Some names won’t change, like the 19th-century Semperdepot. This one-time theater depot is actually the Atelierhaus of the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
- Late 19th-century design
- Unique interior and atmosphere
- Popular public event venue
- Also hosts university facilities
- Find a classical concert* for your Vienna trip
- See also:
Cast-iron uniqueness
(The front façade of the building hides a surprising interior)
The Semperdepot was built 1874-1877 to plans by the architects Gottfried Semper and Carl von Hasenauer. It served as a depot for the stage designs of what was once the court theatre and is now the Burgtheater.
That architect duo left a significant mark on Vienna, being closely involved with such buildings as the Burgtheater itself, the Naturhistorisches and Kunsthistorisches museums, and the Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg.
Hasenauer also designed, for example, the Hermesvilla and the base of the Maria Theresa monument.
(Gottfried Semper photographed by Josef Székely sometime between 1873–1879; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 66392/467; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)
Renovation in the 1990s to plans by architect Carl Pruscha converted the depot to studio and workshop premises for an art university: the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
The main academy building is only a short walk away and hosts regular public exhibitions drawing on its own remarkable collection of art.
As such, the official name for the building in German is actually the Atelierhaus der Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien. However, most people still call it the Semperdepot. Which, frankly, is easier.
(Quite how Gottfried managed to get his name in there and Carl didn’t remains a mystery to me, however.)
(History won’t be denied…the wrought-iron decoration above the entrance portal includes the word Staatstheaterdepot or state theatre depot)
As well as providing facilities for academy staff and students, the Semperdepot also serves as a popular venue for fairs, exhibitions, and performances.
The reason for its popularity as event host is the unique interior architecture.
For example, the main entrance in the renaissance-style façade leads into the Prospekthof: an interior courtyard with walkable open galleries above it on three sides.
Steps then take you up into large spaces dotted with rows of cast-iron pillars.
(The Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien holds an annual fundraising auction in the Prospekthof of the Atelierhaus. The January 2025 event pictured here raised an impressive €170,000 for students in need and for charitable initiatives; press photo © eSeL.at – Joanna Pianka)
The effect is Victorian industrial warehouse or, with suitable lighting, post-apocalyptic dystopian temple (and I mean that positively).
In other words, the architecture creates a rather special atmosphere that adds unique flair to an event. Or to a film production: the Semperdepot features in the movie The Woman in Gold, for example, and in the official video to Robbie Williams’ song Lovelight.
The immediate surrounds also carry an air of creativity about them. The street outside is named for Franz Lehár while the Theater an der Wien opera house (where Beethoven once premiered Fidelio) is just down the road.
And a neighbour happens to be one of Vienna’s more famous traditional coffee houses: Café Sperl appeared about three years after the Semperdepot and has also served as a location for historical dramas.
How to get there
The Semperdepot lies fairly centrally just southwest of the old town.
Subway: the venue sits at the centre of a triangle of nearby stations…Museumsquartier (U2 line), Kettenbrückengasse (U4), and Karlsplatz (U1, U2 and U4).
Address: Lehárgasse 6/8, 1060 Vienna | Website