Venue: Linz State Theatre
Address: Promenade 39, 4020 Linz
Town: Linz, AT

The Linz State Theatre (Landestheater Linz) is a theatre in Linz, Austria. The largest theater in Upper Austria (OÖ), it consists of three venues: the Musiktheater am Volksgarten, the Schauspielhaus (formerly Großes Haus) and the Kammerspiele on the Promenade in Linz. The theater is managed by OÖ. Theater und Orchester, which also operates the Bruckner Orchester Linz and is wholly owned by the province of Upper Austria via the OÖ Landesholding. Touring troupes performed in the Estates Riding School and in the ballroom on the Promenade. In 1751, the Linz master builder Johann Matthias Krinner made a proposal to the estates to erect their own theater building. The actual initiator of the theater was the provincial attorney (deputy governor) Johann Franz Achaz von Stiebar. From 1752 to 1786, the location at Promenade 39, a converted warehouse, was only a temporary solution for the frequent times when the municipal water theater on the Donaulände in the area of today's Zollamtstraße was unusable due to flooding. The Redoutensaal was converted into a theater hall in 1788 and used for performances during the construction of the new theater. Between 1801 and 1803, the Landständisches Theater was added to the Redoutensäle at the foot of the Schlossberg and the façade of the entire building was renovated in the Empire style. Emperor Francis II approved the plan for a new theater building, and on his name day, 4 October 1803, the newly built Landständisches Theater was opened. Initially unheated for cost reasons, the theater had to remain closed during harsh winters. The theater was run by the provincial estates until 1848. As early as 1824, however, this provincial stage was already flourishing in its heyday, although at that time every play had to be submitted to the censors for approval before being performed. Censorship was abolished with the revolution of 1848 and Emperor Ferdinand promised complete freedom from censorship. In the following years, the repertoire included