The marionette theater in Salzburg has been enchanting young and old for over 100 years. All our Amadeus Hotels are just a stone’s throw away. Perfect, so you can combine your visit to the city of Mozart with a performance in one of the best theaters of its kind.

Welcome to the famous Salzburg Marionette Theater. Some of the world’s best puppeteers work in the “little” opera house and make the puppets dance there. World-class directors and set designers also breathe life into the performances of the handmade marionettes and let you experience unforgettable theatrical moments in Salzburg.

The puppet theater not only serves as a performance venue, but also offers training for puppeteers and houses its own sound studio and a sophisticated lighting system. Around 160 performances are staged in the miniature opera house each year, plus a further 100 performances on the touring company’s tours.

The Salzburg Marionette Theater looks back on a 100-year history. The theater was first performed at the beginning of the 20th century, with Mozart’s “Bastien and Bastienne” on the program in 1913. Very early on, children’s operas were also included in the theater’s rapidly growing repertoire and it was in the interwar period that the Salzburg Marionette Theater became the artistic center of Salzburg.

After numerous guest appearances abroad and countless successful premieres, the theater closes for a short time in 1944 due to the war. Since reopening, the Salzburg Marionettes have once again written a success story and celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2013.

The program of the Marionette Theatre in Salzburg reads like that of an opera house: plays such as The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland or The Sound of Music are performed as well as children’s classics. The repertoire ranges from Hansel & Gretel to The Little Prince and Rumpelstiltskin. Complete new productions can also be admired on a regular basis, for example the play Pùnkitititi, which was written in collaboration with the Mozarteum.

You have the opportunity to purchase your tickets for the Marionette Theater online before your city trip to Salzburg. You can choose from three categories starting at 30.00 euros (as of 01/2023). Most performances start either at 16:00 or 19:00. The tickets also make excellent gifts. Vouchers for all three categories are available online.

Image credits © SalzburgerLand Tourismus