Valuable Resources

Bayreuther Festspiele
Official web site of the Bayreuth Festival. Includes full performance and cast information as well as historical data.

Tourismuszentrale Bayreuth
Kongress-und-Tourismuszentrale, Postfach 10 03 65, D-95403 Bayreuth.   Email.   Phone 09 21 / 8 85 88.
Official site of the Bayreuth Tourist Bureau; includes hotel and room listings (in town and regional), brochures on line, and events schedules, among other services.

Bayreuth
Site includes useful information on bus routes on line. See note below on buses.

Deutsch.hotels
Excellent discount site for booking hotels in Germany and throughout Europe. Efficient and reliable.

Travelaxe
Internet browser; free download. Draws from multiple travel sites (air, hotels, autos); includes discount rate

Die Bahn
An outstanding web site run by the German railway for European trains—not only in Germany but throughout Europe. You may even order train tickets and reservations on line, a particularly helpful service for reserving overnight compartments.

Books
Lonely Planet Bavaria (2002), by Andrea Schulte. Paper, 350 pp.
Insight Pocket Guide Bavaria (Langenscheidt, 2001), by Anne Midgette
Michelin “Green Guide” to Germany (3rd ed., 2001)
Frederic Spotts, Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival (New Haven: Yale UP, 1994), 334 pp.
Simon Williams, Richard Wagner and the Festival Theatre (Praeger, 1994)
Nike Wagner, The Wagners: The Dramas of a Musician Dynasty; Trans. Osers & Downes (Princeton UP, 1998), 327 pp.
Geoffrey Skelton, Wagner at Bayreuth: Experiment and Tradition (London: White Lion, 1965).
Simon Williams, “Bayreuth: Summer Pilgrimage,” Opera News (May 2001)
Lillian Langseth-Christensen, “Wagner’s Bayreuth,” Gourmet (August 1980)

The Festspiel Experience

People arrive at the Festspielhaus well before the curtain—an hour or more in most cases. The park around the
estspielhaus is lovely and makes for pleasant strolls and picnics. The #5 bus (Hohe Warte) provides the closest public transportation alternative, but many hotels also arrange for buses. Parking at the Festspielhaus is ample and free, but you will certainly want to arrive 90-60 minutes ahead of the curtain. Parking lots can be found behind the Festspielhaus—one just above the postcard kiosk and the other a tiny bit higher up the hill.

Since this is a summer festival, most people dress for the occasion. At least half wear evening clothes; others wear suits or sport coats and pretty dresses or pants suits. No matter what one wears, the key is comfort. The Festspielhaus is not air conditioned, and the doors are closed at the curtain. The weather can be beastly hot (2003) or cool and rainy (2004), so you need to plan accordingly and check the weather prior to leaving home. The successful packers are those who wear basic outfits and vary them with scarves, shawls, or jewelry.

The Bayreuth seats have no arms and are not particularly well padded, nor are the seat backs. Most people, therefore, bring thin cushions—not thick ones, please, that obstruct the view of those behind you. REI has several Therm-A-Rest inflatable cushions, including a very fine 12X16"model at 3 oz. (item #708477; $26) that rolls up nicely in a suitcase. Other participants find an inflatable lumbar cushion also works well either for the back or the seat. Check out model SBSIRE ($40) at Relax the Back. Several hotels supply comfy cushions, so you may want to ask if they provide this service when you make your hotel reservations.

Fifteen minutes prior to the curtain, a brass ensemble arrives on the balcony over the main entrance and signal the time with a fanfare taken from the act to follow; five minutes later, they repeat it twice; and at five minutes prior to the curtain, the fanfare is played three times. No one misses the curtain which rises at either 16:00 or 18:00, depending on the length of the opera. There is no initial recognition of the conductor; the time arrives, the audience spontaneously quiets down, the lights dim, and the glorious sound begins. A photographer takes photographs from the balcony of the people assembled below. The photographs are posted the next day in the front window of the gift shop/pharmacy on Bahnhofstraße and Hohenzollernstraße and are available for purchase with one day’s notice. The beautiful, multi-lingual annual Bayreuther Festspiele book is for sale (€25) which will also get you a lovely plastic shopping bag (free) that marks you as one of the elect. You will quickly become accustomed to seeing groups of men in tuxedos carrying plastic bags filled with seat cushions, opera glasses, and God knows what else. For full cast and performance information, one must also purchase a program each evening (€0.50). Intervals last at least one hour.

The audience is the best behaved in the world—few coughs (and those are discreet), no cell phones, no whispering, no perfume, and (most important) no applause during the performance or until the house is completely dark and the last note has drifted into the stratosphere. Heaven. Supertitles? Heavens, no!

