The Folk Theater was founded in 1889 on the initiative of the poet Ludwig Ansengruber and the industrialist Felix Fischer as a democratic alternative to the aristocratic Hofburg Theater. The historicist building was built by Fellner & Helmer (architect Ferdinand Fellner Jr. ). Repeatedly rebuilt. On March 12.1944, the dome and foyer of the theater were damaged by Allied bombing. It was restored and reopened on May 10.1945. The National Theater is the second largest stage among Vienna's talking theaters and the third in the German-speaking world.→