Hetzende Hunde, gehetzte Stiere und vorgeführte Bären

The Vienna „Hetztheater“, established in 1755 and closed down in 1796, could be seen as part of an early modern European, commercialised culture of theatre and entertainment, such as fireworks and ballooning in 18th century. In the suburban areas, bulls were baited before slaughter and soon bears and other animals as well. The „Hetztheater“, as part of the city’s wide-ranging theatre scene, was not only a brother of the Globe Theatre in architectural terms, but also proved to be a pacemaker in a growing city for a new leisure culture that transcended the boundaries of status. On the other hand, the Enlightenment increasingly condemned these animal baitings as a „stain on our century and our customs“. The „Hetztheater“ also helped to establish a taxonomy of the animal world and to classify the human-animal relations. Since horses as first-ranking means of transport were not allowed to be rushed around in the baiting arena, the „Hetztheater“ contributed to drawing the dividing lines between wild and tame animals

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  Open Access•E Wright, Elizabeth Cox Wright et al.•Antiquity•2025

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