Burg Gars, a thousand-year-old Babenberg Castle in the picturesque Kamptal region near Vienna, hosts Oper Burg Gars, Central Europe's largest unamplified opera festival. Founded in 1989, the open-air venue exploits the castle's exceptional natural acoustics, allowing performances by singers and orchestra without electronic amplification across approximately 1,250 seats. Built originally in the 11th century during the Babenberg reign (1075-1095), when Gars briefly served as a capital of ancient Austria, the castle's medieval setting provides an authentic backdrop for summer opera productions directed by Karel Drgáč since 1990.
