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{{short description|Town in Bavaria, Germany}}
{{for-multi|the district|Bayreuth (district)|the Lebanese capital city sometimes spelled "Beyrouth"|Beirut}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox German place
|type = Stadt
|image_photo = Marktplatz Bayreuth.JPG
|image_caption = Town square
|image_flag = Flagge Bayreuth.svg
|image_coa = Wappen von Bayreuth.svg
|coordinates = {{coord|49|56|53|N|11|34|42|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan =
|state = Bayern
|region = Upper Franconia
|district = Kreisfreie Stadt
|elevation = 340
|area = 66.89
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 09462000
|postal_code = 95401–95448
|area_code = 0921, 09201, 09209
|licence = BT
|website = [https://www.bayreuth.de/ www.bayreuth.de]
|mayor             = Andreas Zippel <ref>[https://www.statistik.bayern.de/wahlen/kommunalwahlen/bgm/ Liste der Oberbürgermeister in den kreisfreien Städten], accessed 13 April 2026.</ref>
|leader_term       = 2026&ndash;32
|Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeister
|party = SPD
}}

'''Bayreuth''' ({{IPA|de|ˈbaɪʁɔʏt}} or {{IPA|de|baɪˈʁɔʏt||De-Bayreuth.ogg}}; [[High Franconian German|Upper Franconian]]: Bareid, {{IPA|und|ba(ː)ˈɾaɪ̯t|pron}}) is a [[Town#Germany|town]] in northern [[Bavaria]], Germany, on the [[Red Main]] river in a valley between the [[Franconian Jura]] and the [[Fichtel Mountains]]. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of [[Upper Franconia]] and has a population of 72,148 (2015). It hosts the annual [[Bayreuth Festival]], at which performances of operas by the 19th-century German composer [[Richard Wagner]] are presented.

==History==

===Middle Ages and Early Modern Period===
[[File:Bayreuth 1900.jpg|thumb|Bayreuth around 1900]]
The town is believed to have been founded by the counts of [[County of Andechs|Andechs]] probably around the mid-12th century,<ref name="Tours">Mayer, Bernd and Rückel, Gert (2009). ''Bayreuth – Tours on Foot'', Heinrichs-Verlag, Bamberg, p.5, {{ISBN|978-3-89889-147-9}}.</ref> but was first mentioned in 1194 as ''Baierrute'' in a document by Bishop [[Otto VI of Andechs|Otto II]] of [[Bishopric of Bamberg|Bamberg]]. The syllable ''-rute'' may mean ''Rodung'' or "clearing", whilst ''Baier-'' indicates immigrants from the Bavarian region.

Already documented earlier, were villages later merged into Bayreuth: [[Seulbitz (Bayreuth)|Seulbitz]] (in 1035 as the royal [[Salian dynasty|Salian]] estate of Silewize in a document by Emperor [[Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor|Conrad II]]) and St. Johannis (possibly 1149 as ''Altentrebgast''). Even the district of [[Altstadt]] (formerly [[Altenstadt, Upper Bavaria|Altenstadt]]) west of the town centre must be older than the town of Bayreuth itself. Even older traces of human presence were found in the hamlets of [[Meyernberg]]: pieces of pottery and wooden crockery were dated to the 9th century based on their decoration.<ref>Stuhlfauth, Adam (1991). ''Fundberichte zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte im Gebiet der Fränkischen Alb'' in the Archives for History of Upper Franconia, 35th volume, 3rd section, Bayreuth 1991</ref>

While Bayreuth was previously (1199) referred to as a ''villa'' ("village"), the term ''civitas'' ("town") appeared for the first time in a document published in 1231. One can therefore assume that Bayreuth was awarded its [[town charter]] between 1200 and 1230. The town was ruled until 1248 by the [[House of Andechs|counts of Andechs-Merania]]. After they died out in 1260 the burgraves of [[Nuremberg]] from the [[House of Hohenzollern]] took over the inheritance.

As early as 1361 Emperor [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] conferred on Burgrave [[Frederick V of Nuremberg|Frederick V]] the right to mint coins for the towns of Bayreuth and Kulmbach.

In 1398 Bayreuth was partitioned from Nuremberg, becoming the [[Principality of Bayreuth]] ({{langx|de|Fürstentum Bayreuth}}). Until 1604, however, the princely residence and the centre of the territory was the castle of [[Plassenburg]] in [[Kulmbach]] and as such the territory was officially known as the Principality of Kulmbach. The town of Bayreuth developed slowly and was affected time and again by disasters.

Bayreuth was first published on a map in 1421.

In February 1430, the [[Hussites]] devastated Bayreuth and the town hall and churches were razed. [[Matthäus Merian]] described this event in 1642 as follows: ''"In 1430 the Hussites from Bohemia attacked / Culmbach and Barreut / and committed great acts of cruelty / like wild animals / against the common people / and certain individuals. / The priests / monks and nuns they either burnt at the stake / or took them onto the ice of lakes and rivers / (in Franconia and Bavaria) and doused them with cold water / and killed them in a deplorable way / as Boreck reported in the Bohemian Chronicle, page 450"''.<ref>Frühwald (Hg.): ''Fränkische Städte und Burgen um 1650'' based on texts and engravings by Merian, Sennfeld 1991.</ref>

By 1528, less than ten years after the start of [[the Reformation]], the lords of the [[Principality of Bayreuth|Frankish margrave territories]] switched to the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] faith.

In 1605 a great fire, caused by negligence, destroyed 137 of the town's 251 houses. In 1620 [[Plague (disease)|plague]] broke out and, in 1621, there was another big fire in the town. The town also suffered during the [[Thirty Years' War]].

