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© National Archive of the Richard Wagner Foundation, Bayreuth, Photo: Thomas Köhler

Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth (Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth)

  • Museum café.
  • Shop.
Accessibility
partly accessible
Opening Times
Open today 10:00-17:00
Address
Richard-Wagner-Str. 48
95444 Bayreuth
Contact

In 1874, Richard Wagner had the "Wahnfried" house built according to his own ideas, which he lived in until his death. Visitors can experience a documentation of his life and work at the historical site. The ground floor, including the reconstructed dining room and Cosima's "Lila Salon", provides an insight into the time around 1880 and Wagner's world of life.The Siegfried Wagner House, which Winifred Wagner lived in, has been preserved in its original 1930s furnishings. The history of Wagner's ideology is presented here, the close connection between Bayreuth and the Nazi dictatorship as well as the Wagner family's personal relations with the National Socialists and Adolf Hitler. The new museum building planned by Volker Staab is dedicated to the performance history of the Bayreuth Festival up to the present day, with historical stage set models, original costumes and stage-technical apparatus from the Festspielhaus.The gravesite of Richard and Cosima Wagner is located in the garden of the house. The National Archive of the Richard Wagner Foundation Bayreuth, which is attached to the museum, preserves written and pictorial documents, printed works and objects relating to Richard Wagner and makes them accessible to the public.

Last edited on 11.11.2024

Additional information

Image gallery

The picture shows Haus Wahnfried with a view from the avenue in summer. In front of the sandstone building you can see a bust of King Ludwig II in a flowerbed. To the left, parts of the Siegfried Wagner House can be seen; to the right, the new museum building. (opens enlarged image)
Wahnfried House/ Front © National Archive of the Richard Wagner Foundation, Bayreuth. Photo: Thomas Köhler
Hall of Wahnfried House, terracotta-coloured with ceiling fresco, tiles with light and dark squares on the floor. Three dark wooden double doors are lined on the left and right by white busts on pedestals; three-armed sconces hang on the walls. In the centre, one looks out onto the rotunda of the hall with large windows, red curtains and the Steinway grand piano. (opens enlarged image)
Wahnfried House/ Hall © National Archive of the Richard Wagner Foundation, Bayreuth. Photo: Thomas Köhler
The hall of Haus Wahnfried overlooking the rotunda with large windows and red curtains. In front of it, an original Steinway grand piano can be seen, and an imposing chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Spread around the centre of the room are chairs and individual exhibits. (opens enlarged image)
Wahnfried House/ Hall © National Archive of the Richard Wagner Foundation, Bayreuth. Photo: Thomas Köhler
The treasure chamber in the basement shows original autographs of Richard Wagner, in the middle in a glass case the open handwritten score of the respective work that is being restaged at the Bayreuth Festival. On the right side, embedded in the black wall, are display cases showing Dresden's library, consisting of historical books, in front of which are upholstered benches in black. In the background is a golden curtain, in the middle of which is a bust of Richard Wagner. The otherwise dark room is illuminated by sconces and the light in the display cases. (opens enlarged image)
Wahnfried House/ Treasury © National Archive of the Richard Wagner Foundation, Bayreuth. Photo: Thomas Köhler
The picture shows the new museum building in black, built in 2015 and designed by the renowned architect Volker Staab. The long, floor-to-ceiling glass façade reflects the Wahnfried Park in summer as well as Haus Wahnfried, a sandstone building located to its right. (opens enlarged image)
Richard Wagner Museum/ New Museum Building © National Archive of the Richard Wagner Foundation, Bayreuth. Photo: Thomas Köhler

Exhibitions

Exhibition: Man Wagner

24.07.2024 - 04.05.2025

Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth (Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth) ,
Bayreuth

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