Bayreuth itself is a smallish Bavarian town of 75,000 people set out in roughly an inverted T-shape. South from the Festspielhaus on the “green hill,” the continuous Burgerreutherstraße-Bahnhofstraße-Luitpoldstraße stretches toward the old city with its pedestrian area centered on Maximilianstraße – Richard Wagner-Straße. The area between the Hauptbahnhof and the Neues Rathhaus might be considered the commercial center of Bayreuth with many hotels and restaurants; while the pedestrian region fanning out from the Spitalkirche is the historic center, with the Marktplatz at its core. Conveniently, all buses converge at the Marktplatz. One can walk from almost anywhere in the city to any other point, but the walk from the old city to the Festspielhaus might be a stretch in high heels or on a very hot day. The walk back, however, is delightful.

The Tourist Bureau is near the Neues Rathaus, on Luitpoldplatz. Will also assist in finding hotels and rooms in the area (see below). Be sure to pick up not only city maps but calendars of events taking place during your stay as well as brochures for sites you might want to visit (see below). Note particularly brochures on Bayreuth churches and the “Festival junger Künstler Bayreuth,” the monthly calendar of cultural events. A nice orientation to the city can be had from the roof of the Neue Rathaus (weekdays 10:00-16:00).

Geldautomats (ATMs) are readily available throughout town; Citibank has a branch at Marktplatz. While ATMs will incur fees (all card and banks vary), the favorable exchange rates make this an option far superior to travelers checks and, in some cases, paying by credit card.

Getting There,
Getting Around

Lufthansa/United has the best flights from San Francisco to Germany with direct flights from SFO either to Frankfurt or Munich. Depending on the curtain, people can conceivably depart SFO the day before the first performance and arrive in time to check in and make it to the curtain. Unless this is an absolute necessity, we don’t recommend doing this forced march unless you are eighteen years old. The closest airport to Bayreuth is at Nürnberg, an easy hour train trip to Bayreuth. Should Lufthansa change the time of their flights from either Frankfurt or Munich (which happened on 20 August 2004), such that you are delayed arriving in Bayreuth, one can take the ICE trains and still arrive in time for the first performance curtain.

Lufthansa has also taken delivery of several new Airbus 300 planes that are configured such that the business class is equivalent to first class on its other planes and on other airlines. If you are cashing in frequent-flyer miles or just paying outright, try to get on one of these planes. As of September 2004 they fly only between Munich and San Francisco or Chicago. The flights to Frankfurt use the older Boeing 747 planes. UAL or Lufthansa.

German trains provide terrific service throughout the country. Trains from Nürnberg run hourly, and there is a public transportation direct from the Nürnberg airport to the train station. Obviously, one can arrive at Bayreuth via train or car from any city in Europe. If one plans to do a lot of train travel within Bavaria, one can purchase a Bavaria Card in any Bavarian train station which permits steeply discounted train travel in the region. Also available are Bahn-50 and Bahn-25 cards good for one year which permit a 50% or 25% discount on travel, including overnight accommodations to neighboring countries. However, one needs to do a lot of train travel to make this Bahn discount card expense worthwhile. In 2004, the Bahn-50 card cost approximately $200 per person and $100 for anyone over 65. The staff in the train station ticket offices (especially in Bayreuth) is helpful and will provide detailed itineraries as well as tickets, and all train stations (no matter how small) have elevators which permit easy transit from track to track.

The Bayreuth bus system is very efficient and well marked so that using the bus for excursions is very easy. However, it is not cheap—€1.70 per ride. Depending on need, you may want to investigate day, 3-day, or weekly passes, all available at machines outside the major stops or from bus drivers. One caution—the buses generally stop running about 20:00, and the night buses run only about once an hour. This should not be a problem for anyone attending the Festspiel, however.

Taxis do not cruise but must be ordered from hotels or the nearest commercial establishment. Taxi stands are at the Bahnhof and at Citibank (Marktplatz), and they do line up at the Festspielhaus following the performance.

Driving from Nürnberg is faster than taking the train through to Bayreuth. If time is a factor, however, watch the road signs when leaving the airport and avoid the slow, backwood road to Bayreuth. Rather, look for route A-9 autobahn. Successful auto rental in Germany. In general, it is far less expensive to rent a car from an international company before you leave for abroad than it is to rent locally. You will need a good map of Bayreuth—not the Tourist Bureau variety—and the area which can be found at the Bahnhof book and news stand. Parking is generally easy in town so those who wish to rent cars should not feel they will miss any of the Festival-related special events.

Hotels

Hotels are the most expensive and important investment you will make after the price of the tickets. It is never too early to book rooms, even if you just think you will be attending the Wagner Festespiele. Rooms sell out a year in advance at some hotels and guesthouses, and prices can fluctuate depending on when you book. All prices will rise for the Festival days. Most of the hotels in town are older, smaller hotels or guesthouses that stretch along Bahnhofstraße. Unlike most cities, staying near the train station can be a distinct advantage. Another group of hotels lies within a two-block walk just west of the old city, and at least two major hotels are within the pedestrian confines. Most of the lectures and concerts in conjunction with the Festspiel are held in various venues in the pedestrian zone, making staying in these areas quite efficient. Other people enjoy and seek out small hotels in the outlying districts and adjacent towns. The Tourist Information Bureau will also assist in finding hotels or rooms in private homes. Let them know what type of accommodation you want, a price range, dates, and number of people.