[[File:Bayreuth Schloss.jpg|thumb|The Old Castle]]

A turning point in the town's history came in 1603 when Margrave [[Christian of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Christian]], the son of the elector, [[John George of Brandenburg]], moved the aristocratic residence from the castle of [[Plassenburg]] above [[Kulmbach]] to Bayreuth. The first Hohenzollern palace was built in 1440–1457 under Margrave [[John of Brandenburg-Kulmbach|John the Alchemist]]. It was the forerunner of today's Old Palace (''Altes Schloss'') and was expanded and renovated many times. The development of the new capital stagnated due to the [[Thirty Years' War]], but afterwards many [[baroque]] buildings were added to the town. After Christian's death in 1655 his grandson, [[Christian Ernest of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Christian Ernest]], followed him, ruling from 1661 until 1712. He was an educated and well-travelled man, whose tutor had been the statesman [[Joachim Friedrich von Blumenthal]]. He founded the Christian-Ernestinum Grammar School and, in 1683, participated in the liberation of [[Vienna]] which had been besieged by the Turks. To commemorate this feat, he had the [[Margrave Fountain (Bayreuth)|Margrave Fountain]] built as a monument on which he is depicted as the victor of the Turks; it now stands outside the New Palace (''Neues Schloss''). During this time, the outer ring of the town wall and the castle chapel (''Schlosskirche'') were built.

===18th century===
[[File:Neues schloß bayreuth.JPG|thumb|The New Castle]]
[[File:Markgräfliches Opernhaus - Bayreuth - 2013.jpg|thumb|The [[Margravial Opera House]] (UNESCO World Heritage Site)]]
[[File:Opéra des margraves intérieur Bayreuth.JPG|thumb|Margravial Opera House, interior]]

Christian Ernest's successor, the Crown Prince and later Margrave, [[George William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|George William]], began in 1701 to establish the then independent town of [[St Georgen (Bayreuth)|St Georgen am See]] (today, the district of St Georgen) with its castle, the so-called ''Ordensschloss'', a town hall, a prison and a small barracks. In 1705 he founded the Order of Sincerity ([[Ordre de la Sincérité]]), which was renamed in 1734 to the [[Order of the Red Eagle]] and had the monastery church built, which was completed in 1711. In 1716 a princely [[porcelain]] factory was established in St. Georgen.

The first 'castle' in the park of the [[Hermitage Museum (Bayreuth)|Hermitage]] was built at this time by Margrave George William (1715–1719).

In 1721, the town council acquired the palace of Baroness Sponheim (today's Old Town Hall or ''Altes Rathaus'') as a replacement for the town hall built in 1440 in the middle of the market place and destroyed by fire.

In 1735, a nursing home, the so-called [[Gravenreuth]] [[Georg Christoph von Gravenreuth|Stift]], was founded by a private foundation in St. Georgen. The cost of the building exceeded the funds of the foundation, but Margrave Frederick came to their aid.

Bayreuth experienced its Golden Age during the reign (1735–1763) of Margrave [[Frederick III of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Frederick]] and Margravine [[Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Wilhelmina]] of [[Principality of Bayreuth|Bayreuth]], the favourite sister of [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederick the Great]]. During this time, under the direction of court architects, Joseph Saint-Pierre and [[Carl von Gontard]], numerous courtly buildings and attractions were created: the [[Margravial Opera House]] with its richly furnished baroque theatre (1744–1748), the New 'Castle' and Sun Temple (1749–1753) at the Hermitage, the New Palace with its courtyard garden (1754 ff) to replace the Old Palace which had burned down through the carelessness of the margrave, and the magnificent row of buildings in today's ''Friedrichstraße''. There was even a unique version of the [[rococo]] architectural style, the so-called Bayreuth Rococo which characterised the aforementioned buildings, especially their interior design.

The old, sombre gatehouses were demolished because they impeded transport and were an outmoded form of defence. The walls were built over in places. Margrave Frederick successfully kept his principality out of the wars being waged by his brother-in-law, Frederick the Great, at this time, and, as a result, brought a time of peace to the Frankish kingdom.

[[File:Friedrichstrasse-Bayreuth.jpg|thumb|Friedrichstraße]]

1742 saw the founding of the [[University of Erlangen-Nuremberg|Frederick Academy]], which became a university in 1743, but was moved that same year to [[Erlangen]] after serious riots because of the adverse reaction of the population. The university has remained there to the present today. From 1756 to 1763 there was also an Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Roman Catholics were given the right to set up a prayer room and Jewish families settled here again. In 1760 the synagogue was opened and in 1787 the Jewish cemetery was dedicated.

Countess Wilhelmina died in 1758, and although Margrave Frederick married again, the marriage was short-lived and without issue. After his death in 1763, many artists and craftsmen migrated to Berlin and Potsdam, to work for King Frederick the Great, because Frederick's successor, Margrave [[Frederick Christian of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Frederick Christian]] had little understanding of art. He also lacked the means due to the elaborate lifestyle of his predecessor, because the buildings and the salaries of the mainly foreign artists had swallowed up a lot of money. For example, the court – which under George Frederick Charles had comprised around 140 people – had grown to about 600 employees by the end of the reign of Margrave Frederick.<ref>Hübschmann, E. et al. (1992). ''Bayreuth – umgeguckt und hinterfragt'', Bumerang Verlag, Bayreuth</ref> By 1769 the principality was close to bankruptcy.

In 1769, Margrave [[Charles Alexander of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Bayreuth|Charles Alexander]], from the Ansbach line of Frankish Hohenzollerns, followed the childless Frederick Christian, and Bayreuth was reduced to a secondary residence. Charles Alexander continued to live in Ansbach and rarely came to Bayreuth.

In 1775, the Brandenburg Pond (''Brandenburger Weiher'') in St.Georgen was drained.

Following the abdication of the last Margrave, Charles Alexander, from the principalities of [[Principality of Ansbach|Ansbach]] and [[Principality of Bayreuth|Bayreuth]] on 2 December 1791 its territories became part of a Prussian province. The Prussian Minister [[Karl August von Hardenberg]] took over its administration at the beginning of 1792.

