Margravial Opera House, Bayreuth, Germany

The Margravial Opera House is a Baroque opera house built between 1744 and 1748. It is one of Europe's few surviving theatres of the period and has been extensively restored. In 2012 the opera house was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

It was built according to plans designed by the French architect Joseph Saint-Pierre (de) (ca. 1709 – 1754), court builder of the Hohenzollern margrave Frederick of Brandenburg-Bayreuth and his wife Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia. It was inaugurated on the occasion of the marriage of their daughter Elisabeth Fredericka Sophie with Duke Charles Eugene of Württemberg.

The wooden interior was designed by Giuseppe Galli Bibiena (1696 – 1757) and his son Carlo from Bologna in an Italian Late Baroque style. The box theatre is completely preserved in its original condition, except for the curtain which was taken by Napoleon's troops on their march to the 1812 Russian campaign. The prince box was seldom used by the art-minded margravial couple, who preferred a front-row seat.

Princess Wilhelmine, older sister of the Prussian king Frederick the Great, had established the margravial theatre company in 1737. In the new opera house she participated as a composer of opera works and Singspiele', as well as an actor and director. Today she features in a sound-and-light presentation for tourists. After her death in 1758, performances ceased and the building went into disuse, one reason for its good conservation status.

More than one hundred years later, the stage's great depth of 27 metres attracted the composer Richard Wagner, who in 1872 chose Bayreuth as festival centre and had the Festspielhaus built north of the town. The foundation stone ceremony was held on May 22, Wagner's birthday, and included a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, directed by the maestro himself.

References:

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User Reviews

Evgeniia (3 months ago)
Beautiful! Beautiful and again Beautiful place! Very affordable, interesting exposition about history of the theater. Really worth visiting. There is WC (you don't have to buy ticket for that). Note, that you can't go with your backpack and it has to be stored so keep 1 euro coin to lock the locker

Ruth O'Brien (4 months ago)
Amazing. Really stunning interior. I recommend going when there is a guided tour (3 euro extra per person)

david antoun (4 months ago)
one of the unique baroque opers in the world that kept its original form. from the 18th century completely of wood and a stone ground. it will takes you to the world of 18th century. it is the first part of the Museum round. you can pay additional fees to get the chance to sit in the top chairs with a guide. impressive interior.

Stefan Hiebl (4 months ago)
Just accounting for the inside, this place is hands down the most beautiful in the world! Built in the late baroque era, it features a lot of detail and the atmosphere inside is mesmerizing! They now also have an attached museum that has a few interactive parts to it! :) This is a must-see and I purposely did not provide any picture of it as pictures could not do any justice to this amazing place!

Laura BG (7 months ago)
Exterior not as grandiose as others, however... the interior is gorgeous!! The tour guides were very engaging and knowledgeable

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