Philipp Maurer
From the Operetta Hall to the Scala Theater
Vienna Wieden was once home to the Johann Strauss Theater, whose eventful history leads through just five decades and from the operetta temple to the Scala Theater. Even Josephine Baker once performed here with her revue. Most recently, the theater became a stage for political plays of left-wing orientation and staged, for example, the controversial Berthold Brecht in Vienna. (Full text)
Isabella Sommer
Zum Schwarzen Bock
“Zum schwarzen Bock” was the name of a popular inn and entertainment venue on Wieden (today: 4th, Margaretenstraße 27). The inn had existed since 1700 and experienced a boom after 1800, as good dance orchestras always performed there; in the 1840s it lost its importance. In April 1820, the innkeeper Josef Weishappel announced that he had taken over the “well-known hall Zum schwarzen Bock on the Wieden, redecorated it and provided it with a parquet floor” and that the dance hall was connected to the guest garden for the convenience of the guests. (German full text)