The town centre still possesses the typical structure of a Bavarian street market: the settlement is grouped around a road widening into a square; the Town Hall was located in the middle. The church stood apart from it and on a small hill stood the castle. Some sixty years later the town (at that time a tiny village) became subordinate to the [[Hohenzollern]] state, and when this state was divided, Bayreuth ended up in the [[County of Kulmbach]].

===19th century===
In 1804, the author [[Jean Paul|Jean Paul Richter]] moved from [[Coburg]] to Bayreuth, where he lived until his death in 1825.

The rule of the Hohenzollerns over the [[Principality of Kulmbach-Bayreuth]] ended in 1806 after the defeat of Prussia by Napoleonic France. During the French occupation from 1806 to 1810 Bayreuth was treated as a province of the French Empire and had to pay high war contributions. It was placed under the administration of Comte [[Camille de Tournon]], who wrote a detailed inventory of the former Principality of Bayreuth. On 30 June 1810 the French army handed over the former principality to what was now the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]], which it had bought from [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Napoleon]] for 15 million francs. Bayreuth became the capital of the Bavarian district of [[Mainkreis (Bavaria)|Mainkreis]], which later transferred into Obermainkreis and was finally renamed as the province of [[Upper Franconia]].

As Bavaria was opened up by the railways, the main line from Nuremberg to Hof went past Bayreuth, running via Lichtenfels, Kulmbach and Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg to Hof. Bayreuth was first given a railway connection in 1853, when the [[Bayreuth–Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg railway]] was built at the town's expense. It was followed in 1863 by the [[Weiden–Bayreuth railway|line to Weiden]], in 1877 by the [[Schnabelwaid–Bayreuth railway|railway to Schnabelwaid]], in 1896 by the [[Bayreuth–Warmensteinach railway|branch line to Warmensteinach]], in 1904 by the [[Bayreuth–Hollfeld railway|branch to Hollfeld]] and in 1909 by the [[Bayreuth Altstadt–Kulmbach railway|branch via Thurnau to Kulmbach]], known as the ''Thurnauer Bockala'' (which means something like "Thurnau Goat").

[[File:Bayreuthfest.jpg|thumb|The [[Bayreuth Festspielhaus]], as seen in 1882]]
On 17 April 1870 [[Richard Wagner]] visited Bayreuth, because he had read about the Margrave Opera House, whose great stage seemed fitting for his works. However, the orchestra pit could not accommodate the large number of musicians required, for example, for the [[Ring of the Nibelung]] and the ambience of the auditorium seemed inappropriate for his piece.<ref>''[[The Artwork of the Future]]'' (''Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft'')</ref> So, he toyed with the idea of building his own festival hall (the ''Festspielhaus'') in Bayreuth. The town supported him in this project and made a piece of land available to him, an undeveloped area outside the town between the railway station and Hohe Warte, the ''{{ill|Grüner Hügel|de}}'' ("Green Hill"). At the same time Wagner acquired a property at ''Hofgarten'' to build his own house, ''[[Wahnfried]]''. On 22 May 1872 the cornerstone for the Festival Hall was laid and, on 13 August 1876, it was officially opened (see [[Bayreuth Festival]]). Planning and construction were in the hands of the Leipzig architect, [[Otto Brückwald]], who had already made a name for himself in the building of theatres in Leipzig and Altenburg.

In 1886, the composer [[Franz Liszt]] died in Bayreuth while visiting his daughter [[Cosima Liszt]], Wagner's widow. Both Liszt and Wagner are buried in Bayreuth; however, Wagner did not die there. Rather, he died in [[Venice]] in 1883, but his family had his body brought to Bayreuth for burial.

===20th century===

==== To the end of the Weimar Republic (1900–1933) ====
[[File:Notgeldbt1920.JPG|thumb|1920 [[emergency money]]: voucher for 25 pfennigs]]
[[File:Notgeldbayreuth.jpg|thumb|1923 emergency money: voucher for a million marks]]
The new century also brought several innovations of modern technology: in 1892, the first electric street lights; in 1908 a municipal electricity station, and, in the same year, the first cinema.

In 1914–15, one section of the northern arm of the Red Main was straightened and widened after areas along the river had been flooded during a period of high water in 1909.

After the [[First World War]] had ended in 1918, the [[Workers' council|Workers' and Soldiers' Council]] took power briefly in Bayreuth. On 17 February 1919, there was a three-day coup, the so-called ''Speckputsch'', a brief interlude of excitement in the otherwise rather staid town.

In a series of ''[[Völkisch movement|völkisch]]'' and [[Nationalism|nationalist]] "Deutscher Tag" (German Days), the [[NSDAP]] organised the event in Bayreuth on 30 September 1923. More than 3,300 military and civilian people gathered (equivalent to 15% of the inhabitants), although [[Minister of Defence]] [[Otto Gessler]] had forbidden the participation of {{lang|de|[[Reichswehr]]}} units.<ref>Martin Schramm: "[http://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/artikel/artikel_44699 Deutscher Tag, Bayreuth, 30. September 1923] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112105105/http://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/artikel/artikel_44699 |date=12 January 2012 }}", in: ''Historisches Lexikon Bayerns''</ref> Among the guests were mayor Albert Preu as well as [[Siegfried Wagner|Siegfried]] and [[Winifred Wagner]], who invited keynote speaker [[Adolf Hitler]] to [[Wahnfried]] house. There he met writer [[Houston Stewart Chamberlain]], son-in-law of [[Richard Wagner]] and [[Antisemitism|anti-semitic]] [[Racism|race theorist]]. Also on that day, [[Hans Schemm]] met Hitler for the first time.

In 1932, the provinces of Upper and Middle Franconia were merged and [[Ansbach]] was chosen as the seat of government. As a small compensation, Bayreuth was given the merged state insurance agency for Upper and Middle Franconia. Unlike the provincial merger, the merger of those institutions was never reversed.

