Crushing on Beautiful Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany

Perhaps you may have heard of Richard Wagner along your travels through Germany, especially if you have visited any of “Mad” King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s castles as he was often the inspiration behind many of the brilliant themes throughout the castles. But perhaps you’ve never heard of Bayreuth, a relatively quaint sized town in northern Bavaria that lovers of German music associate with. But Bayreuth is so much more than just that and owes much of its appeal to the Margravine Wilhelmine who brought sophistication and charm to the town.

Despite being a rather underrated city in Germany, for many lovers of classical German music, Bayreuth is synonymous with Richard Wagner, a famous 19th century composer and theater director, who took up residence here in 1872 until his death in 1883. His early career was quite bumpy but he did not become fully established until his success of his romantic opera performances Tannhäuser and Flying Dutchman in Dresden. “Mad” King Ludwig II of Bavaria became a big fan and his Wagner’s sponsor and incorporated aspects of Wagner’s operas throughout his castles so I could say they had a bit of a bromance.

The town is also renowned for hosting the Bayreuth Festival, where each July and August, Wagner Festivals are held and have consistently sold out since its inauguration in 1876. Supposedly, waiting lists for tickets are known to be booked out 10 years in advance! The Festspielhaus, located a short distance out of the city center, was especially built to promote Wagner’s greatest masterpieces, most notably The Ring of the Nibelung. Originally, Wagner had inspected the magnificent Baroque Opera House but it was inadequate to host his Festspiel for the complex stagings and large orchestras that Wagner’s operas required. Unsatisfied, he set out on a fundraising campaign across Germany and much to his disappointment, was unsuccessful and reluctantly turned to his sponsor, King Ludwig II for the funds. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).