August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll planned the Vienna State Opera in the Neo-Renaissance style, and it was built from 1861 to 1869. It opened on May 25, 1869, with Mozart's Don Giovanni. Critics found it lacked the grandeur of the nearby Heinrichshof. Van der Nüll died by suicide, and Sicardsburg died of tuberculosis about ten weeks later, so neither saw it finished.
On March 12, 1945, an American bombardment set the building alight. The auditorium and stage were destroyed, but the front section, foyer and staircases survived.
Erich Boltenstern won the competition to rebuild it close to the original with some 1950s modernization, and wood was chosen for acoustics. It reopened on November 5, 1955, with Beethoven's Fidelio under Karl Böhm. It seats 1,709 with 567 standing places, and it hosts the Vienna Opera Ball each year.
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