Named after the Austrian dramatist Ferdinand Raimund, the theatre was built by an association of Viennese citizens and opened on 28 November 1893 with Raimund's play Die gefesselte Phantasie. The theatre mainly presented German folk dramas and plays.
In 1908 it turned to operetta, with Johann Strauss' The Gypsy Baron. Other premieres included Robert Stolz's Das Glücksmädel and Dreimäderlhaus, set to various pieces of music by Franz Schubert; this was performed more than 1200 times between 1916 and 1927.
As the theatre was spared bombing damage during the war, the theatre re-opened promptly on 25 April 1945 with Dreimäderlhaus. In 1948, Rudolf Marik took over as director for almost 30 years, transforming it into an internationally recognised theatre of the German-speaking world exclusively staging operettas with stars such as Johannes Heesters, Marika Rökk, and others. Many well-known actors started their careers at the Raimund Theatre, including Hansi Niese, Paula Wessely, Attila Hörbiger, and Karl Skraup. After 1976 the theatre was occasionally used for musicals, such as Kurt Weill's Lady in the Dark.
In 1985 the theatre was renovated, re-opening with the gala Seinerzeit; since March 1987 it has formed part of the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien. A Chorus Line was followed by Les Misérables in 1988 and Phantom of the Opera in 1990, which transferred from the Theater an der Wien.
In 1993, on the anniversary of its opening, the German-language version of Kiss of the Spider Woman was premiered. This was followed by the Austrian premiere of Grease in 1994 and the European premiere of Disney's Beauty and the Beast in 1995. Autumn 1997 saw the world premiere of Dance of the Vampires in Roman Polanski's production. After Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and a new production of Hair in September, 2002, Wake Up was premiered, being the first musical by Rainhard Fendrich and Harold Faltermeyer.
On March 11, 2004 Dave Stewart's rock musical Barbarella had its world premiere. This was followed in 2005 by the German-language version of Romeo & Julia, a musical by Gérard Presgurvic based on Shakespeare.
In September 2006, the new musical Rebecca, by Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay, premiered at the theatre.
On January 24, 2008 the musical We Will Rock You featuring the music of Queen opened at the Raimund with its largest ever advance ticket sale of 90,000. Original Queen members Roger Taylor and Brian May joined the cast on stage for the finale.
