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Home , Bayreuth Festspielhaus, Hans von Wolzogen, Heinrich Porges, Katharina Wagner, Leubald, Ludwig Geyer

today 1883

1872

Richard conducts Beethovens ninth Synphonie on 22 May The Festival Theatre 1876 (G. Bechstein) The funeral procession with Wagner‘s casket, 18.2.1883 World Heritage House Festspielhaus on the Green Hill Arrival at the Station Richard-Wagner-Stops in Tourist-Information

Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser was performed here already in 1860, in the Nowhere else in the world is there an built specifically for the When Wagner and his family moved to Bayreuth in 1872, they arrived at Festspielhaus Museum Tourist-Information presence of King Maximilian II of . And in 1870, when Wagner was works of just one composer. This was a dream that Richard Wagner had to the old railway station. In 1876, the year of the first Festspiele, the second Villa Trustees: & Bayreuth Shop still living in the Villa in and was on the lookout for a fight for. In those days copyright was still in its infancy and many theatres laid railway line connecting Bayreuth to Nuremberg and the new station were Festival House Richard-Wagner-Stiftung Bayreuth Opernstrasse 22 / 95444 Bayreuth venue for his Festspiele, the conductor recommended it to him on performances with almost no rehearsals at all and singers who were not still under construction. They finally opened in 1879, and Cosima noted in Grüner Hügel Director: Dr. Sven Friedrich Tel. +49-(0)921-885 88 on account of its unusually large stage. But when Richard and Cosima visited particularly good at singing, let alone acting. Musicians were paid servants’ her diary entry for 23 September: “Drank beer at the new station, which R. Green Hill The Villa Wahnfried is currently being Mail: [email protected] Bayreuth’s in 1871, they saw instantly that its late wages and since there was no social safety net were constantly in fear of losing is very pleased with. An impressive entrance to the town with a glimpse of renovated, enlarged and restored www.bayreuth-tourismus.de Baroque ceiling painting of Apollo and the Muses was scarcely the right frame their livelihood. Wagner’s music dramas were therefore regarded as virtually the theatre.” Festpielhaus – and hence closed. The grave in the Mon.-Fri. 9 am-7 pm, Sat. 9 am-6 pm to stage the Ring des Nibelungen (Ring of the Nibelung). But the legacy of unplayable for most opera houses in those days. Performances were often garden can still be accessed (via the May-Oct., incl. Sun. 10 am-2 pm The difficulty of getting to Bayreuth (which is still a problem today) did not Bahnhof/ Station Margravine Wilhelmine, the beloved sister of and a multi- amateurish – at least when measured against the master’s own professionalism 1,5 km Hofgarten). talented woman of great spirit who oversaw its building, proved such an and avant-garde perfectionism. hinder the steady stream of illustrious guests. Kaiser Wilhelm I and King Tours of the Town 2013 (incl. a view Ludwig II of Bavaria both travelled to Bayreuth for the 1876 Ring cycle by 20 minutes‘ walk The House next door covers from the tower of the Stadtkirche) Richard Wagner Richard in Bayreuth attraction and the town of Bayreuth delighted them so much that the Wagners Bus 305 from the decided to enter into negotiations for land on which to erect a Festspielhaus. The Festspielhaus, a brainchild of the ex-revolutionary Wagner who wanted special train and were themselves a spectacle for a large crowd of onlookers. the museum offices and the National Following in Wagner’s Footsteps it to have a mysteriously concealed orchestra pit, fantastic acoustics and an Distinguished guests were all named by name in the public guest lists. It station & ZOH Archive & Research Centre of the May-Oct. daily 2 pm (approx. 2 h) The laying of the foundation stone of the new Festspielhaus on 22 May auditorium modelled on a Greek amphitheatre where nearly 2000 people took a while before the town was able to accommodate this sudden influx. Richard-Wagner-Stiftung. Historical Bayreuth 1872 was celebrated in the Margravial Opera House with speeches and could sit and focus intently on what was happening on stage, was built in May-Oct. daily at 10.30 am, But it was at this station that visitors from afar were welcomed and took their Infopoint bau. schau. stelle a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony conducted by Wagner 1872–1876 by Otto Brückwald according to plans drawn up by Gottfried Nov.-April Sat. 10.30 am leave. It was here (or on the Neuenmarkt) that the Wagners met Richard-Wagner-Str. 48 himself, ending with a rousing rendition of Schiller’s Ode to Joy. Hundreds Semper. From the outside, however, it looks more like a factory than an opera Information, Meeting Point, Tickets: of musicians and singers who shared Wagner’s utopian dream and who had house. The first Festspiele planned for 1873 had to be postponed several on his arrival from Budapest, Rome or . It was from here that they Tel. +49-(0)921-75728-16 Tourist Information flocked to Bayreuth from Berlin, and other cities filled the stage on times until, in the summer of 1876, sufficient funding from the various set off – often in the middle of the night – for Berlin, , London or Thurs.-Sat. 11 am-3 pm, from 1 March which Cosima and all 5 children were likewise seated. The opera house was Wagner societies, patrons, donors, concert revenues, royal lines of credit and . It was here that they boarded their very own saloon car for the trip to Daily from 10 am-4 pm Tours of the Festspielhaus as full as in the days when the margravine court had gone there to delight in a the virtually unpaid collaboration of numerous performers and musicians had Italy, making the journey for last time after the Festspiele of 1882. Mail: [email protected] Tours may be restricted when ballet, an opera or a comedy. been secured. www.wagnermuseum.de rehearsals are in progress. And it was here, on 17 February 1883, that the train conveying the grieving For dates and times, see widow, the children, friends of the family, representatives of the king and Franz Liszt Museum On 22 May 1873, again Richard’s birthday, Cosima wrote in her diary: “Went Emperors, kings, princes and plutocrats – they all made the pilgrimage to www.bayreuth-tourismus.de to the opera house, it was packed and looked very elegant … and then surprise an artist who held up to them an archetypal, revolutionary, utopian mirror the casket bearing Wagner’s remains arrived, having made the journey to Trustees: City of Bayreuth Group tours on request. Bayreuth from Venice via . Still more mourners poured in with each Hauptbahnhof Director: followed on surprise … he had no inkling of any of it, our secret was a complete clad in mythic garb: at the first Festspiele of 1876 it was theRing tetralogy’s Dr. Sven Friedrich new train to arrive. When the funeral cortege left the station and snaked Agentur Main station Wahnfriedstrasse 9 / Lisztstrasse Rooftop Terrace of the Rathaus success. After the performance we gathered at the Anker.” account of the downfall of the “Germans” (gods, mortals, dwarves, giants für Arbeit Another entry in the diary reads as follows: “In the evening went to an amateur and epic heroes) brought about by their pursuit of money and power and through the town, past the opera house, to the Villa Wahnfried, the streets Tel. +49-(0)921-516 64 88 Luitpoldplatz 13, 95444 Bayreuth performance at the lovely opera house with R. and the two older children. The the triumph of “cognitive love” (represented by Brünnhilde), while at the draped with black flags were lined with some 20 thousand people – some of Rathaus www.franz-liszt-museum.bayreuth.de May-Oct. Mon.-Thurs. 10 am-4 pm them from Bayreuth, but many from much further afield. July-Aug. 10 am-5 pm Fri. 10 am-3 pm performance was not bad at all” (26 March 1873). second Festspiele of 1882 it was ’s ancient Christian message of the Dachterrasse redeeming power of suffering and empathy. Town hall Sept.-June 10 am-12 pm, 2-5 pm The opera house, one of the finest in Europe, was at last reawakened from its “I was the first to recognize the artist the whole world is now mourning; Rooftop terrace Station – Opera House Photos and other visuals kindly I was the one who rescued him for posterity,” slumbers in 2012, when it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Yet the deficit that Wagner had to bear in 1876 was huge, the gulf between 0,5 km provided by the National Archive of was dictum after the train’s in-between stop in Munich. Bus Nos. 302 or 307 to “Wahnfried” ECKERSDORF ambition and reality wider than ever, and the message of the rapturous music King Ludwig II’s 10 minutes‘ walk the Richard-Wagner-Stiftung. Neues barely understood. Without Cosima, who as general manager and director Rathaus MATZENBERGMargravine Wilhelmine of Bayreuth had the Margravial Opera after Wagner’s death staged productions of all his other works, too, and over a Impressum House built in 1746–48/50. Owing to extensive restoration period of 23 years established a tradition that her son Siegfried could build on Editor : Nicolaus Richter, Kulturbeauftragter for in 1906/08 and after him his widow in 1930, the Festspiele would Tourist- music & theatre, City of Bayreuth FANTAISIE work, there are unlikely to be any tours of the theatre before 2017. Winifred not have the unparalleled status it enjoys today. Information Text & compilation : Dr. Karla Fohrbeck, assistance by An exhibition on the history of the building, its UNESCO World Wagner’s grandsons Wieland and Wolfgang rescued the tradition and shared Prof. Dr. Udo Bermbach Heritage status and the restoration work now in progress is set to the management of the Festspiele from 1951 until Wieland’s death in 1966. Translation : [email protected] O As directors, moreover, they ushered in a more modern approach to Wagner. Markgräflichesberfranken- open there in May 2013. halle Agency : KulturPartner. www.wagnerstadt.de Post Info: [email protected], www.bayreuth-wilhelmine.de , until 2008, invited many an avant-garde director to stage Opernhaus Design : www.feuerpfeil.de www.bayreuther-festspiele.de Stein- Margravial Schlösser- und Gartenverwaltung Bayreuth-Eremitage productions at the Festspiele. Still in family hands, the Festspiele is now run graeber Printing : Ellwanger Bayreuth by the 2 great-granddaughters and Eva Wagner-Pasquier. www.wagnermuseum.de Opera House EREMITAGE Ludwigstr. 21 (New Palace), 95444 Bayreuth, +49-(0)921/75 969-0 Cover : Postcard by Bernd-Mayer-Stiftung 1883 ROLL- WENZELEI