If transportation is important to you, be sure to confirm whether your hotel, if it lies anywhere south of the Neues Rathaus, provides transportation to the Festspielhaus—usually one hour prior to each curtain. One might expect to pay approximately €3 per person, round-trip which is less than the bus fare or a taxi. Also, check to see if your hotel includes breakfast as an option, is included in the cost of the room, or does not offer breakfast at all. If you want to eat after the performances, a full breakfast may not be the attraction it is for someone who eats dinner early. The town is riddled with small, wonderful bakeries where one can pick up an inexpensive, quick, and delicious morning coffee and pastries. Even the Hauptbahnhof has a decent bakery for train food.

Hotels are arranged below in a north to south direction. Subjective comments come from people who have actually stayed there. This is by no means an exhaustive list of hotels but represents places that are in convenient locations or have been specifically recommended.

Hotel Bürgerreuth
An der Bürgerreuth 20.   Telephone 49 9 21/7 84 00.   Email.
15 rooms. Just north of the Festspielhaus. Restaurant.

Gasthaus Kropf
Tristanstraße 8.   Telephone 09-21/2-67-14.
11 rooms. The facility closest to the Festspielhaus, literally at the “Green Hill”. Restaurant.

Arvena Kongress Hotel (****)
Eduard-Bayerlein Straße 5a, at Hofbahnstraße.
196 rooms. Right at the Bahnhof. Terrific location and well-regarded restaurants; piano bar (Herr Hemill is great). The extensive breakfast-buffet lingers to 13:00 and transforms into lunch yet is still included in the price of the room. Afternoon tea and wine precedes complimentary bus trip to Festspielhaus. Overseas calls were surprisingly inexpensive (€4 for 15 minutes). Reduced rate for early booking (via Travel axe or Hotel.de).

Hotel Goldener Hirsch
Bahnhofstraße 13.
41 rooms. Restaurant.

Bayrischer Hof Hotel
Bahnhofstraße 14.
49 rooms. Indoor swimming pool; excellent restaurant (see below); quieter rooms face an inner garden, but soundproof windows on the street side. Walking distance to the Festspielhaus, but they will arrange for transportation if you wish it. Champagne receptions prior to performances.

Accent-Hotel im Kolpinghaus (****)
Kolpingstaße 5, across from Neue Rathaus.
30 rooms.

Hotel Lohmühle (***)
Badstraße 37.
42 rooms.

Hotel Goldener Anker
Opernstraße 6.
35 rooms. €210-275. A 16th century building right in the heart of the old city a few steps away from the Markgräfliches Opernhaus. No elevator. Anton Bruckner stayed here. Personal attention to guests’ needs makes this spot, for some, the best hotel in Bayreuth.

Schlosshotel Thiergarten (****)
Oberthiergärtner Straße 36.
9 rooms.

Brauerei-Gasthoff Goldener Löwe
Kulmbacher Straße 30.
14 rooms. A short walk to the pedestrian region.

Hotel-Restaurant Spiegelmuhle
Kulmbacher Straße 28.   Email.
11 rooms. Once a working mill, the inn dates to 1555.

Gasthof zum Herzog
Herzog 2, just off Kulmbacher Straße.
20 Rooms. Restaurant.

Ramada-Treff Hotel Residenzschloss Bayreuth (****)
37 Erlanger Straße 37, at Humboltstraße.
104 rooms. Well run, modern, yet small hotel two blocks west of the old city pedestrian area. Breakfast buffet optional. Bus transportation available to the Festspielhaus (€3 PP/RT). Drinks served in the lobby prior to boarding the bus—very civilized. Heavy discount for booking early: €84 double (without breakfast) vs. €150 single (with breakfast). Not quaint, but a very comfortable hotel. The new wing has very large rooms and wonderful bathrooms and terrific lights for reading. All rooms face the back courtyard so there is absolutely no street noise. The breakfast buffet is the equal of the Treff Rheingold. Dinner in the hotel was quite good but a bit more expensive than the restaurants in town.

Hotel-Restaurant Fränkischer Hof
Rathenaustraße between Lohestraße & Leopoldstraße.
12 rooms. A bit SW of the old city but convenient to the Stadthalle. Restaurant and beer garden.

Hotel Eremitage
Ermitage 6.
6 rooms. Out at the Eremitage Summer Palace. Cosima used to dine at the restaurant.

Pflaum Posthotel (*****)
Nürnberger Str 12-16, Pegnitz.
100 rooms. A Relais & Chateaux property with wellness spa and golf course. 3 km out of town, bus to the Festspiel provided. Highly recommended by Gourmet Magazine (August 1980) and known for its kitchen.

