Bayreuth lies in the wide valley of the Roter Main between the Fichtelgebirge and the "Franconian Switzerland". Its Baroque buildings and Roccoco palaces recall its former status as residence of the Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. It now has a university, founded in 1975. It is world-famous as a festival city dedicated to the operas of Wagner.
The Margravial Opera House (1745-48) in Bayreuth has a sumptuous Baroque interior (Franconian Festival).
Address: Bayreuth Opera House, Opernstrasse 14, D-95444 Bayreuth, Germany
Hours:
April 1 to September 30: 9am-6pm
October 1 to March 31: 10am-4pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), New Year's Eve (December 31), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24)
The Festspielhaus (1,800 seats) in Bayreuth was built between 1872 and 1876 to house the Wagner Festival which is held almost every year in July and August.
Address: Bayreuth Festival House, Siegfried-Wagner-Allee, D-95445 Bayreuth, Germany
Tips: Guided tours available at 10am, 10:45am, 2:15 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Musica Bayreuth is an annual 10-day festival that takes place in early May and brings together dozens of European performances for a series of nightly performances. The repertoire includes both instrumental and choral music and ranges from baroque to 20th century compositions. The venues for the festival also vary, and include the Margave Opera House, the Stadtkirche, City Hall, the Parish House and the Hospital Church.
Address: Musica Bayreuth, Ludwigstrasse 26, D-95444 Bayreuth, Germany
The Neues Schloss (1753-59) in Bayreuth houses the residential apartments of the Margraves, several museums (including the State Picture Gallery, the Municipal Museum and the "Klingendes Museum") and a Wagner Memorial Room.
Hofgarten
The Hofgarten in the Bayreuth New Palace grounds are home to the Museum of Freemasonry and the Zoo.
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24), New Year's Eve (December 31), Mardi Gras - Shrove Tuesday - Christian
The 17th C. Altes Schloss in Bayreuth burned down in 1945 and was subsequently rebuilt. In the former palace church (1753-54; Protestant) is the tomb of Margrave Frederick and his wife Wilhelmine.
Hours:
April 1 to September 30: 9am-6pm
October 1 to October 15: 10am-4pm
Tips: There are tours (in German) every 45 minutes.
Wagner's Haus Wahnfried (1873) in Bayreuth is now a museum. Behind the house can be seen the tomb of Wagner and his wife Cosima, who was the daughter of Franz Liszt, the Hungarian composer (Grabstätte Richard Wagners).
Address: Wagner Museum, Haus Wahnfried Richard-Wagner-Strasse 48, D-95444 Bayreuth, Germany
The annual Weekend for New Music festival takes place in Bayreuth during late June and packs in about eight concerts in three days. The festival focuses on 20th-C. chamber music, including choral and chamber works. The performances take place in the Steingraeber House, the Schlosskirche and Redeemer's Church.
Address: Wochenende für Neue Musik, Pianohaus Steingraeber Friedrichstrasse 2, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
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