1881 1835 1840/42 1867 1871 1883 Recommended Reading Wagner & the People of Bayreuth Richard Wagner & Bayreuth Richard Wagner ...... Life & Works „Weg Meyernberg“ Dining à la Wagner

Some of the restaurants and hotels in and around Bayreuth that were there Only Jesus Christ and have been the subject of more books than In the daily newspaper (Bayreuther Tagblatt) Wagner publishes his thanks to “The Festspielhaus is Bayreuth’s most famous landmark.” “Where would 1813–1832 Childhood and Youth 1860–1864 Homelessness in Wagner’s day are still in business today. Writing in her diary on 19 July Richard Wagner, it is said; apparently not even Goethe or Shakespeare can “the dear City of Bayreuth and all its residents ..., the countless families ..., Bayreuth be without Richard Wagner?” This is how Bayreuth seeks to promote 1813 Born in Leipzig on 22 May, ninth child. Death of father, Friedrich Wagner. 1860 Partial amnesty. Wagner is allowed to return to , but not to Saxony. 1878, for example, Cosima describes how “Went to the Eremitage with our compete. The works listed here are thus no more than an introduction to the honoured members of the Wagner Society …, the strong Gymnastics Corps, itself today. – “…How this great master has been a true blessing to our city 1814 Mother Johanna Rosine marries . Moves to Dresden. 1861 Tannhäuser scandal in Paris. for Meistersinger. Travel. Tristan in friends … there was a table decked with flowers set for us in the bower by the subject. Many standard works such as Cosima’s diaries or Wagner’s the most excellent military musicians ..., its convivial clubs and societies …, and how it is him we have to thank when the name of Bayreuth is spoken with 1821 Death of the step-father. 1822 Pupil at the Kreuzschule in Dresden. Vienna abandoned despite numerous rehearsals. the lawn … we were glad to be able to dine there rather than in the garden.” autobiography (My Life) are out of print. the authorities …”for their help with the festivities in May 1872 at the laying of reverance by educated people all over the world…” boasted Theodor Muncker, 1827–30 Confirmation. Moves to Leipzig. Attends the Nicolaischule. Writes 1862 Biebrich. Works on Meistersinger. Final separation from Minna. And the entry for 28 June 1879 reads as follows: “Around 7 o’clock went to the foundation stone. The event had been a windfall not just for local eateries, mayor of Bayreuth, in his funeral speech on 18 February 1883. a tragedy und Adelaide. First (clandestine) attempts at composition; 1863 Concert tour up to Moscow. New home in Penzing near Vienna. Debts. the Bürgerreuth and there supped by moonlight.” Udo Bermbach, Richard Wagner in Deutschland. Rezeption und but also for Bayreuth’s very own Wagner Society whose membership rose from lessons in harmony with C. G. Müller. Chorister at the Thomasschule. 1864 Flees debtors. Wagner “is finished.” 40 years later, that reverence was tarnished by Bayreuth’s close ties to Yet Verfälschungen, Stuttgart 2011 120 to 270 that spring alone. Hitler. 1831/32 Student. Gambling and brawling. Counterpoint lessons with Thomas The atmosphere of days gone by still is present in all these places – and responsibility for Wagner’s image does not lie with Bayreuth alone; rather it is 1864–1872 The Turning Point: Ludwig II and Cosima Udo Bermbach, Mythos Wagner, Berlin 2013 Cantor Chr. Theodor Weinlig. First concert overture is performed. in the Franconian cuisine that is served there. So those who, during “The ground we built on,” said Wagner a year later at the roofing ceremony of shared by the state of Bavaria and by the Federal Republic of Germany as a whole. 1864 On becoming king, the young Ludwig II tries to find Wagner. Life- Dieter Borchmeyer, Das Theater Richard Wagners, Stuttgart 2013 the Festspiele, fancy dining alongside musicians and singers as well as the Festspielhaus on 2 August 1873, “is the confidence invested in me by the 1833­–1842 Years of Travel, Debt and Hunger changing audience with the king on 4 May. Ludwig II guarantees Wagner Dieter Borchmeyer, Richard Wagner. Werk ­– Leben – Zeit, Ditzingen 2013 “natives” or “visitors” – depending on your perspective –would do well to people of Bayreuth.” Bayreuth at any rate owes its unique status to the courage of those far-sighted 1833 With brother Albert in Würzburg. Choirmaster. (The Fairies) a living. Moves to new home at Haus Pellet on Lake Starnberg. Is visited by Daniel Brandenburg et al. (ed.), Das Wagner-Lexikon, Laaber 2012 . make a note of the following addresses: men who in 1871 supported the similarly far-sighted town council in its efforts 1834 Music director in Lauchstädt, Rudolstadt and . Meets the Cosima and later by Hans von Bülow. In the autumn takes up residence in Sven Friedrich, Richard Wagners Opern. Ein musikalischer Werkfuhrer, Wagner became a member of the Historical Circle of Local Honorary Citizens. to induce the composer to settle there and who not only welcomed him in actress and finishes his first opera Munich (Brienner Strasse 21). Premiere of Munich 2012 Die Feen. Fliegender Holländer. Bürgerreuth / Hotel & Italian Ristorante / Rinaldo & Stephanie Minuzzi His veneration as a local hero led to his being serenaded by amateur choral their midst on his first visit but thereafter supported him in the realization 1835 Passes through Bayreuth en route to Nuremberg. Engagement to Minna. 1865 Birth of daughter Isolde. Premiere of in Munich (conducted by Martin Geck, Wagner. Biographie, Berlin 2012 Tristan Country inn since 1839 on the Green Hill above the Festspielhaus with a societies, orchestras and marching bands whenever an opportunity presented of his dream of a national theatre for performances of his works. Bayreuth in 1836 Premiere of (The Love Ban) in Magdeburg, marriage to Hans von Bülow). The Munich court and press rebel against Wagner’s adulterous Martin Gregor-Dellin, Richard Wagner, sein Leben, sein Werk, sein garden full of linden trees / An der Bürgerreuth 20, 95445 Bayreuth itself. Wagner recruited 25 Nibelungs from the local Gymnastics Corps for the those days had a population of just 18 thousand. The friendships that Wagner Minna Planer (who passes off her illegitimate daughter Nathalie as her sister). relationship with Cosima von Bülow and royal privileges. Wagner flees to Geneva. Jahrhundert, Munich 2013 (new ed.) Tel. +49-(0)921-78 40-0 / www.buergerreuth.de Ring cycle performed at the first Festspiele in 1876. They were trained by the forged with the mayor Theodor Muncker and the bankers Friedrich Feustel and 1837 Music director in Königsberg and . Growing mountain of debts. 1866 Minna dies in Dresden. Wagner moves to the Villa Tribschen near Thomas S. Grey (ed.): Cambridge Compendium to Wagner, 2008 ballet master Richard Fricke and their adventures behind the scenes were widely Adolf von Gross, who both became members of the hastily convened board of 1838 Begins work on . Works on Eule / Restaurant (à la Wagner) / Harald Kaiser Thomas S. Grey (ed.): Wagner and his World, London 2009 . Meistersinger. circulated in witty anecdotes and caricatures. During the Festspiele, countless directors, proved stable through thick and thin. 1839 Flees with Minna and their dog Robber. Storm on the Skagerrak 1867 Birth of daughter Eva. Finishes Cosima with Beer tavern estab. 1838; later a popular location for artists , oder Hitlers Bayreuth, Munich 2002 Meistersinger von Nürnberg. families vacated their living rooms and bedrooms to accommodate paying (inspiration for the [Flying Dutchman]). London. Paris. her children is a regular visitor to Tribschen. Kirchgasse 8, 95444 Bayreuth (town centre) / Tel. +49-(0)921-95 80 27 95 , Leben mit Wagner, Frankfurt a. M. 2013 In a resolution passed on 7 November 1871, the municipal authorities were Fliegende Holländer guests, some of whom complained about the exorbitant prices being charged. 