Herrmann's Romantik Posthotel (****)
Marktplatz 11, Wirsberg.
89 rooms. About 12 miles north of Bayreuth; twenty minute ride on complementary bus provided by hotel (it’s faster to drive) with drinks served on board (charged to the rooms). Swimming pool; spa; two restaurants. “Great hotel” and surprisingly convenient for driving to Bayreuth; near autobahn. Breakfast is abundant and included; meals are also available after the performances. The hotel sponsors German-language lectures prior to each opera, and a continuously running DVD presentations of historical Bayreuth performances of that day’s performance.

Gasthof Ruckriegel
Hauptstraße 11, Seybothereuth.   Telephone 09 275/206.
11 rooms.

Transmar Travel Hotel (Best Western)
Buhlstraße 12, Bindlach.   Telephone 49 (0) 9208-6960.
Modern hotel near the Nürnberg Autobahn.

Pension Friedrichsthal
8580 Bayreuth-Laineck.   Telephone: 09 21/9 2510
Charming inn/lodge 12-15 km outside of Bayreuth; family run; good kitchen. Inexpensive enough to cover the cost of an automobile rental; free parking. Highly recommended by those who have stayed here. Fills fast.

Restaurants

Eating at the Festspielhaus
With curtains so early and performances running so late, eating can present a minor problem, but one that is easily overcome with some planning. One may eat before the curtain, during intervals, or after the performances. The Festspielhaus has several options:

1) Full restaurant on the lower level which will take orders in advance and serve the courses between acts. Many people do this every performance, some only once or twice. The food is wildly inconsistent, and one person suggested staying clear of anything hot. It seems expensive relative to more leisurely meals elsewhere in town, but it is convenient. Portions are huge so spread the meal out over several intervals. Reservations recommended.

2) Buffet line which features light fare, salads, and desserts. Tables are provided in a large open space and balcony above the full restaurant.

3) Various snack stands, each featuring a specific type of finger food: coffee and dessert, sausages, large pretzels, wine and beer, little salmon sandwiches, sushi, ice cream.

Many hotels will also arrange to have picnic baskets delivered to the Festspielhaus for consumption in the park during intervals.

Popular restaurants need reservations but not obsessively in advance. Either during an intermission or sometime during the same day is usually sufficient. For popular restaurants, you may end up sharing a table with other people, but that is expected in simple restaurants in Germany. Also hotel restaurants are usually very reliable choices. Maisel’s Dampfbier (steam beer) is the local brew. Again, this list follows a generally north-to-south direction.

Bürgerreuth
An der Bürgerreuth 20
Popular Italian restaurant up behind the Festspielhaus. NY Wagner Society seems to eat here a lot. You will need reservations.

Furt Kneipe
Up the hill on the left, just past the Festspielhaus and the little postoffice.
Informal beer garden (wurst, homemade wine/beer, light fare) on a shaded lawn. Less expensive than Festspiel, and a pleasant spot for a snack during intervals.

Gasthof Kropf
Tristanstraße 8
Inexpensive, unpretentious place specializing in Bavarian dishes such as fleisch mit sauerkraut. Perhaps its main attraction is that it is the closest restaurant to the Festspielhaus and it was never full (2004).

Holländer-Stuben
Nibelungenstraße 49
Right at the base of the Festspiel hill. Charming restaurant, wonderful Wienerschnitzel. You will need reservations but not far in advance. The best meal that one couple had in Bayreuth and at a very reasonable cost (2004).

Der Eule
The Owl. Historic with lots of Wagner memorabilia. Word is, however, that the quality of the food (German and Croatian) has deteriorated under new management.

Arvena Kongress Hotel
Eduard-Bayerlein Staße 5a at Hofbahnstraße
Several well respected restaurants: Restaurant Arvena, Bella Italia, and Die Piano Bar.

Gendarmerie Restaurant
Bayerischer Hof Hotel, Bahnhofstraße 14
Bistro food and continental dishes with a light touch. Moderate prices.

Weihenstephan
Bahnhofstraße at Mainstraße
Artists sometimes eat here after performances; pleasant atmosphere and very good food (try Krenfleisch). You may find yourselves sharing tables. Definitely make advance reservations.

Oskar
Altes Rathaus, Richard-Wagner Straße 24
A lively beer hall known for its potato and bread dumplings served in a variety of ways; kitchen closes at 22:00 for full dinners, but you can appeal for a bowl of soup or a left-over dumpling. The decidedly younger crowd is a pleasant change of pace.

Restaurant 1927
Hotel Goldener Anker, Opernstraße 6
Highly recommended by people who stay at the hotel.

Opern Café
Opernstraße 16
Next to the Markgräfliches Opernhaus. OK meals, but really good coffee and pastries, and a great spot to watch the parade from the street patio. Lovely room and patio inside as well.

