History
The town of Bayreuth first emerged during the Middle Ages, with a typical Bavarian street market in the center of town. In its early history, Bayreuth was only a small village in the Hohenzollern Empire and suffered many plagues and wars. The town was completely destroyed during the Hussite war in 1430, suffered major plagues even until 1602, and incurred major damage by fires in 1605 and 1621. Margrave Christian from Kulmbach moved his residence here in 1603, and after the Thirty Years' War the town began to develop as a more important city with more distinct baroque architecture. When Margrave Friedrich married Wilhelmine, the sister of King Frederick II of Prussia, Bayreuth began to develop its current appearance.
Margravine Wilhelmine was an active lover of the arts and architecture. She commissioned famous Italian architects to design the Margravial Operahouse, which was the largest in Germany for over a century. It still stands today as one of the most ornate baroque opera houses in the world. In addition, Wilhelmine expanded the Margrave's summer residence and gardens and commissioned the architecturally impressive New Palace. During the reign of Friedrich and Wilhelmine, the arts flourished in Bayreuth. The magnificent opera house even attracted Richard Wagner to Bayreuth in 1872 until his death 11 years later. Since then the city has had an integral relationship with Richard Wagner. The Richard Wagner Festival started in 1876 to commemorate and perform the works of the famous composer. During the Nazi rule, Hilter considered Bayreuth one of the most important cultural centers in Germany, and as such, Bayreuth was heavily bombed during World War II. In the last half century, Bayreuth has rebuilt, continued the Richard Wagner Festival and grown quietly, mostly around the University, which was established in 1975.
Orientation
Bayreuth is famous in Germany as the host of the Richard Wagner Festival Festspiele each year from July to August. In that respect, most of the tourist industry has evolved around the life and times of Richard Wagner as well as Margravine Wilhelmine, one of the major contributors in bringing the arts to Bayreuth. For most of the year, Bayreuth is quiet, somewhat out of the way of the major tourist itineraries. However, during the Festspiele, the town fills to capacity; hotels are nearly impossible to book and the traffic almost slows to a stop. Winter is normally overcast and wet, with temperatures not deviating too far from freezing. The springtime can be relatively cool, but the weather slowly becomes more pleasant and is welcomed by numerous street fairs and festivals See Events. Summer is also pleasant, punctuated by occasional hot days. During the warmer seasons, outdoor cafes and Biergartens abound in the cobblestoned city center.
The Tourist Information (http://www.bayreuth-touri...) office provides lots of very detailed information. They are located at Luitpoldplatz 9, between the city center and the train station office hours M-F 9AM-6PM & Sa 9:30AM-1PM yearlong, also Su 10AM-2PM May - Oct. The offer a two-hour city tour in German daily at 10:30AM only Saturdays from Nov-Apr for 5.50 â¬. The meeting point is the TI office. For visiting the sights and taking the buses, they offer the Bayreuth Card, which provides three days of free bus travel, the city tour, and entry to 9 different museums 11.50 â¬, available at the TI, at many attractions, and at some hotels. Combination tickets are also available for the Margravial Operahouse and New Palace for 8 â¬, and the Kombikarte Bayreuth allows entry to any three city museums for 10 â¬. The TI office also provides city maps and city/regional maps for bicyclists.