1840–1842 Lives in poverty in Paris. No success in the French capital. Finishes 1868 Premiere of in Munich. Cosima finally moves to Tribschen www.eule-bayreuth.de / Tu.-Sat. 6-10 pm, Wed.-Sun. 11 am-2 pm Eckehart Kiem (ed.), Richard Wagner und seine Zeit, Laaber 2003 empowered to purchase land for the new Festspielhaus. The negotiations for Meistersinger work on and the (in Meudon). Returns to Dresden. together with the 2 von Bülow daughters and begins her Marcus Kiesel (ed): The Richard Wagner Festival Theatre Bayreuth / Not that Bayreuth was without poverty. The Wagners had dealings not just plots at the end of the Hofgarten and on the Stuckberg in St. Georgen had Rienzi Fliegende Holländer diaries. Goldener Anker / Eva Graf 1869 Resumes work on the Ring (Siegfried). Premiere of Rheingold attended by Das Richard Wagner Festspielhaus Bayreuth, Düsseldorf 2012 with other notables, craftsmen, guests and neighbours; they also sought to come to nothing when, on 8 January 1872, an excited Cosima – still at the Villa 1842–1849 Hofkapellmeister and Revolution in Dresden Traditional hotel, estab. 1753, next to the Margravial Opera House ameliorate others’ distress wherever they could. As Wagner himself once – penned the following entry in her diary: “All of a sudden good news Ludwig II in Munich. visits them in Tribschen. Son Siegfried Laurenz Lutteken (ed.), Wagner Handbuch, Kassel 2012 Tribschen 1842 Premiere of Rienzi in Dresden. Hotel, Restaurant & Bistro / Opernstr. 6, 95444 Bayreuth quipped: “A doctor here will never prescribe a bath or ban a beer since he has from Feustel the banker and the mayor of Bayreuth! … They’re offering us a is born. Siegfried-Idyll. Hans Mayer, Wagner, Frankfurt a. M. 1998 1843 Premiere Fliegender Holländer. Kapellmeister of the Royal Court of Saxony. Tel. +49-(0)921- 78 77 74 0 / www.anker-bayreuth.de no knowledge of the former and is all too fond of the latter”– or so Cosima different plot for the theatre which is even better than the one selected before 1870 Walküre premieres in Munich. Cosima obtains a divorce and she and Wagner Barry Millington: Richard Wagner. London 2012 1845 Premiere of Tannhäuser. Marienbad. Prose sketch of Meistersinger. quotes him in her diary entry for 2 October 1879. and we’ve already found a place [the Hotel Fantaisie] for the summer.” They marry in Lucerne on 25 August. Bayreuth chosen for the planned Festspiele. Weihenstephan / Restaurant / Ramon Lehnbeuter Barry Millington, The Sorcerer of Bayreuth: Richard Wagner, his Work 1848 Finishes (which Franz Liszt premieres in Weimar in 1850). very nearly left again without concluding a deal, but Cosima was good at liaising 1871/72 Visits to Bayreuth and decides to move there permanently. Traditional haunt of artists since 1908 / Franconian cuisine and his World, OUP 2012 Some of Wagner’s friends decided to make Bayreuth their home. Among them 1849 May Revolt. Wagner is on the list of revolutionaries sought by the police. Terrace in front of the building / and was able to persuade Richard of the advantages of the Green Hill. www.restaurant-weihenstephan.de Anton Seljak, Richard Wagner und das Judentum, Books on Demand 2012 were the conductor Hans Richter (at the former Tabulatur or courthouse that is Flees via Weimar to and Paris (without Minna and with Liszt’s support). 1872–1883 Bayreuth “where my delusions found peace” Bahnhofstr. 5, 95444 Bayreuth / Tel. +49-(0)921-8 22 88 / open daily Bernhard Shaw, , Dover 2010 now the site of the town hall car park), the choirmaster Julius Kniese (at Cosima- In his autobiography Mein Leben, Wagner recalled his very first visit to 1872/73 Moves to Bayreuth. Lives first at the Hotel Fantaisie and on Nicholas Vazsonyi (ed.): The Cambridge Wagner Encyclopedia, 2013 1850–1859 In Exile in Switzerland Dammallee. Work commences on the building of the Festspielhaus and Villa Hotel Fantaisie / Restaurant & café/ Fam. Ulrich Herath Wagner-Strasse 6), the publisher of the Bayreuther Bayreuth in the summer of 1835, when he was travelling by stagecoach from 1850 Zurich. Paris. Bordeaux. Abortive plan to flee with Jessie Laussot. Minna Egon Voss, Richard Wagner, Munich 2012 Wahnfried. Works on Götterdämmerung. Financial woes. Next to the Schlosspark Fantaisie (Fantaisie Palace & Park) Blätter (then on Lisztstrasse 2, now the entrance to the Hofgarten) or the racist to Nuremberg. He must have seen the Baroque town centre even then, comes to Zurich. , Wagner-Theater, Berlin 1999 ideologue (at Wahnfriedstrasse 1). and in 1864 read the by , Bayreuth’s most famous poet. 1874 Moves into the Villa Wahnfried. Theatre project is in jeopardy; Ludwig II The original room where Wagner stayed in 1872 has been preserved. Houston Stewart Chamberlain Siebenkäs Jean Paul 1852 Completes libretto for the Ring. Conducts in Zurich. Growing circle of friends. Peter Wapnewski, , Munich 2012 When looking for a place to house his life’s work in late 1870 – knowing that it comes to the rescue with loans. Finishes Götterdämmerung. Concert tours. Bamberger Str. 5, 95448 Eckersdorf / Tel. +49-(0)921-75 86 448-0 1854 Finishes Rheingold. Concept for Tristan. These days, Wagner plays almost no role at all in civic life outside the would have to be within the domain of his patron, – 1875 Rehearsals for the Ring. Closed on Mondays / www.fantaisie.de (5 miles from Bayreuth) The Libretti of the individual music dramas are available from either Reclam King Ludwig II of Bavaria 1856 Finishes Walküre. Begins composition of Siegfried. Festspiele. The Siemens Festspielnacht with its big screen broadcasts live from he chanced to read about the Margravial Opera House of Bayreuth, famed for 1876 First Bayreuth Festspiele. Three Ring cycles. Huge deficit. Venice. or Schott-Verlag. 1857 First prose sketch for Parsifal. Otto & offer the Asyl Eremitage / Hotel & Schlossgaststätte / Fam. Jöckel, Michael Waigel the Festspiele has at least enabled tens of thousands of open-air spectactors the size of its stage. Although the opera house proved incompatible with his 1877–1882 Conducting engagements in London. Work on Parsifal. Ludwig II in Zurich. Works on . Composes the . Beer Gardens & Terrace in the Schlosspark Eremitage / Café Orangerie Brief guides to Bayreuth (including a city map): to overcome their inhibitions and get their first taste of Wagner. And perhaps plans, the decision in favour of Bayreuth was made on his very first visit there covers deficit by providing additional loans. Annual trips to Italy. Wagner’s 1858 Minna is jealous, the Asyl has to be given up. Venice. Works on Tristan. April-Oct. open from 11 am-8.30 pm / www.eremitage-bayreuth.de Sylvia Habermann, Elmar Hahn: A day in ... Bayreuth. Veitshöchheim 2013 the wide range of events to mark the Wagner Bicentenary in 2013 will further with Cosima on 1 February 1871. A year later, the site of the new Festspielhaus now performed all over Europe and America. Bayreuther Blätter launched in 1878. 1859 Venice. Lucerne. Finishes work on Tristan. Paris. Minna follows him. Eremitage 6 (in the park), 95448 Bayreuth / Tel. +49-(0)921-79 99 70 Bernd Mayer, Gert Rückel: Tours on Foot. Bayreuth. 2009 popularize his music. What is certainly true, not just this year but every year, and of the Villa Wahnfried had been chosen. On 1 December 1872 Wagner 1882 Second Bayreuth Festspiele. Premiere of Parsifal as sacred festival drama. is that Wagner himself, the Wagner clan and the Festspielhaus are almost as Michael Schmälzle: Bayreuth (english, french, german). Gudenberg 2012 became a citizen of the City of Bayreuth . * This biography is an outline only, since space does not allow mention of all his Spends winter in Venice with the whole family, Franz Liszt and friends. important to the people of Bayreuth as the royal family is to the British. writings, friendships and liaisons. 1883 Dies in Venice on 13 February. Is buried in the park of the Villa Wahnfried.