====Nazi era (1933–1945)====
A stronghold of right-wing parties since the 1920s, Bayreuth became a center of [[Nazism|Nazi]] ideology. In 1933, it was made capital of the Nazi [[Gau (country subdivision)|Gau]] [[Gau Bayreuth|Bavarian Eastern March]] (''Bayerische Ostmark'', in 1942 ''Gau Bayreuth''). Nazi leaders often visited the [[Bayreuth Festival|Wagner festival]] and tried to turn Bayreuth into a Nazi model town. It was one of several places in which town planning was administered directly from Berlin, due to Hitler's special interest in the town and in the festival. Hitler loved the music of Richard Wagner, and he became a close friend of [[Winifred Wagner]] after she took over the festival. Hitler frequently attended Wagner performances in the [[Bayreuth Festival Hall]].

Bayreuth was to have received a so-called ''Gauforum'', a combined government building and marching square built to symbolise the centre of power in the town. Bayreuth's first [[Gauleiter]] was [[Hans Schemm]], who was also the head (''Reichswalter'') of the [[National Socialist Teachers League]], NSLB, which was located in Bayreuth. In 1937 the town was connected to the new ''[[Reichsautobahn]]''.

Under [[Nazi dictatorship]] the [[synagogue]] of the [[Jewish Community]] in ''Münzgasse'' was desecrated and looted on [[Kristallnacht]] but, due to its proximity to the Opera House it was not razed. Inside the building, which is once again used by a Jewish community as a synagogue, a plaque next to the [[Torah ark]] recalls the persecution and murder of Jews in the [[The Holocaust|Shoah]], which took the lives of at least 145 Jews in Bayreuth.<ref>''Gedenkstätten für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus. Eine Dokumentation'', Vol. 1. Federal Office for Political Education, Bonn 1995, {{ISBN|3-89331-208-0}}, p. 119 f.</ref><ref>A list of the victims' names is found in "Denk / Steine setzen", published by the Bayreuth History Working Group (''Geschichtswerkstatt Bayreuth''), Bumerang Verlag, Bayreuth 2003. Bayreuth's Jews are considered to be those people who had lived for some time in Bayreuth, were born in Bayreuth or who were deported from Bayreuth.</ref>

During the Second World War, a [[List of subcamps of Flossenbürg|subcamp]] of the [[Flossenbürg concentration camp]] was based in the town,<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.tartanplace.com/tartanhistory/concentrationcamps.html| title = O'Keefe, Christine, ''Concentration Camps''}}</ref> in which prisoners had to participate in physical experiments for the [[V-2]]. [[Wieland Wagner]], the grandson of the composer, [[Richard Wagner]], was the deputy civilian director there in late 1944 and early April 1945.<ref>{{cite news |title= How Wieland Wagner, once Hitler's friend, lifted the Nazi shadow from Bayreuth|date=2017-07-20|url= http://www.dw.com/en/how-wieland-wagner-once-hitlers-friend-lifted-the-nazi-shadow-from-bayreuth/a-39856191|work= Deutsche Welle|access-date= 2017-08-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cleaver|first=Hannah |date=2003-08-02 |title=Wagner's son 'was in charge of Nazi slaves' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/1437820/Wagners-son-was-in-charge-of-Nazi-slaves.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/1437820/Wagners-son-was-in-charge-of-Nazi-slaves.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Telegraph |access-date=2017-08-23}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Shortly before the war's end branches of the [[People's Court (Germany)|People's Court]] (''Volksgerichtshof'') were to have been set up in Bayreuth.<ref>Source and details → [[People's Court (Germany)|People's Court]]</ref>

On 5, 8 and 11 April 1945 about one third of the town, including many public buildings and industrial installations were destroyed by heavy air strikes, along with 4,500 houses. 741 people were also killed. On 14 April, the U.S. Army occupied the town.

====Post-war era (1945–2000)====
After the war Bayreuth tried to part with its ill-fated past. It became part of the [[American Zone of Occupation|American Zone]]. The American military government set up a [[DP camp]] to accommodate [[displaced person]]s (DP), many of whom were [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]].<ref name="DP camps"/> The camp was supervised by the [[United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration|UNRRA]].

The housing situation was very difficult at first: there were about 53,300 inhabitants in the town, many more than before the war began. This increase was primarily due to the high number of refugees and expellees. Even in 1948 more than 11,000 refugees were counted. In addition, because many homes had been destroyed due to the war, thousands of people were living in temporary shelters, even the festival restaurant next to the Festival Hall housed some 500 people.<ref>Bernd Mayer, Wo jeder Zehnte einen Stuhl besaß. In: Heimat-Kurier das historische Magazin des Nordbayerischen Kuriers. No. 3/2004</ref>

In 1945, 1,400 men were conscripted by the town council for "essential work" (clean-up work on damaged buildings and the clearing of roads). A significant number of historic buildings were demolished post-war but cultural life was soon back on track: in 1947 [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] festival weeks were held in the Opera House, from which the Franconian Festival Weeks developed. In 1949 the Festival Hall was used for the first time again and there was a gala concert with the [[Vienna Philharmonic]] led by [[Hans Knappertsbusch]]. In 1951, the first post-war Richard Wagner Festival took place under the leadership of [[Wieland Wagner|Wieland]] and [[Wolfgang Wagner]]. Wieland Wagner's fresh and non-traditional stagings "restored credibility to a theater that had been totally ruined by Nazi ideology."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/how-wieland-wagner-once-hitlers-friend-lifted-the-nazi-shadow-from-bayreuth/a-39856191|title = How Wieland Wagner, once Hitler's friend, lifted the Nazi shadow from Bayreuth &#124; DW &#124; 27.07.2017|website = [[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref>

In 1949, Bayreuth became the seat of the government of Upper Franconia again.

In 1971, the [[Bavarian State Parliament]] decided to establish the [[University of Bayreuth]] and, on 3 November 1975, it opened for lectures and research. There are now about 10,000 students in the town.

