4 Best Performing Arts Venues in Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Tirol, and Vorarlberg

The original "kongresshaus" was built by Archduke Leopold V in 1629 as the first freestanding opera house north of the Alps, and in the 19th century it was converted into the Dogana, or customs house. Destroyed during World War II, its remains were used to create this modern congress and events center in 1973. Concerts take place in the modern Saal Tirol.

Between mid-July and late August, the Festival of Early Music highlights music from the 14th to 18th centuries, performed by many of Europe's finest musicians in such dramatic settings as Innsbruck's beautiful Schloss Ambras and the Hofkirche. In summer there are frequent brass-band (musikkapelle) concerts in the Old Town. During the Renaissance and in the Baroque era, Innsbruck was one of Europe's most important centers for music, and this is the oldest existing festival to celebrate such early music.

The world's premiere dance companies have been visiting Innsbruck between the last week in June and mid-July for this international dance festival since 1992. The world-renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Sao Paulo Dance Company, as well as Maracana, Brazil's Grupo Corpo, and Sankai Juku, all feature regularly. Visitors can join in dance workshops, too. Tickets are available through the tourist office or the festival office.

Innsbruck's principal theater is said to be the world's oldest German-speaking theater. It was built in 1654 as the court opera house, but totally renovated in the classical style in 1846 and modernized and extended in the 1960s. Both operas and operettas are presented in the Grosses Haus (main hall), with plays and dance shows in the Kammerspiele (smaller theater). Obtain tickets at the box office or at the city's main tourist office.