Koskov's Defection Theatre (Volksoper Opera House)

Stats

Volksoper, 78 Währingerstraße, Vienna, Austria

Featured in The Living Daylights (1987)

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Vienna's Volksoper doubles as the Bratislavan opera house in which Bond meets Saunders where he is informed about the defection of General Georgi Koskov. Perching on a balcony in the opposite bookshop, Bond spots sniper Kara Milovy in the centre window, two floors up.

About

Built in 1898, initially as the Kaiser's Jubilee Civic Theatre, it only acted as a venue for spoken drama. However due to debts involved with construction costs, in 1903 it was taken over and renamed the Volksoper (public opera) and expanded its scope to include other opera, operetta, musicals and ballet. The Volksoper continues to be very popular, and has become of the largest venues for operas in Vienna.

Trivia

It is only the exterior shots of the Volksoper that feature in the film. The interior shots are actually of another theatre, the Sofiensaal, which sadly was destroyed in a fire in 2001.

With the Volksoper performing over one hundred different operas and events, there is surely something for everyone to enjoy. If perhaps your German isn't up to scratch, a number of operas do have supertitles so you won't miss out on the event.

The Vienna Card » offers 10% discount on all operas at the Volksoper, plus many more benefits. §