Last – but only in chronological order – among the buildings on the Ringstrasse, the elegant boulevard surrounding the centre of Vienna, the Austrian National Theatre (Burgtheater in German) is the most important theatre in the German-speaking countries and one of the city’s most famous tourist attractions. Built between 1874 and 1888 according to plans by architects Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer, the current building is the last of the grand palaces on the Ringstraße. The theatre can seat over 1,200 spectators and boasts one of the largest and most technologically advanced stages in Europe, with a 12-metre wide stage portal and a main stage 28.5 metres wide and 23 metres deep. During World War II, on 12 March 1945, the Burgtheater was almost completely destroyed by an air raid and further damaged by fire the following month. Reconstruction, completed between 1953 and 1955, returned the theatre to its original appearance, fortunately preserving Gustav Klimt ‘s extraordinary frescoes that decorate the side staircases, created together with his brother Ernst Klimt and Franz Matsch in 1887.