The Lucerne Theatre, still called the Stadttheater by locals, stands near the southern end of the Chapel Bridge opposite the Jesuit Church. Construction was led by Louis Pfyffer von Wyher, and the theatre opened in autumn 1839 with Schiller's William Tell. A roof fire on 29 September 1924 destroyed the upper floor and much of the costume and scenery stock; performances resumed in 1926. Since 1995 it has been run by a foundation of the canton, city and surrounding municipalities, and it is regarded as the oldest multi-genre theatre still in use in Switzerland. It has ensembles for opera, drama and dance (TanzLuzern) and a puppet theatre, and works with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra for opera. The main stage seats 481. Voters rejected a credit for a new theatre on 9 February 2025.
The Lucerne Theatre at Theaterplatz opened in 1839 as the oldest continuously operated theatre in German-speaking Switzerland — the spectacular location on Lake Lucerne with views of the Pilatus massif is unique.
At a glance
- Type
- Multi-genre theatre
- Location
- Luzern, Switzerland
More venues in Switzerland
- Grand Théâtre de Genève · Opera house, Genf
- Opernhaus Biel · Opera house, Biel
- Opernhaus Zürich · Opera house, Zurich
- Schauspielhaus Zürich · Theatre, Zurich
- Stadttheater Bern · Multi-genre theatre, Bern
- Theater Basel · Multi-genre theatre, Basel
- Theater St. Gallen · Multi-genre theatre, St. Gallen
- Theater Winterthur · Multi-genre theatre, Winterthur