In May 1972, a serious accident occurred at the folk festival in the town, when an overcrowded carriage derailed and several people were thrown out. Four died and five were injured, some seriously. At that time, it was the worst disaster on a roller coaster since the Second World War.

In 1979, US Army serviceman [[Roy Chung]] disappeared from the area and allegedly defected to [[North Korea]] via [[East Germany]].

In 1999, the world gliding championship took place at Bayreuth municipal airport.

===21st century===
In 2006, Bayreuth chose its first [[Christian Social Union of Bavaria|CSU]] member and mayor, the lawyer, Michael Hohl, and, in 2007, a [[Youth Parliament]], consisting of 12 young people, aged 14–17 years, was elected for the first time. The end of October saw the opening of the long-planned bus station and its associated office building on the newly created ''Hohenzollernplatz''.

{{See also|House of Hohenzollern#Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach(-Bayreuth)|l1=The Hohenzollern Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach(-Bayreuth)}}

{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+Largest groups of foreign residents<ref>{{cite web|title=Statistisches Jahrbuch der Stadt Bayreuth|url=http://www.bayreuth.de/rathaus-buergerservice/stadtverwaltung/zahlen-fakten/statistisches-jahrbuch/|publisher=Stadt Bayreuth|access-date=2015-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905055844/http://www.bayreuth.de/rathaus-buergerservice/stadtverwaltung/zahlen-fakten/statistisches-jahrbuch/|archive-date=5 September 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref>
|-
! Nationality || Population (2013)
|-
|{{flag|Turkey}} || 938
|-
|{{flag|Russia}} || 434
|-
|{{flag|Italy}} || 364
|-
|{{flag|China}} || 336
|-
|{{flag|Poland}} || 291
|-
|}

===Richard Wagner and Bayreuth===

[[File:Wahnfried 2 db.jpg|thumb|Wagner family home, Haus [[Wahnfried]]]]
The town is best known for its association with the composer [[Richard Wagner]], who lived in Bayreuth from 1872 until his death in 1883. Wagner's villa, "[[Wahnfried]]", was constructed in Bayreuth under the sponsorship of [[King Ludwig II of Bavaria]] and was converted after World War II into a Wagner Museum. In the northern part of Bayreuth is the [[Bayreuth Festspielhaus|Festival Hall]], an [[opera house]] specially constructed for and exclusively devoted to the performance of Wagner's [[opera]]s. The premieres of the final two works of Wagner's ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen|Ring Cycle]]'' ("[[Siegfried (opera)|Siegfried]]" and "[[Götterdämmerung]]"); the cycle as a whole; and of ''[[Parsifal]]'' took place here.

Every summer, Wagner's operas are performed at the Festspielhaus during the month-long Richard Wagner Festival, commonly known as the [[Bayreuth Festival]]. The Festival draws thousands each year and has persistently been sold out since its inauguration in 1876. Currently, waiting lists for tickets can stretch for 10 years or more.

Owing to Wagner's relationship with the then unknown philosopher [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], the first Bayreuth festival is cited as a key turning point in Nietzsche's philosophical development. Though at first an enthusiastic champion of Wagner's music, Nietzsche ultimately became hostile, viewing the festival and its revellers as symptom of cultural decay and bourgeois decadence – an event which led him to turn his eye upon the moral values esteemed by society as a whole – "Nietzsche clearly preferred to see Bayreuth fail than succeed by mirroring a society gone wrong."<ref>Bergmann, Peter. ''Nietzsche: the Last Antipolitical German'', Indiana University press, 1987, p. 102. {{ISBN|0-253-34061-6}}.</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Roter Main (Bayreuth).JPG|thumb|The [[Red Main]] in Bayreuth]]

===Location===
Bayreuth lies on the [[Red Main]] river, the southern of the two headstreams of the river [[Main (river)|Main]], between the [[Fichtelgebirge Mountains]] and [[Franconian Switzerland]]. The town is also part of the [[Nuremberg Metropolitan Region]].

===Town divisions===
The borough of Bayreuth is divided into 39 districts:
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* 1: Westliche Innenstadt (''Western town centre'')
* 2: Östliche Innenstadt/Obere Röth (''Eastern town centre'')
* 3: Cosima-Wagner-Straße/ Nürnberger Straße/Universitätsstraße
* 4: Südöstliche Innenstadt (''Southeastern town centre'')
* 5: Südwestliche Innenstadt (''Southwestern town centre'')
* 6: Birken
* 7: Justus-Liebig-Straße/Quellhöfe/Rückertweg
* 8: Leuschnerstraße/Ludwig-Thoma-Straße
* 9: Saas, originated from the parish village Saas, which was mentioned as early as 1528 in connection with the [[Baptists]]<ref>Holle, J.W. (1901). ''Geschichte der Stadt Bayreuth''. Bayreuth</ref>
* 10: Bismarckstraße/Friedrichstraße/Moritzhöfen
* 11: Freiheitsplatz/Malerviertel
* 12. Erlanger Straße/Wolfsgasse
* 13: Jakobshof
* 14: Hetzennest/Braunhof/Fantaisiestraße
* 15: Meyernberg
* 16: Nördlicher Roter Hügel
* 17: Grüner Hügel/Wendelhöfen
* 18: Kreuz
* 19: Herzoghöhe/Am Bauhof
* 20: Nördliche Innenstadt
* 21: Carl-Schüller-Straße/Bürgerreuther Straße/Gutenbergstraße
* 22: Gartenstadt
* 23: Bürgerreuth/Gravenreutherstraße
* 24: [[Sankt Georgen (Bayreuth)]]/Grüner Baum/Burg
* 25: Östliche Hammerstatt
* 26: Westliche Hammerstatt
* 27: Bernecker Straße/Insel/Riedelsberg
* 28: Industriegebiete St. Georgen
* 29: [[St.Johannis (Bayreuth)|St. Johannis]]
* 30: Neue Heimat
* 31: Oberkonnersreuth
* 32: Laineck
* 33: Westlicher Roter Hügel
* 34: Eubener Straße/Furtwänglerstraße/Schupfenschlag/[[Hohe Warte (ridge)|Hohe Warte]]
* 35: [[Seulbitz (Bayreuth)|Seulbitz]]
* 36: Aichig/Grunau
* 37: Thiergarten/Destuben
* 38: Oberpreuschwitz
* 39: [[Wolfsbach (Bayreuth)|Wolfsbach]]
{{div col end}}

