Welcome to the town of Richard Wagner

Every summer the Festspielhaus that symbolizes Bayreuth draws the eyes of the world to this Upper Franconian town, but Bayreuth conceals many other cultural highlights, all of which reward a visit. Quite apart from its Wagnerian associations, Bayreuth is also a modern business centre, a
congress centre and a university town. World-famous historical figures
and buildings associated with the margraves of Bayreuth invite visitors to
travel back into the past on a rewarding journey of discovery. Museums
and various other sights document the town's varied cultural heritage and show another aspect of Bayreuth apart from Richard Wagner.

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GREAT COMPOSERS AND POETS

Although Bayreuth is associated above all with Wagner's immortal music
dramas, the town has also been home to other artists no less imaginative and creative. Wagner's father-in-law, Franz Liszt, died in Bayreuth in a
house just next to the Wagner Museum at Wahnfried. The property is
now home to a Liszt Museum that invites visitors to explore the life and
work of a child prodigy who went on to revolutionize the art of piano
writing.

The local writer Jean Paul was famous for his idiosyncratic
novels teeming with elaborate puns and verbal arabesques. His life is
documented by the town's Jean Paul Museum.

MAGNIFICENT RELICS OF BAYREUTH'S PAST AS A ROYAL RESIDENCE

In an age notable for its fairytale gowns and brilliant parties, Bayreuth
was the royal residence of the art-loving, life-loving Margravine
Wilhelmine, who was the daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of
Prussia and the favourite sister of Frederick the Great. It is to her that
Bayreuth owes what is arguably the finest surviving Baroque theatre in
Germany and well as the historic gardens at the Eremitage outside the
town, with their dreamy grottos, fairytale orangery and playful fountains.

CULTURE WHEREVER YOU TURN

During the summer, young musicians from all over the world turn the
town's pedestrian precinct into Bayreuth's largest stage and provide it
with a truly international flavour. In addition to countless musical
highlights, there are also numerous theatres such as the Studiobühne and Brandenburger Kulturstadl performing highbrow works by well-known and as yet undiscovered writers.

ENJOYMENT IN BODY AND SOUL

No less varied than Bayreuth itself is the town's range of culinary
delights. For healthier appetites, there are local specialities such as
Franconian dumplings and crispy roast, while visitors with more refined
palates are well catered for by nouvelle cuisine and international dishes.
The town boasts beer gardens nestling among ancient chestnut trees, snug traditional pubs and modern restaurants offering the most varied culinary choices, all of them providing Festival visitors with gastronomic
pleasures in abundance. Visitors who want to do more than just sample
the art of Franconian brewing and who want to learn more about it are
invited to visit the Brewery Museum in the grounds of the Maisel
Brewery. Visitors will discover all that there is to know about the art of
brewing, including the German purity law and its historical roots.

BREATHE DEEPLY AND RELAX

Numerous leisure activities offer visitors to Bayreuth a chance to relax
and unwind away from the world of Wagner's mystical music dramas.
Relax at the Lohengrin Baths, exercise out of doors on the eighteen-hole
golf course and enjoy nature pure and simple in the Jura Mountains of the region affectionately known as 'Franconian Switzerland'. Whatever you
do, we promise you that your visit to Bayreuth will be unforgettable.

A DYNAMIC UNIVERSITY 

Modern Bayreuth also boasts a university which, like the Festival, enjoys
an outstanding international reputation. With its focus on economics, law
and applied natural science, it is one of Germany's most successful
institutes of higher education. Research projects and interdisciplinary
cooperation with big business ensure that knowledge and technology are
passed on and turned from scientific know-how into practice.

The New Materials Competence Centre and Technology Park likewise
underscore Bayreuth's unique reputation as a centre of scientific
excellence. The facility offers researchers, developers and young people
trying to set up in business the optimal opportunities for a successful
future. At the heart of the Centre's programme of activities are problem
solving and prototypes for materials such as metals, polymers and
ceramics and combinations thereof, always under the premise that their
aim is to improve the efficiency and environmental friendliness of the end
product, notably in car manufacture.

For further information, please visit
www.bayreuth.de