1811 - 1886

1845 - 1886 1882 Hotel Fantaisie in Eckersdorf Richard-Wagner-Straße 48 The hall of Wahnfried © Raissa Venables, 2010 The salon, painting by Susanne Schinkel The Grave of Richard & Wahnfriedstraße 9 / Lisztstraße Chamberlain-Haus, Wahnfriedstraße 1 Hitler‘s concept for a remodelled Festspielhaus 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 Hotel Fantaisie King Ludwig II Villa Wahnfried ...... Museum since 1976 The Family The Guests The Pets The Grave Franz Liszt Franz Liszt Museum Wagner and the Jews Bayreuth Delusion The first 6 months in Bayreuth was a Guardian Angel ... Parsifal ... Celestial Wagner was now 59 and had never had 3 marble plaques adorn the façade: “When I think that after thirty years “Guests came and guests went,” Richard Wagner loved dogs – as did On 14 March 1873 – the Villa Wahnfried Franz Liszt, the composer, conductor Franz Liszt, Cosima’s father, passed The last judgment begins here on The anti-Semitism and ethnocentric, happy time for the 7-member Wagner Friend ... Beloved ... My King ... a house of his own. After purchasing “Here where my delusions found peace of sterility I should all at once be the libretto of Walküre tells us. two other famous scions of Bayreuth, was still under construction – Richard and pianist of Europe-wide fame, away here in this house, next door earth. If every basely motivated nationalist ideology propagated by family, their dog Russ and nanny. The flowery salutations in Wagner’s letters the Miedelsgrund, a property neigh- / Let this house be named Wahnfried,” surrounded by 5 children!”. The Villa Wahnfried was a hospitable the poet Jean Paul and Margravine showed Cosima “the place where he became a loyal and generous friend to the Villa Wahnfried, on 31 July utterance of ours were recorded for Villa Wahnfried, the Bayreuther banker Friedrich Feustel had reserved to King Ludwig II of Bavaria. bouring the Hofgarten, on 2 February - the name Wagner inscribed in golden These words, according to Cosima’s place. “Lunch with …” is a very Wilhelmine, the beloved sister of wishes our grave to be, where we alone of the young Richard Wagner; 1886, three years after Wagner. He posterity, which of us would be in a Blätter, prominent Wagnerians and