===Climate===
Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The [[Köppen Climate Classification]] subtype for this climate is "Dfb" ([[Humid continental climate]]) using the 0&nbsp;°C isotherm and "[[Köppen climate classification#Group C: Temperate/mesothermal climates|Cfb]]" (Marine West Coast Climate/[[Oceanic climate]]) using the −3&nbsp;°C isotherm.
{{Weather box
|location = Bayreuth
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|Jan high F = 34
|Feb high F = 38
|Mar high F = 46
|Apr high F = 55
|May high F = 67
|Jun high F = 73
|Jul high F = 77
|Aug high F = 76
|Sep high F = 69
|Oct high F = 57
|Nov high F = 42
|Dec high F = 36
|year high F = 54
|Jan low F = 24
|Feb low F = 25
|Mar low F = 30
|Apr low F = 35
|May low F = 43
|Jun low F = 49
|Jul low F = 52
|Aug low F = 52
|Sep low F = 46
|Oct low F = 39
|Nov low F = 32
|Dec low F = 27
|year low F = 38
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.8
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.3
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.4
|Apr precipitation inch = 1.7
|May precipitation inch = 2.2
|Jun precipitation inch = 2.4
|Jul precipitation inch = 2.8
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.7
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.8
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.8
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.7
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.9
|year precipitation inch = 23.4
|source 1 = Weatherbase<ref name=Weatherbase>{{cite web
|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=107541&cityname=Bayreuth-
|publisher=Weatherbase
|title=Weatherbase.com
|year=2013
|access-date=6 July 2013
|archive-date=13 March 2023
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313203240/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=107541&cityname=Bayreuth-
|url-status=dead
}}
Retrieved on 6 July 2013.</ref>
|date=July 2013
}}

==Politics==
The current [[Member of the German Bundestag]] for [[Bayreuth (electoral district)|Bayreuth]] is [[Silke Launert]] from the [[Christian Social Union in Bavaria]].

===Town council===
[[File:Rathaus Bayreuth.JPG|thumb|upright|The town hall]]
The results of the 2026 local elections in Bavaria were as follows (in brackets the change from the 2020 elections):<ref>{{cite web |url=https://online-dienste.bayreuth.de/wahlen/stadtratswahlen/2026/ergebnisse.html |title=Stadtratswahl Bayreuth |publisher=bayreuth.de/|language=de }}</ref>
* [[Christian Social Union of Bavaria|CSU]]: 24.0% (−0.1), 10 seats (=)
* [[Bündnis 90/Die Grünen|Alliance 90/The Greens]]: 14.6% (−3.4), 6 seats (−2)
* [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]: 19.8% (+3.5), 9 seats (+1)
* BG – FW: 11.6% (−3.7), 5 seats (−2)
* [[Alternative for Germany|AfD]]: 10.4% (+6.5), 5 seats (+3) 
* The Independents: 5.0% (+0.2), 2 seats (=)
* Young Bayreuth: 4.8% (−1.7), 2 seats (=)
* [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]]: 3.8% (−1.5), 2 seats (=)
* [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]]: 5.7% (+4.0), 2 seat (+1)
* PRO Bayreuth: 1.6% (+1.6), 1 seat (+1)

===(Lord) Mayors of Bayreuth since 1818===
* 1818–1848: Erhard Christian Hagen von Hagenfels (First legally trained mayor)
* 1851–1863: Friedrich Karl Dilchert (civic mayor)
* 1863–1900: Theodor von Muncker (legally trained mayor)
* 1900–1918: Leopold von Casselmann (legally trained mayor, lord mayor from 1907)
* 1919–30 April 1933: Albert Preu (lord mayor)
* 1 May 1933 – June 1937: Karl Schlumprecht (lord mayor; NSDAP)
* 21 July 1937 – April 1938: Otto Schmidt (lord mayor; NSDAP)
* 3 May 1938 – 30 June 1938: Fritz Wächtler (Gauleiter, self-proclaimed commissarial lord mayor; NSDAP)
* 1 July 1938 – April 1945: Fritz Kempfler (lord mayor; NSDAP)
* 24 April 1945 – November 1945: Joseph Kauper (lord mayor)
* November 1945–30 June 1948: Oscar Meyer (lord mayor)
* 1 July 1948 – 30 April 1958: Hans Rollwagen (lord mayor; SPD)
* 1 May 1958 – 30 April 1988: Hans Walter Wild (lord mayor; SPD)
* 1 May 1988 – 30 April 2006: Dieter Mronz (lord mayor; SPD)
* 1 May 2006 – 30 April 2012: Michael Hohl (lord mayor; CSU)
* 1 May 2012 – 30 April 2020: Brigitte Merk-Erbe (lord mayor; BG)
* 1 May 2020 – 2026: Thomas Ebersberger (lord mayor; CSU)
* Since 2026: Andreas Zippel (lord mayor; SPD)

===Sponsorship===
In 1955 Bayreuth took on sponsorship for displaced [[Sudeten Germans]] from the town of [[Franzensbad]] in Okres Cheb.

