The Winter Riding School as a concert hall

The secret is in the roof

Even before the foundation concert of the Musikverein, which took place here in 1812, it was clear that the Baroque hall of the Winter Riding School has great acoustics.

The reason for this lies in the unique roof construction designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and completed by his son Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach in 1735. As you can see in the above image, the imposing wooden roof is arranged in 3 levels above the hall. Below the actual ceiling a suspended one is mounted on crudely carved wooden posts. This space acts as a resonating chamber and is responsible for the unique acoustics of the Winter Riding School.

The original High Baroque wood construction consists of over 2000 pieces and can be viewed as part of a special tour.