City Theater Grein

The City Theater Grein (Stadttheater Grein) is a historic theater and museum located in Grein, a town in the Perg District of Upper Austria. Housed within the old town hall, it holds the distinction of being Austria's oldest surviving civic theater still in its original condition and still hosting regular performances. Founded in 1791, the theater is recognized as a site of European cultural significance and serves as a stop on the European Route of Historic Theaters. Adjacent to the theater, the City Museum Grein presents exhibitions on local and theater history, with both institutions operating under the same roof at Stadtplatz 7.

The theater emerged from the social welfare initiatives of the Enlightenment era. In 1783, Emperor Joseph II established state-run poor relief institutions, and in 1784 imperial decree permitted theatrical performances for charitable benefit. After devastating floods in 1786 increased charitable activity throughout the region, amateur players in Grein began performing municipally. The lack of suitable venues led to temporary use of various spaces, including a former Franciscan church. On 30 November 1790, bookbinder Xaver Dörr proposed converting a municipal granary into a theater to support the poor fund. The proposal gained support from Mayor Johann Baptist Grass, syndicus Karl Aichmayr, and other citizens. Conversion of the 1563 granary began in December 1790, and the Rococo-style theater opened in 1791 with 165 seats. Early years saw intensive use, with daily performances and three shows on Sundays. The theater experienced interruptions but maintained continuous operation. From 1989 to 2012, the biennial Leopold-Wandl-Prize for Austrian dialect poetry and prose was awarded here. Since 1992, the theater has been a performance venue for the Greiner Dilettantengesellschaft. A comprehensive renovation in 2020/21 modernized the facility while preserving its historic character.

The theater and museum complex preserves and presents two interconnected thematic areas: theater history and municipal history. The theater itself functions as a living museum of performance practice, with original architectural and decorative elements intact. The City Museum Grein, reopened on 8 July 2022 after redesign, occupies the first floor adjacent to the theater. Its permanent exhibition uses documents, photographs, and selected historical objects from the municipal collections to illustrate Grein's development from a small Danube settlement to a prosperous burgher town. The museum also serves as a venue for special exhibitions. A separate exhibition space on the mezzanine floor, located in the former prison, houses the costume and prop archive of the Greiner Dilettantengesellschaft, with holdings dating to the late 18th century. Many items in this collection remain in active theatrical use.

The theater preserves numerous authentic features from its 1791 construction and early operation. The original lockable seats (Sperrsitze) remain functional, secured with small keys that allowed seat owners to lock their wooden benches in a vertical position. The original toilet curtain, which provided minimal privacy while permitting continued viewing of the stage, is still displayed. The Napoleon loge represents another notable historic feature. The costume and prop collection of the Greiner Dilettantengesellschaft, stored in the former prison, constitutes one of the oldest such archives in continuous use, with origins in the late 18th century. The museum exhibition includes extensive poster and photograph collections documenting the Grein Summer Festival (1964-2018) and the reestablished Greiner Dilettantengesellschaft.

The theater occupies the former granary (Troadkast'n) of Grein's town hall, constructed in 1562/63 as a council and trading house with an attached grain storage facility necessitated by active Danube commerce. The 1791 conversion into a Rococo theater involved master craftsman including locksmith Klement Treyer, carpenter Joseph Schmidt, and painter Andre Artner, using timber from municipal forests and furniture from the suppressed 1784 Franciscan monastery. The resulting auditorium accommodated 165 persons (later 167), with the theater constructed immediately adjacent to the town hall's original prison cell. Prisoners initially watched performances through a window until noise complaints led to its sealing. The 2020/21 general renovation adapted the building to 21st-century requirements while preserving historic fabric, adding barrier-free access, an elevator, new foyer, theater buffet, and modern lighting technology. The complex now meets Austrian ÖNORM accessibility standards.

The Historic City Theater and City Museum Grein is located at Stadtplatz 7, 4360 Grein, Austria. It is owned and operated by the municipality. The facility opens seasonally from May 1 to September 30, with hours Monday to Wednesday 9:00-12:00 and 15:00-18:00, and Thursday to Saturday 10:00-12:00 and 15:00-18:00; closed Sundays and holidays. Outside regular hours, guided tours are available by appointment. Admission for guided tours is €7.00 for adults, with a flat rate of €80.00 for groups fewer than 12 people; schoolchildren and students pay €4.00. The venue is fully wheelchair accessible. As both a working theater and museum, it continues its dual function as an active performance space and heritage site, with regular performances by the Greiner Dilettantengesellschaft and rotating exhibitions accessible to the public.