the second floor of the Hotel Fantaisie 1872, he commissioned the architect letters below, above an allegory of diaries, are those of the proud father. common entry in the diary. The King Frederick the Great. shall rest, side by side … inseparable he popularized Tannhäuser and had just returned from an exhausting position to throw the first stone? the proto-Nazi Houston Stewart The 13-year-old crown prince had for them back in January1872. The Carl Wölfel to built him the villa of the Artwork of future. The central Their own 3 children were all born evenings were spent philosophizing Russ was a Newfoundland that for all eternity!” “The final movement Lohengrin in Weimar, helped the concert tour, to join te marriage Wagner certainly held a lot of contra- Chamberlain proved an ideal read both and summer 1872 was spent among the his dreams complete with garden, plaque shows Wotan the wanderer and before their marriage in 1870: Isolde and Wagner liked to entertain family accompanied Wagner from the Villa of Tristan and Isolde should be played revolutionist to flee from Dresden of his granddaughter Daniela, and dictory views. He was for and against breeding ground for and Artwork of the Future and saw his first peacocks, salamanders and swans in conservatory, pavilion, fountain, a philosopher (wearing a hat instead of (Loldi) in 1965, Eva in 1867 and and guests by reading or singing or Tribschen to Bayreuth; multiples of a at our burial,” said Richard in July 1873. 1849 to Zurich and Paris and although gravely ill, had been to see the French and the Germans, princes his programme of extermination. As production of Lohengrin at the age of the park, going for walks to the cottage for the gardener and plenty a helmet) with the ravens of wisdom. Siegfried (Fidi), the family favourite playing his Steinway grand. They had sculpture of him by Ottmar Hörl adorn organized concerts and transcriptions his two favourite operas, Parsifal and and socialists, Jesuits and journalists, a fan of Wagner and patron of the 15. As King of Bavaria, 18-year-old The installation of the vault – now Meierei, bathing in the Herzogweiher of space for the composer himself, Greek Tragedy stands to the left and and later director of the Festspiele, in a cook to provide refreshments, for as many a display window, hotel room and of his works. United by their yearning Tristan and Isolde, at the Festspiele, and – above all others – the Jews. Festspiele, he even wanted to turn Ludwig dispatched a search party to overgrown with ivy – at the far end pond and exploring the new environs. his wife Cosima, the 5 children, their Music (Cosima) with a lyre to the right, 1869. The 2 elder daughters, Daniela Wagner himself wrote, “A fat capon garden in Bayreuth. Others of his dogs for freedom, which was very much in staged by his daughter Cosima. He the into a find Wagner, who at the time was on of the garden of the Villa Wahnfried Yet some of the Jews he was befriended: servants and their guests. with Cupid (Little Siegfried) – armed (Lusch or Lulu) and Blandine (Boni), soon lifts the spirits.” The years of were called Marke, Brange, Faf(ner) the air of post-revolutionary Europe, had asked to be buried without pomp German Acropolis. The laying of the foundation stone the run from his creditors. Meeting and close to the Hofgarten, had to the poet , for example, with bow and arrow – at her feet. came from her first marriage toHans penury really were a thing of the past. and Molly. They were all eventually Wagner, Liszt and their friend the poet wherever he happened to die. A little Heinrich Heine for the new Festspielhaus on 22 May him in person on 4 May 1864 he Work on the villa dragged on for 2 be approved by the mayor, and the professional musicians After 1945, both Festspiele and city von Bülow – once the favourite pupil buried in the garden of the Villa Theodor Georg Herwegh in 1853 swore blood chapel was later erected over his grave attractedHofgarten musicians and visitors to promised the composer Er a lifeemitage without years and there were innumerable The Villa Wahnfried was severely The pianist Joseph Rubinstein, the Muncker. And whereas progress on the KarlHofgarten Tausig, Joseph Rubinstein and found it difficult E to facer emitageup to their of her father, Franz Liszt, an admirer of Wahnfried; some even with a brotherhood in a solemn oath modelled in Bayreuth’s municipal cemetery Fantaisie and Wagner’s birthday. Work financial worries. “Only a miracle can setbacks; but when Wagner moved in damaged during an Allied bombing painter , the villa was slow, the vault was completed . Others were able to Nazi-tainted past. Not until Hans- Wagner and a famous European pianist Paul von Joukowsky little tombstone. on that of William Tell in Switzerland. (Stadtfriedhof). save me now”, Wagner had written just Jürgen Syberberg’s film about Hitler- on the Festspielhaus and the Villa on 28 April 1874, the villa instantly raid in April 1945. Fortunately, the and conductor. Richard Wagner’s first composer Engelbert Humperdinck, on 8 August. Seated on the balcony, separate work and person: the music Wahnfried progressed swiftly. Soon, days previously; and here it was. became the haven of peace he had library, scores and archive had already 1 Hauptallee the tutor and The peacocks and were Richard and Cosima could gaze Wagner’s demands for money, his The Franz Liszt Museum opened in directors and friend Winifred and Gottfried 1 Hauptallee marriage to Minna had been without Heinrich von Stein Hans Wotan Fricka Heinrich Porges Angelo

