theater in the former industrial hall began, which led to the closure of the building on the Promenade. It was not until the mid-1970s that the quality of the baroque theater space was rediscovered and it was decided to revitalize it. On January 12, 1978, the start signal for the general renovation was given, with the entrance being moved from Berggasse 10 to Promenade 3. The reopening of the old theater took place in autumn 1980. Equipped with 233 seats and 30 standing places in the gallery, the building has since been used and rented by both the cultural administration of the city of Steyr and external organizers. The highlight of its cultural use is the annual Musikfestival Steyr. Raimund Ločičnik Lit.: Altes Theater wieder im Rampenlicht. Amtsblatt der Stadt Steyr: Jg. 23, 1980, Nr. 10. Neuhuber Julia: Das alte Steyrer Stadttheater. Ein Abriss der Steyrer Kulturgeschichte. Dipl. Arbeit, Wien 2004.