===Coat of arms===
Margrave Albert Achilles, who was also Elector of [[Electorate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]], presented the town of Bayreuth in December 1457 with the coat of arms that it still bears today. Two fields show the black and white coat of arms of the Hohenzollerns. The black lion on gold with a red and white border was the municipal coat of arms of the burgraves of Nuremberg. Along the two diagonals are two ''Reuten'', small triangular shovels with a slightly bent shaft. They represent the ending ''-reuth'' in the town's name."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bayreuth.de/dlc/284/download.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-09-18 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206152052/http://bayreuth.de/dlc/284/download.htm |archive-date=6 December 2010}}</ref>

==Culture and places of interest==

===Theatre===
[[File:Bayreuth Markgräfliches Opernhaus 2019-07-20.jpg|thumb|The [[Margravial Opera House]]]]
[[File:Festspielhaus Bayreuth 2016.jpg|thumb|The Richard Wagner Festival Hall on the Green Hill in Bayreuth]]
The [[Margravial Opera House]] was opened in 1748 and is one of the finest Baroque theatres in Europe. The [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] is both a museum and the oldest working ''tableau'' in Bayreuth.

The [[Bayreuth Festspielhaus|Festival Hall]] dates to the 19th century and is now used solely for the [[Bayreuth Festival]]. Only works by [[Richard Wagner]] are performed.

The former ''Stadthalle'' (lit.: city [[hall]]) did not have its own ensemble but was regularly used by the ''[[Theater Hof]]'' as well as various travelling theatres. It has been under reconstruction since 2017 and is supposed to be re-opened under the new name ''Friedrichsforum'' in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-04|title=Friedrichsforum: Bayreuths Großbaustelle feiert Richtfest|url=https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/bayreuth-grossbaustelle-friedrichsforum-feiert-richtfest,S9WTMgm|access-date=2020-11-09|website=BR24|language=de|archive-date=10 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110034454/https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/bayreuth-grossbaustelle-friedrichsforum-feiert-richtfest,S9WTMgm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The only two theatres with their own ensemble are the ''Studiobühne Bayreuth'' and amateur dramatic society, ''Brandenburg Kulturstadt''. The venues of the ''Studiobühne'' are the domicile of the theatre in the ''Röntgenstraße'', the artificial ruins of the [[Hermitage Museum (Bayreuth)|Hermitage]] and the courtyard of piano manufacturer [[Steingraeber & Söhne]].

===Museums===
* The Richard Wagner Museum at [[Wahnfried]] House was the residence of Richard Wagner and his family's home until 1966. Since 1976 it has been a museum with attached national archives and a research centre for the Richard Wagner Foundation in Bayreuth.
* The Jean Paul Museum in the former residence of Richard Wagner's daughter, Eva Chamberlain, with [[autograph]]s, first editions of works, portraits and other pictorial material.
* The Franz Liszt Museum in the house where [[Franz Liszt]] died, with about 300 photographs, scripts and printed papers from the collection of the Munich pianist, Ernst Burger, which were bought by the town of Bayreuth. In addition there is a ''Stummklavier'', made by the [[Rud. Ibach Sohn|Ibach company]] of Haus Wahnfried, letters and first editions of Franz Liszt. Biographic information boards, a mould of the font from Liszt's birthplace [[Raiding, Austria]] and Liszt busts by Antonio Galli enhance the collection. Visits are accompanied by the music of Franz Liszt.
* The Historical Museum in the Old Latin School on ''Kirchplatz''. On the ground floor it portrays the history and development of Bayreuth from the late Middle Ages to the 20th century with a model of the town in the year 1763. On the first floor are divisions covering the art and cultural history of Bayreuth's margravial period (17th and 18th centuries). Another division portrays arts and crafts in Bayreuth and the surrounding area with examples of faience pottery, glass products from the Fichtelgebirge and stone pottery from [[Creußen]]. Painting, crafts, and early industrial artefacts from the Biedermeier period and the late 19th century round off a visit to the museum.
* The [[Kunstmuseum Bayreuth|Museum of Art]] in the Old Town Hall which contains the Helmut and Constanze Meyer Art Foundation, the Georg Tappert collection and the archives and collection of Caspar Walter Rauh. The collections contain key works from the 20th century. They also include the Little Poster Museum (formerly a museum on its own, the collection was integrated into the Museum of Art in 2012<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kunstmuseum Bayreuth: 2012 – Plakatmuseum im Kunstmuseum Bayreuth|url=https://www.kunstmuseum-bayreuth.de/sammlungen/2012-plakatmuseum-im-kunstmuseum-bayreuth/|access-date=2020-11-09|website=www.kunstmuseum-bayreuth.de}}</ref>) and the British American Tobacco's Historical Collection.
* The German Typewriter Museum with a collection of over 400 historic typewriters from the Research and Training Centre for Shorthand and Word Processing in Bayreuth.
* A branch of the Bavarian State Painting Collection was opened in the New Palace in August 2007. 80 works from Dutch and German painters of the late 17th century and 18th century are displayed.
* The Archaeological Museum in the Italian Building of the New Palace was founded in 1827 by the Historic Society. Its eight exhibition rooms include artefacts such as [[New Stone Age]] stone axes, 80 pottery jars from the [[Hallstatt era]] and [[Celts|Celtic]] bronze jewellery. The discoveries on display, which all come from eastern Upper Franconia, especially [[Franconian Switzerland]] and the region around Bayreuth, date from the [[Old Stone Age]] to the [[Middle Ages]]. In the experimental field there is a reconstructed loom, a rock drill and an original ''Schiebemühle''.
* [[Brauerei Gebr. Maisel|Maisel's Brewery]] and Cooper's Museum teaches everything about the production of [[Weizen beer]] on a {{convert|2400|m2|0|abbr=on}} layout, making it the largest brewery in the world,<ref>1988 Guinness Book of Records</ref><ref>[http://www.bayreuth.de/tourism/tourist_information/museums_365.html ''Museums in Bayreuth''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923014845/http://www.bayreuth.de/tourism/tourist_information/museums_365.html |date=23 September 2010 }} at www.bayreuth.de. Accessed on 18 September 2010.</ref> not least due to its collection of over 5,500 beer glasses and mugs.
* The Upper Franconia Prehistory Museum portrays the history of life in Upper Franconia since the beginning of the world. Exhibitions are constantly changing; currently the life-size dinosaurs attract especial interest.
* Bayreuth Football Museum (''Altstadt-Kult-Museum'' of [[SpVgg Bayreuth]])
* The Bayreuth of Wilhelmina Museum in the New Castle
* Fire Brigade Museum
* [[Iwalewahaus|Iwalewa House]], the Africa Centre of the University of Bayreuth
* Johann Baptist Graser School Museum
* Catacombs of the Bayreuth Aktien Brewery
* Margravial state rooms and collection of Bayreuth faiences in the New Castle
* Museum of Agricultural Tools and Equipment
* Lindenhof Natural History Museum
* Richard Wagner Gymnasium School Museum
* Wilhelm Leuschner Memorial
* Wo Sarazen Art