the first singers were able to rehearse Ludwig’s patronage of Wagner, based yearned for – and at the same time been taken to safety.NOR von Wolzogen, the publisher of the also imported from Tribschen. The wistfully at this private memento mori. marriage to Liszt’s daughter Cosima 1993 and houses portraits of the great Neumann (who took his Wagner Wagner’s excoriation of the Wagner NOR issue. 2 Parnass 2 Parnass there and famous guests began on their shared ideals, withstood many the headquarters of the worldwide and his family lived in the villa until his Bayreuther Blätter, were among the large household of the Villa Wahnfried (whose first husband had been composer, first editions of his works Theater on tour) or the composer and clan did this change. Bayreuth now 3 Altes Schloss Richard was buried there on 18 3 Altes Schloss arriving. It was here that Wagner a setback and endured until the latter’s network of patrons and enthusiasts of death in 1966. In the neighbouring “What a joy to us, our children!” he permanent “friends of the family.” with its many servants and guests was Liszt’s favourite pupil, the conductor and various documents and objects patron . hosts a successful History Workshop February 1883, whereas Cosima did finished his orchestral sketches for death. The bronze bust erected in 1875 the Festspielhaus and the Festspiele Siegfriedhaus, formerly welcoming often exclaimed4 Nordparterre in Cosima’s diary. endowed with a whole barnyard full and pianist Hans von Bülow) and connected with the great composer. and an open-air exhibition Silenced 4 Nordparterre 0 50 100 150 200 250 During the Festspiele of 1876 and not follow him until April 1930. The But the fact remains that Judaism 0 50 100 150 200 250 Act 3 of Götterdämmerung, here that in front of the Villa Wahnfried attests of 1876 and 1882. The hall, park and numerous guests, including Adolf Almost no5 dayKaskade went by, nor any outing of hens, pigeons, ducks, pheasants, Richard’s periodic fits of jealousy of Its holdings, most of which come from Voices, a congress on Wagner and 5 Kaskade 1882, numerous musicians, patrons slab is made of granite without any a treatise motivated by he continued his autobiography, to the composer’s profound gratitude recital room attracted social gatherings Hitler himself, now lived his mother or journey, without all the children peacocks and even parrots. his father-in-law’s superego clouded the collection of the Munich pianist in Music, the Jews in 1998 broke the first 6 Einsiedeleikapelle and friends crowded Villa Wahnfried inscription, for – as Wagner meant - anti-Semitism, anti-capitalism and 6 Einsiedeleikapelle Mein Leben, and here that he wrote for the king’s largesse, which included even after Wagner’s death, when first Winifred Wagner until her death in being around. In Bayreuth the family their friendship from time to time. Yet Ernst Burger, were recently digitized taboos; the Richard Wagner 7 Antikes Grabmal and a sumptuous buffet was offered in Wagner was a vociferous opponent “The world knows who rests here.” professional rivalry, that Wagner 7 Antikes Grabmal his ideas On Actors and Singers. a regular salary, the discharge of his his widow Cosima (from 1884), then 1980. was happily complete. Neues both their love for Cosima (and her and can be viewed online. Another National Archive is open to scholars, the hall. of vivisection and participated in published not just once but twice, in debts, gifts and gratuities, assistance his son Siegfried (from 1906) and later 8 Statue des Sokrates Rathaus Every 25 July, the opening day of the love for them) and their shared goals original Liszt grand piano (from Jewish history is worked on, and a 8 Statue des Sokrates Wagner’s own room with its original To mark the centenary of the n public debate on the subject. He never 1850 and 1869, reinforced the public with premieres10 and the Villa Wahnfried i new Jewish10 complex housing the his daughter-in-law (from e as pioneers of “” 1873) can be admired in the Rococo Winifred 9 Ruinentheater “Guests camel and guests went” ... Festspiele, musicians of the festival 9 Ruinentheater Biedermeier furnishings can still be 12 Festspiele, the restored Villa k became a true vegetarian, however. seeds of religious, cultural, economic 12 c

and loans (later repaid) facilitating the e Baroque synagogue, mikvah and a

1930) took over the reins. l remained strong bonds. room of the Steingraeber House in the

that the “guestsf went” was also just orchestra dedicate a serenade to the n

10 Eremitenhaus der Markgräfin Wilhelmine i 10 Eremitenhaus der Markgräfin Wilhelmine a

viewed or rented even today. Tourist Wahnfried was reopened on 24 July M and political anti-Semitism that was to

building of the Festspielhaus11 and the m anken- Friedrichstraße. cultural centre is being11 rebuilt close as well. A composer. berfr Information offers 2 special flyers. 1976 as the Richard Wagner Museum. 11 Wasserturm O have dire consequences. 11 Wasserturm first Festspiele in 18769 and 1882. halle Hofgarten Eremitage to the Margravial9 Opera House. 6 Roter Main Rathaus II 12 Wirtschaftsgebäude Altes 6 Roter Main 12 Wirtschaftsgebäude 7 7 EREMITAGE Rathaus 24 13 Allee nach Monplaisir 24 1 Hauptallee 13 Allee nach Monplaisir

5 8 5 NOR 8 2 Parnass 4 3 2 Richard-Wagner-Stops 14 Monplaisir Villa Wahnfried & Info-Shop 4 3 2 14 Monplaisir Schlosspark Fantaisie 10 Opera House Das Schlosspark Eremitage 3 Altes Schloss Richard Wagner Museum 4 Nordparterre 15 Drachenhöhle Zentrum 0 50 100 150 200 250 15 Drachenhöhle Roter Main Roter Main 5 Kaskade Fantaisie Palace and Park 17 24 Hermitage17 & 24 in Bayreuth 16 Brückenweiher 6 Einsiedeleikapelle 16 Brückenweiher Schlossparkwww.gartenkunst-museum.de Fantaisie 17 Vogelhaus 9 7 Antikes Grabmal 17 Vogelhaus 18 21 18 21 ROLL- Court Garden 8 Statue des Sokrates 20 15 20 15 18 Untere Grotte Post 10 9 Ruinentheater 18 Untere Grotte 29 12 29 28 28 3 ße 19 Chamberlain House 10 Eremitenhaus der Markgräfin Wilhelmine tra 8 S WENZELEI Bus 2 ther www.bayreuth-wilhelmine.de reu Bay 19 Eremitenhaus des Markgrafen Friedrich 11 19 Eremitenhaus des Markgrafen Friedrich e Bus Straß 11 Wasserturm er 9 rg German with the Jean Paul Museum ambe 5 B 1 19 New 6 19 Roter Main 12 Wirtschaftsgebäude 4 20 Ökonomie 7 20 Ökonomie 16 1 25 Freemason 16 1 25 Palace 24 13 Allee nach Monplaisir 18 22 18 Villa 1 18 22 5 8 21 Neues Schloss und Großes Bassin Museum 4 3 2 14 Monplaisir 21 Neues Schloss und Großes Bassin 6 20 4 8 29 29 15 Drachenhöhle ter Main 22 Spiegelweiher Ro 22 Spiegelweiher 10 26 7 24 26 7 17 12 13 13 11 17 17 16 Brückenweiher

9 17 23 Schneckenberg mit Chinesischem Pavillon Franz Liszt Museum 17 Vogelhaus 23 Schneckenberg mit Chinesischem Pavillon 13 18 21 6 20 15 18 Untere Grotte 23 5 29 23 11 3 28 14 27 24 Treillagepavillons 27 24 Treillagepavillons 16 Stadtfriedhof 19 Eremitenhaus des Markgrafen Friedrich 26 2 15 19 20 Ökonomie City Cemetery 25 Laubengang Stadthalle 16 1 25 25 Laubengang 14 18 22 14 21 Neues Schloss und Großes Bassin NORD Grab 29 22 26 Kanalgarten 22 Spiegelweiher 26 Kanalgarten 21 with Liszt Chapel 13 26 0 10 20 30 40 50 17

