Josef Georg Hörl
Encyclopedia
Josef Georg Hörl was a German laywer, served as mayor of Vienna from 1773 to 1804. He is also considered to be the longest serving mayor of Vienna.
Hörl's tenure saw the creation of three theatres - the Theater auf der Wieden
(1787), the Theater in der Josefstadt
(1788), and the Theater an der Wien
(1801). In September 1791 the Theater auf der Wieden
saw the premiere of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
's opera The Magic Flute
. Emanuel Schikaneder
's troupe moved to the Theater an der Wien
when it opened in 1801, and the Theater auf der Wieden was converted into apartments.
Hörl was appointed to the position of Mayor of Vienna in 1773 by Empress Maria Theresia. In 1780 Emperor Joseph II
elevated him to the rank of k.k. Rat (Imperial Advisor) and invited him to participate in his Magistratsreform, which was introduced in 1783 and remained in force until 1850. During this period the municipal administration of Vienna, the Magistrat (with 42 Magistratsräte), was divided into three independent 'Senates', with the mayor as the overall executive leader. The 'Senat in publico-politicis et oeconomicis' was responsible for the municipal administration and finances, the 'Senat in judicialibus criminalibus' oversaw criminal law and the 'Senat in judicialibus civilibus' oversaw civil law. The mayor in person chaired the first of these Senates, the other two were chaired by depute mayors. The Magistratsräte, the depute mayors and the mayor were elected for four years at a time by the Äußerer Rat, a committee of Viennese citizens, and their appointment had to be ratified by the Government. The citizens' committee, originally with 95 members, was for its part elected by the Magistratsräte.
With this reform Joseph II
in effect incorporated the municipal administration into the centralised system of an absolutist state, thereby successfully preventing the citizens of Vienna from attaining political independence.
Hörl's tenure saw the creation of three theatres - the Theater auf der Wieden
Theater auf der Wieden
The Theater auf der Wieden, also called the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden or the Wiednertheater, was a theater located in the then-suburban Wieden district of Vienna in the late 18th century...
(1787), the Theater in der Josefstadt
Theater in der Josefstadt
The Theater in der Josefstadt is a theater in Vienna in the eighth district of Josefstadt. It was founded in 1788 and is the oldest still performing theater in Vienna...
(1788), and the Theater an der Wien
Theater an der Wien
The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district of Vienna. Completed in 1801, it has seen the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music...
(1801). In September 1791 the Theater auf der Wieden
Theater auf der Wieden
The Theater auf der Wieden, also called the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden or the Wiednertheater, was a theater located in the then-suburban Wieden district of Vienna in the late 18th century...
saw the premiere of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's opera The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
. Emanuel Schikaneder
Emanuel Schikaneder
Emanuel Schikaneder , born Johann Joseph Schickeneder, was a German impresario, dramatist, actor, singer and composer. He was the librettist of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute and the builder of the Theater an der Wien...
's troupe moved to the Theater an der Wien
Theater an der Wien
The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district of Vienna. Completed in 1801, it has seen the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music...
when it opened in 1801, and the Theater auf der Wieden was converted into apartments.
Hörl was appointed to the position of Mayor of Vienna in 1773 by Empress Maria Theresia. In 1780 Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
elevated him to the rank of k.k. Rat (Imperial Advisor) and invited him to participate in his Magistratsreform, which was introduced in 1783 and remained in force until 1850. During this period the municipal administration of Vienna, the Magistrat (with 42 Magistratsräte), was divided into three independent 'Senates', with the mayor as the overall executive leader. The 'Senat in publico-politicis et oeconomicis' was responsible for the municipal administration and finances, the 'Senat in judicialibus criminalibus' oversaw criminal law and the 'Senat in judicialibus civilibus' oversaw civil law. The mayor in person chaired the first of these Senates, the other two were chaired by depute mayors. The Magistratsräte, the depute mayors and the mayor were elected for four years at a time by the Äußerer Rat, a committee of Viennese citizens, and their appointment had to be ratified by the Government. The citizens' committee, originally with 95 members, was for its part elected by the Magistratsräte.
With this reform Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
in effect incorporated the municipal administration into the centralised system of an absolutist state, thereby successfully preventing the citizens of Vienna from attaining political independence.
Sources
- Felix Czeike: Wien und seine Bürgermeister. Sieben Jahrhunderte Wiener Stadtgeschichte. Jugend und Volk, Wien u. a. 1974, ISBN 3-8113-6078-7.
- Andreas Pittler: Die Bürgermeister Wiens: die Geschichte der Stadt in Porträts. Ueberreuter, 2003, ISBN 3-8000-3873-0.
- Ferdinand Opll and Peter Csendes (eds), Wien: Von 1790 bis zur Gegenwart, Vienna: Böhlau, 2006, pp. 89–90, ISBN 978-3-205-99268-4.