Braunschweig

Braunschweig has a theatrical tradition extending back to the ducal opera house opened on the Hagenmarkt in 1690. Spoken drama subsequently gained a regular place alongside opera, and the city hosted the premieres of Lessing's Emilia Galotti in 1772 and a substantially shortened staging of Goethe's Faust I in 1829. The orchestra's roots reach further back, to a ducal court ensemble documented in the late sixteenth century. The present Staatstheater brings together music theatre, drama, dance, productions for young audiences and the Staatsorchester. Its history connects court patronage and public performance with a modern institution working across several artistic disciplines.