Die Wiener Schreckensnacht vom 8. December 1881 by L. Adam
"Lord Lister No. 0037: De Diamantenkoningin" by Kurt Matull and Theo von Blankensee is an illustrated commemorative booklet written in the late 19th century. The work centers on the Ringtheater catastrophe in Vienna, depicting the sudden outbreak of fire, the ensuing panic, and the devastating human toll, while weaving in eyewitness accounts, rescue attempts, and the city’s official and public response. The opening of the work sets a calm winter feast day
in Vienna before shifting abruptly to the Ringtheater’s evening crowd and the instant when flames burst from the stage, plunging the house into darkness and chaos. It recounts the frantic flight to exits, perilous rescues via ladders and a rescue cloth, and the fatal crush on stairways—exacerbated by misinformation that the building was already empty and by unlit emergency lamps. Eyewitness testimonies (including theater staff and rescuers) describe the likely ignition on stage, the gas-fueled spread, and the heroic but belated efforts led by officials and firefighters who later uncovered masses of victims. Bodies are carried to the police directorate and hospital, while shocked crowds flood the streets, newspapers race out extra editions, and parliament and the city council respond with calls for safety measures and support for the bereaved. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Adam, L. |
|---|---|
| Title | Die Wiener Schreckensnacht vom 8. December 1881 |
| Alternate Title | Die Wiener Schreckensnacht vom 8. Dezember 1881 |
| Original Publication | Wien: Aux Trois François, 1882. |
| Credits | Richard Illner, Alpo Tiilikka and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images made available by The Austrian National Library) |
| Language | German |
| LoC Class | DB: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia |
| LoC Class | TH: Technology: Building construction |
| Subject | Ringtheater (Vienna, Austria) -- Fire, 1881 |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 77474 |
| Release Date | Dec 16, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 214 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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