Schinner Braustuben
Richard-Wagner Straße 38
Brew Pub for Schinner Beer

Café Florian
Dammallee 12A
A tucked away spot in pedestrian zone with lots of outdoor seating. Decent food, amazing cakes, and great people watching. Pleasant spot to get away from the bustle.

Athena or Delphi
Down a side street (north) from Richard-Wagnerstraße. “A nice break from German fare and on a hot day, the downstairs location was pure bliss.”

Nordsee
Marktplatz
Walk-away self-serve or cafeteria-style seafood chain with indoor and outdoor seating. Good value/quality; great for a quick bite.

Café Journal
Schulstraße at Mainstraße
Just an example of local cafés that you can stumble across off the beaten track. Wonderful sausage and beers (€10 for two).

Several Turkish Kebab stands throughout the city make for a change of pace from sausage.

Festspiel-Related
Events

There are many opportunities to attend lectures, musical demonstrations, and concerts throughout the city during the Festival. Unfortunately all of the lectures and demonstrations take place on each day of the opera from 10:30 to noon, forcing one to select from very attractive alternatives.

The Wagner Society of Southern California sponsors a festive post-performance event of cocktails and dinner with the opportunity of meeting Wolfgang and Gudrun Wagner and members of the cast. WSNC attendees and others from around the world are always invited. In 2004, the event took place after Das Rheingold and cost $100.00 per person. The food was very good and it was a lot of fun, lasting well into the night. It makes a lovely introduction and allows one to meet with other WSNC members and establish a sense of belonging and camaraderie that continues throughout the Festival.

The New York Wagner Society sponsors English-language lecturers who speak on each opera. Festspielhaus Café, €10. In 2004 the speaker was Jeffrey Buller who explored Wagner’s use of dream imagery and sleep; it was fantastic.

Stefan Mickisch Einführungsvorträge
Evangelisches Gemeindehaus, Richard-Wagner Str 24.
€8.
Mickisch has quite a following for his German-language piano demonstrations and his own transcriptions of Wagner’s operas. Arrive at least 30 minutes before the demonstration for a good seat. One need not know German to appreciate his performances. His lovely CDs are available for sale.

Manfred Jung
Stadthalle, Ludwigstraße at Jean-Paul Platz.
€ 7.
Jung, former Heldentenor, sang and played selections from the Ring operas. German language.

Detlev Eisinger
Stadthalle.
Eisinger took over from Jung and played selections from the remaining three operas. Eisinger was a charming, unassuming artist, but it decidedly helped to understand German because he made many associations that would be unintelligible otherwise.

Cycle de Conferences en Français
Friedrichstraße 2, Philippe Olivier
€7.
Under the auspices of Wagner-Verband Bayreuth.

Check the internet calendar or pick up brochures at the Tourist Bureau for concerts at various venues around the city. For example the following events were scheduled for Saturday, 21 August 2004: 10:00 symposium, “Wagner and Icelandic Myths”; 10:30 Jeffrey Buller lecture; 10:30 Manfried Jung demonstration; 10:30 Stefan Mickisch performance; 11:00 Klavierkonzert, “Bilder aus Osten”; 13:30, talk by Evan Baker and Dirk Schattner, “Die Walküre”; 14:00 symposium, “Wagner and Icelandic Myths”; 14:00 performance, “Die Walküre”; 19:00 Schlossmusik III, Heiterer Sommerabend; 20:00 Trommelfeuer! Open-air concert. It truly boggles the mind!

Also look for announcements of concerts at Villa Wahnfried, Jean-Paul Museum, Markgräflisches Opernhaus, and various churches throughout town. Various book stores, particularly those in the pedestrian zone, sponsor artist-signing times throughout the Festival, not all of which are advertised in the official calendar. Note particularly Gondrom Bücher Booksellers across from McDonald’s and the Markgrafen Buchhandlung across from Goldener Anker. There is usually one concert scheduled at the Opernhaus on an “off” Festspiel night. Purchase tickets well in advance at the box office in the Neues Rathaus.

What To Do in
Bayreuth

One can easily keep occupied right in Bayreuth for the length of the Festival, taking advantage of the many concerts, lectures, and local sites. What one does is predicated upon just how deeply one wants to become immersed in the Festival Experience. Difficult as it seems to believe at times, Wagner was not the only famous person who lived in Bayreuth. The Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth got here first and left his mark.

Bayreuth Card
€ 9 (s004))
Three-day pass which covers public transportation, a city tour, and entry into some museums (Historisches, Wahnfried, Jean-Paul, Franz-Liszt, Freemason, Fayence, Brauerei & Bullnerei, Urwelt, and Kunst Museums).

Margravine Wilhelmine Palaces Combination Ticket
€13
Neue Schloss, Opera House, Eremitage, Sanpareil, Zwernietz Castle, Garden Museum Fantasie Palace.