Meter & important Graves 27 Gärtnerhaus und Gärtnerei – ehemaliger Küchengarten Grave 23 Schneckenberg mit Chinesischem Pavillon 27 Gärtnerhaus und Gärtnerei – ehemaliger Küchengarten 23 27 24 Treillagepavillons

24 23 28 Jüngerer Wasserturm (II) 25 Laubengang 28 Jüngerer Wasserturm (II) 14 Standort 14 Alexanderkapelle 26 Kanalgarten 25 1 Gartenkunst-Museum Schloss Fantaisie 15 ehem. Strohhütte 29 Röhrenweiher 29 Röhrenweiher 2 Skulpturengruppe und Teppichbeet 16 Herzogsgruft mit Aussichtskanzel 27 Gärtnerhaus und Gärtnerei – ehemaliger Küchengarten 3 Gartenpavillon („Komödienhaus“) 17 ehem. Wasserfall 4 sog. Labyrinth 18 historische Brunnenstube 28 Jüngerer Wasserturm (II) 5 Nutzgarten 19 östliches Parktor 29 Röhrenweiher 1761 Markgraf Friedrich von Bayreuth begann – drei Jahre nach dem Tod 6 Schlossterrasse 20 ehem. Steinbruch seiner Gemahlin Wilhelmine – mit dem Bau des Schlosses. 7 Weinbergterrassen 21 sog. Coburger Steine 1763/80 Herzogin Elisabeth Friederike Sophie von Württemberg, das einzige 8 Kaskade 22 ehem. Fasanerie Kind des Bayreuther Markgrafenpaares, schuf einen Rokokogarten mit Pavillon („Komödienhaus“), Kaskade, Neptunbrunnen und 1839/81 Herzog Alexander von Württemberg ergänzte den vorgefunde- 9 Neptunbrunnen, Spirale und ehem. Spiegelsaal 23 Herzogs- oder Talmühlweiher sog. Labyrinth. 1770 nannte sie ihren Besitz erstmals „Fantaisie“. nen Garten im Stil des Historismus mit landschaftlich gestalteten 10 ehem. Lindensaal mit Stützmauer und Steinbänken 24 Fischerhäuschen Hofgarten & Neues Schloss Parkräumen, Weinbergterrassen, Weiher und „Fischerhäuschen“, 1793/95 Herzogin FriederikeWith Dorothee Sophie kind von Wür ttemberpermissiong ließ den of theSkulptur Bayerischenen, Teppichbeeten und fremdländischen Gehölzen. 11 Katakombe Wahnfried25 sog. Cobur –ger City Brunnen Cemetery: 3,3 km Wahnfried – Eremitage: 3,9 km With kind permission of the Bayerischen Rokokogarten durch einen Landschaftsgarten der sentimentalen 12 Säule der Eintracht 26 Jean-Paul-Stein Phase mit Staffagearchitekturen (Katakombe, Säule der Eintracht, Der Park ist Bestandteil des Gartenkunst-Museums Schloss Fantaisie. Strohhütte) erweitern.Verwaltung der StaatlichenEs wurde am 26 Schlösser,. Juli 2000 als erstes seiner Gärten Art in Deutschland erundöffnet. Seen. 13 Borodino-Stein Wahnfried – FelsenFantaisie: und historische Steinbä nke8,6 km (Bus No. 325) (Bus Nos. 302, 303,Bayerische 322) VerwaltungVerwaltung der der Staatlichen staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten Schlösse und Seen. r, Gärten und Seen Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichenStand: Oktober 2003 Schlösser, Gärten und Seen Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen

Court Gardens & New Palace Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen Heinrich Stelzner, 1856 1882

Waldhütte Hofgarten Dammallee 7at Wagner‘s time Friedrichstraße 2 Stadtkirche in the Kanzleistraße Wagner at the Angermann on Kanzleistr. 3 grave The Liszt Chapel Baroque Court Hermitage with Gardens & Waterwork In Wagner‘s salon of the Villa Wahnfried 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 The Court Gardens Dammwäldchen 4 Steingraeber & Söhne The City Parish Church Dining Out The old Town Hall City Cemetery Out of Town Eremitage You all must help me! WagnerWorldWide Margravine Wilhelmine’s splendid From late September 1872 until April In 1846, Eduard Steingraeber was Wagner’s relations with the church and The most important hotels frequented The 17-century Old Rathaus on the Bayreuth’s Stadtfriedhof on Erlanger “I do so wish to get to know every little Outings to Margravine Wilhelmine’s “His music is not for everybody. Wagner, whose music dramas are Court Garden behind her Neues 1874, the Wagners lived close to the entrusted with the upkeep of Franz church history remained ambivalent. by the many famous guests who market square is another Bayreuth Straße is also worth a visit. corner of our dear Franconia and to hermitage with its orangery and But for all of us” (slogan of the shaped by the spirit of Ancient

