Margravial Opera House Bayreuth

The Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth is one of very few Baroque theatres that survive almost exactly as they were built. Its auditorium of painted and gilded wood was designed by Giuseppe and Carlo Galli Bibiena, the most sought-after theatre architects of their age, for Margravine Wilhelmine. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012, and after a long restoration the box-lined hall can once again be seen in full splendour.

History: Wilhelmine's stage

Margravine Wilhelmine, a sister of Frederick the Great, ruled the Principality of Bayreuth with Margrave Frederick from 1735. She composed, wrote librettos and ran the court opera for about 20 years. The old comedy house was not enough for her, so a new building went up between 1744 and 1750: Joseph Saint-Pierre designed the facade, the Bibienas the interior. The house opened in late September 1748 for the wedding of her daughter Elisabeth Friederike Sophie to Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg, with operas by Johann Adolph Hasse.

The bill was ultimately paid by the margrave's subjects and the principality slid into debt. After Wilhelmine died in 1758 and the margrave in 1763, performances became rare. Historians believe this is exactly why the wooden theatre never burned down like so many others of its time: fewer candles were lit.

Richard Wagner and Bayreuth

The stage, huge for its day at 180 m², drew Richard Wagner to Bayreuth in 1871. He found the auditorium unsuitable for his works and built his own Festival Theatre instead. To mark the laying of its foundation stone, Wagner conducted Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in the opera house on 22 May 1872. Locals still simply say "Opernhaus" for the margraves' theatre and "Festspielhaus" for Wagner's.

What to see

• The auditorium: three tiers of wooden boxes, richly painted and gilded, with the princely box in the centre, which the margrave and his wife hardly ever used.
• Ceiling painting: Apollo and the nine Muses by Johann Benjamin Müller, framed by scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses.
• The stage: the restoration returned the proscenium opening to its original size.
• Museum in the Redoutenhaus: since April 2023 an exhibition on court theatre in Bayreuth, including a reconstructed Baroque stage with machinery and special effects you can try yourself.
• Roof structure: a column-free timber roof spanning 25 m, explicitly counted as part of the World Heritage. You cannot see it, but a model in the museum explains it.

Restoration

The house closed in September 2012. Water damage in November 2014 prolonged the work, and costs rose to about €29.3 million. On 12 April 2018 it reopened with "Artaserse", the same opera performed at the 1748 inauguration. The hall now seats 512.

Tickets and opening hours (as of October 2026)

• April to September: daily 9:00–18:00
• October to December: daily 10:00–17:00
• January to March: daily 10:00–16:00
• Admission: €10, reduced €9. Combined ticket with the New Palace €15, "World of Wilhelmine" ticket €21.
• Guided tour of the auditorium: 30 minutes, €3 on top of admission. Places are limited, so book online or at the museum desk in good time.

Rehearsals can cause short-notice closures. A free museum app is available in German, English, French, Italian and Czech; bring your own headphones.

Getting there and timing

The opera house is on Opernstraße in the city centre, about a 10-minute walk from the main station, or take bus 302 to "Luitpoldplatz". Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the auditorium and museum. The New Palace and Court Garden are a few steps away, the Hermitage lies on the eastern edge of town. To hear the acoustics, check the events calendar: concerts and the Bayreuth Baroque festival take place in the historic hall.