Guided City Walk
€ 4,50
Daily 10:30. Departs Reisebüro Bayreuth, Luitpoldplatz 9

Haus Wahnfried
€ 4,5
Should top any list of visits. Musical performances are usually scheduled, but they were cancelled in 2004 and the salon/library was closed. And don’t overlook the simple graves in the back garden.

Franz-Liszt Museum
€1,6
Liszt’s house right next door to Wahnfried where he spent his last years and died.

Markgräfliches Opernhaus
€5
Tours begin at 9:15 and run through the day. You will see what Wagner was objecting to in theater design and audience deportment. The “sound and light show” is only in German, but you can pretty much get the idea and it is the only way to visit the venue. Also see “concerts” above.

Festspielhaus
Backstage tours were cancelled during the 2004 Festival

Neue Rathaus
Check for Festspiel-related exhibit. 2004 was on Parsifal productions at Bayreuth.

Historic Churches in town
Stadtkirche, Schlosskirche, etc. Pick up brochure at Information center.

Stadtfriedhof at Gottesackerkirche
Erlangerstr 40
City Cemetery (1779) where Liszt and Winifred and Siegfried Wagner are buried.

Neues Schloss
€4
Town palace of Margrave Friedrich and Prussian Princess Wilhelmine (1753).

Kunstmuseum Bayreuth
Altes Rathaus
Museum of Fine Arts (20th century works).

Historisches Museum
Museum of the town of Bayreuth.

Jean-Paul Museum
19th century German writer and poet.

Deutsches Freimaurer Museum
History of Freemasons in Germany. Surprisingly interesting and quirky museum.

(Mozart, USA) in a 19th C. building that is still used as a Masonic Temple. The staff is efficient and helpful and includes a guy from Wyoming who envied our ability to get opera tickets.

Sammlung Fayence Museum
Neue Schloss
Bayreuth porcelain, in ante-room of Neue Schloss.

Leuschner-Gedenkstätte
Moritzhöfen 25
Memorial museum to Wilhelm Leuschner, trade union leader and resister to the Nazi regime in the 1930s and 40s.

Maisel’s Brauerei-und Buttnerimuseum
Kulmbacher Straße 40
The most extensive brewery museum in the world.

The streets behind the Festspielhaus
This area was a post-war planned development, and most of the streets are named for Wagner operas, characters, and key people in his life. It must be quite a treat to tell people that you live on Wotanstraße.

And, as they say, many more too numerous (or specialized) to list.

A Bus Ride Away

Lohengrin Therme
Kurpromenade 5   Telephone: 09-21/79 240-0
Bus #3 (Seublitz) to Lohengrin-Therme, 17-minute ride, every 20 minutes.
Wonderful spa, with a collection of pools, saunas, and wellness center. One can spend a full day here, but if you want a specific combination of treatments, call for reservations as they book up in the morning. No reservations needed for the pools or saunas. 9:30-21:45

Eremitage
Altes Schloss
Bus #2 (Eremmitenhof) right to the entrance, Eremitage; or #3 (Seulbitz) to Eremmitenhof stop at the south parking lot. 15 minute ride, every 20 minutes. Both buses return from the Eremitage lane entrance.
Margravine’s Summer Palace (1715-35), Inner Grotto, Park, and New Palace Sun Temple; Restaurants(€3)

Gartenkunst-Museum Schloss Fantaisie
Bamberger straße 3, Eckersdorf/Donndorf5 km west of Bayreuth.
Local bus #5d; Regional buses 8231, 8446, 8449.
Rococo palace built for Margravine Wilhelmine’s daughter, Elisabeth Friederike Sophie. Garden Museum is an overview of the history of landscape gardening in Germany.

Wonsees
Bus from Bayreuth to Wonsees.
Sanpareil Rock Garden and Oriental Builidng (1744), Haus Nr 29 – Baroque garden art.
Zwernitz Castle (1156; 1338-1810) belonged to Hohenzollern family.

Excursions From Bayreuth

Heretical as it may sound to some, there comes a time when you might need to break out of the Wagner intensity and into the very beautiful Bavarian Countryside. The German train system makes this very easy for most sites. Check here for schedules. Others, however, really require renting a car or hiring a driver.

Area Tours
Rudi Schroeder, a personal friend of a WSNC member, drives and provides pickup service at Nurmberg and also gives day tours to Prague and closer sites. His two taxibus vehicles seat six each. Email. Telephone 0171-77-22333. Fax 0921-6-9099.

Kulmbach
22 km NW of Bayreuth. Trains every 30 minutes; 30 minute trip. Also via bus #8354 from Bayreuth to Kulmbach Busbanhof. About 20 minutes by car through beautiful countryside.
More beer is produced per capita than anywhere else in Germany.
Plassenburg Fortress (1560-70): in the Hohenzollern family since 1340; Schöner Hof, arcaded courtyard of German Renaissance style.
Deutsches Zinnfiguren Museum: German pewter figures; huge dioramas of hundreds of battles.
Landschafts Meuseum Obermain: Museum of Upper Main Region.
Deutsches Dampf Lokomotiv Museum.