Schloss was popular with the Wagner town centre. The large house was Liszt’s concert grands in Vienna. In The Catholic Cosima and Protestant attended the Festspiele were the Sonne landmark connected with Wagner. It arouse in the children an interest in fountains were always popular among Siemens Wagner webstream) ... Greece but seek the “German Alongside the family vault of Wagner’s family even while they were still living placed at their disposal by the architect 1852 he founded his own pianoforte Richard married in a Protestant church (where Richard and Cosima first stayed was here that the town council held what is close at hand,” wrote Cosima in the Wagners and their guests. spirit” and “human ideals,” and son , his grandsons Having revolutionary ideas and on Dammallee, whether for skating Carl Wölfel, pending completion of the factory in Bayreuth, and in Paris 1867 in Lucerne in 1870. In 1872 Cosima in 1871), the Anker, the Reichsadler the crucial meeting at which the Siegfried Wieland her diary on 21 April 1873. who repeatedly invoked the “world reformist zeal was not enough. What in winter or as areaway for inspecting Villa Wahnfried. It was here that was awarded a gold medal for moderni- converted to the Lutheran church in (on the market square) and the courageous and far-sighted aldermen and Wolfgang and their respective Emperor Wilhelm I resided in the spirit”, remained a revolutionary , several other well-known The Wagners’ excursions into the hermitage when attending the first Wagner yearned for most to complete progress on the Villa Wahnfried. Wagner wrote Act 1 of Götterdämme- zing piano manufacture. In 1871 he Bayreuth’s gothic Stadtkirche (city Schwarze Ross. of Bayreuth, first and foremost the wives in his reform ideas and critique of Wagnerians and musicians are buried countryside, usually with the children, cycle. And it was here that his dramas was a comfortable home rung and supervised the construction bought the Baroque Liebhardt Palais church). The Wagners regarded Martin mayor Theodor Muncker and the Hans Richter Familie Carl Kittel Ring power and property structures. He When the villa was at last finished in Wagner’s was the here, among them (the Ring-Conductor 1876 Festival Musician were very popular. Their favourite , too, Wagner’s most where he could work in peace, with of the Festspielhaus and the Villa on Friedrichstrasse, to serve as his Luther as an “authentically German favourite inn bankers Friedrich Feustel and Adolf King Ludwig II attracted a huge following not just in 1874, strolls or long walks in the park at Kanzleistrasse 3 pianist and adoptive father of places included the Waldhütte, an dedicated patron and impresario, “a little luxury” and no money worries. Wahnfried; it was here that he negotia- company headquarters. He met Richard spirit.” The dean of Bayreuth, Dr. Angermann von Gross, decided to give Wagner Winifred Europe, but in Russia, the Far East, by day or by night became part of the (now the post office), which was ), (conductor of inn beloved of called the resided during the first Festspiele This was not what fate had in store for ted with patrons and met Feustel the Wagner 1872 and in 1876 became Wilhelm Dittmar, belonged to their their support. When assessing just Wagner Hans Richter Jean Paul North America and Brazil. almost every day rituals. Blackbird a popular haunt of the officers the first Festspiele) and Rollwenzelei, the Feustels’ house in 1876 so that he could attend the him. Those who loved him – Franz banker and Muncker the mayor for an official supplier of the Bayreuth circle of friends, even if Cosima found how momentous their decision was, it Franz Liszt song, military bands or moonlight stationed at the Bayreuth garrison. (Wagner’s father-in-law and a composer in Friedrichsthal, the Riedelsberg, dress rehearsal and later the 3rd cycle Liszt, Julie Ritter, Otto Wesendonck, Wagner’s music is now transnational. consultations; it was here that he Festspiele. His Gralsglocken piano his sermons rather long. must be remembered that Wagner was his siblings or his first wife Minna – The Cologne Opera’s 2 Ring cycles promenades all merit a mention in received visitors such as his father-in- built specially for performances of This was where Wagner brought his not just a famous composer, but also an and pianist of Europe-wide renown) Sophienberg, Schloss Birken, the of the Ring in the new Festspielhaus. “Walk with R. in the Wagner’s 1849 concept for a drama singers, conductors and other guests, whose chapel stands alongside the Studentenwald or the Konnersreuther supported him even during his years of for example, touring and telecasting Cosima’s diary. law Franz Liszt, the philosopher Parsifal was in use from 1881 to 1981. erstwhile revolutionary who had spent Hofgarten where he took the most to be called was sometimes with at his side; grave of the poet . Chaussee (now Nürnberger Strasse). Being by nature a shy man, the king flight and penury. in 2010, were watched by around Friedrich Nietzsche and his patroness Jesus of Nazareth Cosima many years in exile. Jean Paul MATZENBERG wonderful paths so that in our ¾-hour- , managing never actually realized. We know from (Fidi) even had his own Guests were entertained at the theatre, did not want public sensation; he one billion Chinese. Bayreuth calls Mimi von Schleinitz. Only the portico Udo Schmidt-Steingraeber Little Siegfried But his Festspielhaus and the staging The family graves include those of arrived in the middle of a night on a itself a “world city ad interim”, long stroll, we never went the same way of the original house (now an agri- director since 1980, stepped up numerous diary entries that the family special glass. The Nibelungenkanzlei The land on which the Festspielhaus the Eremitage or the Fantaisie. of the first Festspiele in 1876 and Wagner’s daughter Eva and her special train which stopped outside whereas wagnerworldwide is the twice” (entry for 12 December 1877). cultural cooperative) has survived. Steingraeber’s manufacture of concert attached importance to repentance and was also domiciled there for a while. was built was purchased on 7 Nov. 1871. H. St. Chamberlain Karl Klindworth & 1882 called for more than just husband Houston Stewart Excursions further afield to places like the town. Only Wagner was allowed name of a small but globally net- grands; he keeps contact to piano holy communion and to the blessing Numerous patrons and delegates of & Eva, née Wagner his wife Henriette goodwill and personal support. Had Thanks to the intervention of King Two sheds were erected close to the Chamberlain, his step-daughter Drossenfeld, Creußen, Fränkische to meet him, however, and was invited worked cycle of lectures and study. The house at Dammallee 8 just a short manufacturers and clients the world and confirmation of their children. various Wagner societies met here on not the “Fairytale” King Ludwig II and Ludwig II, Wagner was able to buy walk away was supposed becoming the over and brings the Steingraeber Richard and Cosima loved and admired Festspielhaus in order to cater to all 23 May 1872 to pass an important but Daniela Thoda, née von Bülow, and Schweiz, the Luisenburg or Bad to converse and take strolls with the the plot between the Hofgarten and the guests attending the Festspiele Berneck called for the family coach. king. There were ovations in the end, Cosima entered his life in 1864, he While working on Parsifal in 1881, permanent residence of Malwida von premises to life with some 70 cultural Jesus Christ as suffering saviour by no means obvious resolution, which Count Gilberto Gravina. the Villa Wahnfried garden, ensuring in 1876; the “Wagner-Theater- however: when the king drove past would probably have had to abandon Wagner actually raced ahead of Meysenbug (1816–1903), a lifelong events every year. www.steingraeber.de/ untainted by sin. This is most clearly was “to commit all our energies to that his family henceforth had private Restauration”, however, with capacity The tombs are all situated close to Starting in 1876, the family spent the “fairy-lit” Villa Wahnfried on his his plans. Numerous idealistic artists himself: “I know no ethnicity,” he friend of Wagner’s. But after just a few veranstaltungen apparent in his last opera, Parsifal, commencing the building of the theatre access to the park. And the black for up to 1500 guests was later the main entrance and are clearly several months of every year in Italy’s way to the “Rollwenzel,” the people helped and it was here that the patrons said, adding “race has had its day, ECKERSDORF months in Bayreuth in 1873/74, the The Steingraeberpassage leading staged since 1882 as a sacred festival and seeing it through to completion.” signposted. warmer climes, specifically in Sicily, swans that Ludwig gave Wagner for auctioned off. of Bayreuth lit his way with flaming and Wagner societies proved crucial. only the blood of Christ can work writer and campaigner for democracy through the old city wall forms a link drama. The Old Rathaus now houses the Naples, Siena and Venice, where his birthday were allowed to swim on are buried torches and lanterns. The Richard Wagner associations and now.” But, as Wagner himself said: and women’s rights decided to move to between the Dammwäldchen and the Bayreuth Art Museum and a restaurant Richard and Cosima Wagner Richard Wagner died in 1883. the Hofgarten canal. in the garden of the Villa Wahnfried. Otto (& Liese-Lotte) Strobel Society of Friends of Bayreuth provide “That an epoch is worthy of us Rome instead. Kanzleistraße. called Oskar. 1st archivist of the Wagner Estate a similar network of patrons today. depends on us.” FANTAISIE

„Weg Meyernberg“