Bamberg
Trains hourly (some with no change at Lichtenfels); hour trip via train; 50 minutes via car. Cross the river and park on the “Old Town” side in a car park.
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Established in 902 AD and became a Medieval ecclesiastical center. Not damaged during WWII. Highly recommended, easy day-trip; wonderful town to wander aimlessly in. Ask for a very good, self-guided walking tour map at the Bamberg Bahnhof. Rauchbier (smoked beer) is a favorite local brew.
Domplatz: Fine late Romanesque/early Gothic Cathedral with double apse; Bishop’s Palace and Neue Residenz (museums).
Benedictine Abbey of St. Michael (1121) and Ristorante Francesco, a delightful restaurant overlooking the city.
Charming pedestrian areas and squares in the old city, particularly Grüner Markt and that at St. Gangolf’s (1400) for afternoon beer or ice cream.
Klein-Venedig (Little Venice) is a center for occasional festivals, general merriment, and river boat trips.
E.T.A Hoffman House, Schlillerplatz 26.

Coburg
Trains hourly via Lichtenfels (RE and RB), 75-110 minute trip.
On the River Itz; former residence of the Wettin family.
Veste Coburg dominates the town, one of the largest fortresses in Germany (11th C; remodeled 16-17th Centuries). Refuge to Martin Luther in 1530.
St. Maurice Kirche (late Gothic) and Schloss Ehrenburg remodeled after fire of 1693 in Neo-Gothic style.

Nürnberg
Direct trains hourly (IC & RE), 40-60 minute trip.
Medieval trading center for goods moving between Black Sea, Hanseatic Cities, Venice, and the east. Its 20th Century history was less illustrious. However, Nürnberg is a wonderful place to visit and even spend time before and/or after the Wagnerfest or an overnight on a night off from the opera. It takes several days (or multiple visits) to do justice to the history and art this city provides. Amazingly restored following massive WWII destruction.
Southern town (Lorenzer Seite)—Marthakirche (14th C; Meistersinger); St. Lorenz-Kirche (1270).
Town Center—Heilig-Geist Spital (1332), Hauptmarkt, Frauenkirche 1352), Rathaus (1332; 1616), Kirche St. Sebaldus (1230).
Upper Town—Albrecht Dürer Haus (1509-28), Kaiserburg (1040; 12th C) – wonderful vistas, great castle; Egidienkirche (1696).
Germanisches Nationalmuseum, across from Hauptbahnhof: one of Germany’s principal museums, strong in German medieval & Renaissance art.
Fembo House, 15 Burgstraße: Nürnberg City Museum in a town mansion; portrait of Hans Sachs; medieval town model.
Hans Sachs-inspired “Ehekarussel Brunnen,” Ludwig Platz by White Tower Fountain with six interpretations of marriage.
Justizgebäude (War Trials), Fürtherstraße 110, several blocks west of the Bahnhof.
Nazi Party Conference Rally Site, now a fabulous museum; complete with a photograph of Winifred in Hitler’s balcony at the First Party Rally (Tram #9 from Bahnhof to "Doku-Zentrum"; 9 minute ride).
Nürnberg weekend unlimited transit card for families (€ 3,60)

Wurzburg
Trains frequently; direct (2 hrs) or via Nürmberg (2:15 or 2:40 hrs).
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Center for art, architecture, and wine.
Residenz Schönborn (Balthazar Neumann, 1720-44). Prince-bishops Johann Phillipp Franz and Friedrich Karl von Schönborn. One of the best examples of German Rococo; stairhall decorated by Tiepolo; Room of mirrors.
Dom St. Kilian (1045-1188), Germany’s fourth largest Romanesque church.
Bürgerspital (founded 1319) and Juliusspital (176; remodeled 17-18th C).
Festung Marienberg (founded 707; 13th C), Museum of the city of Würzburg.
Rathaus (13th C; expanded 15-16th C).
Alte Mainbrücke (1473-1543), oldest bridge over the Main.
Guided city Tour in English 11:00 daily (except Mon.).

Also via TRAIN: Prague (6 hours); Dresden (3.5 hours); Munich (3 hours); Berlin (6+/- hours)

Places For
Touring By Car

Area Tours
Rudi Schroeder, a personal friend of a WSNC member, drives and provides pickup service at Nurmberg and also gives day tours to Prague and closer sites. His two taxibus vehicles seat six each. Email. Telephone 0171-77-22333. Fax 0921-6-9099.

Fraenkirsche Schweiz
Franconian Switzerland, southwest of Bayreuth. By all means, see this region.

TuechersfeldA picturesquel village of timbered houses, built into and around strange, cone-shaped rocks.

Pottenstein Castle
Close to Teuchersfeld.

Teufels Hoehle
"Devil’s Cave", a series of interesting limestone caverns (south of Pottenstein)

Goessweinstein
Famous for its beautiful pilgrimage church built by rococo master builder, Balthazar Neumann.

Fichtel Gebirge
Another nice trip northeast of Bayreuth

Luisenburg
A "Felsenlabyrinth" consisting of enormous boulders and lovely, hilly trails.

Vierzehnheiligen
Pilgrimage Church of Fourteen Saints (Balthazar Neumann, 1741-72), one of the most famous masterpieces of South German Baroque, with Rococo furnishings.

Waldsassen
Basilica (1682) and Cistercian Monastery Library (1726).

Kappel Kirche
Near Waldsassen. Pilgrimage church built by Georg Dientzenhofer.

Regensburg (Walhalla) and Passau
Drive to through beautiful Bavarian Woods; both towns are on the Danube.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Frequent trains, but the trip requires careful timing to catch the fast trains (2:15 hrs); others can take up to 4 hours.
The main tourist attraction along the "Romantische Straße". Walled city granted Free-Town status by the Holy Roman Empire in 1274; little has changed since.
Reichstadmuseum: Former Dominican Abbey (Rothenburger Passion).
St. Jakobs Kirche (1373-1464).
Mittelalterliches Museum (torture instruments).
Rathaus (14th C).
Well preserved walls and towers.
Walking tour with the Town Crier; daily 13:55, meet at Markt.

Weimar
Frequent trains, but the trip entails multiple transfers and takes between 3:30 and 5:00 each way. Best by car.
City of humanistic traditions: Cranach, Bach, Wieland, Schiller, Herder, Goethe, Liszt, Nietzsche, Gropius, Kandinsky, Klee, Bauhaus, et al. Current center for architecture, music, and medicine.
Herderkirche (1500): Cranach altarpiece.
Schlossmuseum: Cranach, Dürer, etc. Former residence of the Elector of the Duchy of Saxony-Weimer.
Neues Museum Weimar: Contemporary and modern art.
Historischer Friedhof (Historical Cemetery): tombs of Goethe and Schiller.
Cranach Haus (1550s).
Bauhaus Museum.
Schillermuseum.
Goethehaus.
Liszt Haus.
Buchenwald Memorial and Museum: 7 km NW of Weimar; Bus #6 via Goetheplatz & Weimar Hofbahn, every 40 min.

Shopping

Bayreuth is short on quality schlock, but the Tourist Bureau sells a cute Ring T-shirt with caricatures dancing in a ring (about 18€). One must order the T-shirt a day or so in advance as they seem to be custom produced. Other kitsch may be purchased along Bahnhofstraß and at a little stand across from Villa Wahnfried. The best collection of Wagner-related postcards, CDs, etc. is directly across the street from the Festspielhaus to the left of the main entrance.

There are many antique shops—several of which are always closed—and some very interesting book stores along Maximilianstr. In the pedestrian district, the bookstore across from the Goldener Anker sponsors artists who sign books and photographs and is a good source for libretti.

Wagner-Antiquariat Hanny Kopetz
Brandenburgerstraße 28
Literally "on the other side of the tracks" from the Bahnhof. Lots and lots of Wagneriania. Purchase: a gold locket with two pictures of Wagner. How could one not? The hop also has a large selection of 19th century Wagner-inspired drawings, LPs, and musical scores. Walk under the Bahnhof platform tunnel and continue east.

Antiquariat Walter Bösch
Carl-Schuller straße 9, back behind the Goldener Hirsch Hotel
Wonderful selection of books, prints, and old opera post cards. Charming owner speaks perfect English.

Walküre Porcelain Shop
Gravenreutherstraße 5, just off Tristanstraße
Museum (weekdays 10:00-16:00), retail and workshop. You will see the "Wagner Cups and Mugs" all over the city. Pretty and topical but uncomfortable to hold.

E-Bay and Internet Café
Jahnstraße & Dammallee
Here you can purchase original Festspielhaus wicker chairs.

Die Schallplatte
CDs; artist signings.

???
Richard Wagner Straße.
Affordable Birkenstock sandals not found in all outlets (2002; €52).

Miscellaneous

Internet
Most hotels have internet hookup for a small fee, and there are several Cyber Cafes in town. One near the pedestrian zone is at Dammallee 23 (M-F 11:00-20:00; Sat to 16:00).

Doctors and Dentists
The Tourist Bureau maintains a list of doctors and dentists who will be glad treat visitors. Prices are regulated by the state.

Pharmacy
Parsifal Apotek, near the Bahnhof.

Summary

No matter what you do or how you plan, you will have a wonderful time. It is particularly rewarding to meet with other participants from the Bay Area and to discuss (argue fine points) about performances. Of course, if no one coordinates such meetings, individuals tend to scatter. It is worth making the effort, however, to get together.

And don’t forget to add your own discoveries so that those who follow you can benefit as—we hope—you will have from the material above.

Enjoy!