===Buildings===
[[File:Spitalkirche Bayreuth.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|The Spitalkirche]]
* The Hermitage (''Eremitage'')
* Thiergarten Hunting Lodge (''Jagdschloss Thiergarten'')
* New Palace (''Neues Schloss'') and court garden, seat of the margraves from 1753
* St. Georgen Castle (''Ordensschloss St. Georgen'')
* [[Ordenskirche St. Georgen|St. Georgen Church]] (''Ordenskirche St. Georgen'')
* St. John's Parish Church (''St. Johannis'')
* Colmdorf Castle
* ''Rollwenzelei'' with Jean Paul's study (''Dichterstube'')
* Old Palace and castle chapel of Our Dear Lady (''Altes Schloss'')
* Victory Tower (''Siegesturm'')
* Spital Church (''Spitalkirche'')
* Church of the Holy Trinity (''Stadtkirche Heilig Dreifaltigkeit'')
* Stift church (''Stiftskirche'')
<!--* [[Burggüter der Stadt Bayreuth]] -->
* Birken Castle
* The ''Goldener Anker'' hotel
* Baroque parks:
** Hermitage Park, former seat of the margraves, outside the inner town
** Castle and park of ''Fantaisie'', in [[Eckersdorf]] (vicinity of Bayreuth. {{convert|7|km|0|abbr=on}} west)
** ''[[Sanspareil]]'' Park, about {{convert|30|km|0|abbr=off}} west of Bayreuth
* University Botanical Gardens
* Old building of the ''[[Bayreuth Medical Center|Klinikum Bayreuth]]'', now used as the "load-balancing" branch of the [[German Federal Archives|Bundesarchiv]] („Lastenausgleichsarchiv Bayreuth“) mainly dealing with post-World War II ''[[Lastenausgleich]]'' compensation records

===Public parks and cemeteries===
[[File:Neues Schloss in der Eremitage. Bayreuth. IMG 2276.JPG|thumb|The [[Hermitage Museum (Bayreuth)|Eremitage]] with its sun temple]]
In the town centre is the Court Garden ({{lang|de|Hofgarten}}) of the New Palace. Near the Festival Hall is the Festival Park. On the southern edge of the town lie the [[Ecological-Botanical Garden of the University of Bayreuth]]. On the {{lang|de|Königsallee}}, east of the town centre, is the relatively small Miedel Garden.

The best known park in Bayreuth is that of the [[Hermitage Museum (Bayreuth)|Eremitage]] (Hermitage) in the district of [[St. Johannis (Bayreuth)|St. Johannis]]. With a total area of almost 50 hectares, it is the largest park in Bayreuth.

Bayreuth has been chosen to host the Bavarian Country Garden Show in 2016.<ref>[[Bayerischer Rundfunk]]: [http://www.br-online.de/studio-franken/aktuelles-aus-franken/landesgartenschau-2016-wuerzburg-bayreuth-2009-kw14-ID1237907268517.xml Bayreuth bekommt die Landesgartenschau 2016]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bayreuth.de/rathaus-buergerservice/planen-bauen/entwicklung-konzepte/landesgartenschau/ |title=Landesgartenschau |work=Bayreuth.de |access-date=2018-05-21 |language=de-DE |archive-date=1 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101194438/https://www.bayreuth.de/rathaus-buergerservice/planen-bauen/entwicklung-konzepte/landesgartenschau/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> For this reason another park called {{lang|de|Wilhelminenaue}} was built on the Main water meadows between the Volksfestplatz and the A9 motorway.<ref>Bayreuth Stadtnachrichten – Amtsblatt der Stadt Bayreuth, Nr. 2, 30. Januar 2009.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bayreuth.de/rathaus-buergerservice/planen-bauen/wilhelminenaue/ |title=Wilhelminenaue |work=Bayreuth.de |access-date=2018-05-21 |language=de-DE}}</ref>

The oldest surviving cemetery is the Town Cemetery ({{lang|de|Stadtfriedhof}}) with a large number of gravestones of famous people. On the southern edge of the town is the Southern Cemetery ({{lang|de|Südfriedhof}}) and crematorium. The districts of St. Johannis and St. Georgen have their own cemeteries. On {{lang|de|Nürnberger Straße}}, in the east of the town, is a Jewish cemetery.

===Sport===
Over 60 clubs offer just under one hundred sports. The most successful club in the town presently is the Bayreuth Air Sports Community with its gliding team: in 2002 and 2015 the pilots won the Federal Gliding League, and they also won the IGC-World League in 2015.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/league.html?r=total&c=C0&sc=&rt=olc&ltp=first&st=olc-league&sp=2015| title = Final result IGC-World League 2015}}</ref> The street hockey team of the Hurricans Bayreuth have been German runners-up three times (1998/2004/2006) and champions five times (1996/1997/2001/2005/2007). The basketball team of [[Medi Bayreuth]] plays in the [[Basketball Bundesliga]] (division 1), the HaSpo Bayreuth handball team, the footballers of [[SpVgg Bayreuth]] and the volleyball players of [[BSV Bayreuth]] each play in their respective Bavarian League. The ice hockey team, [[EHC Bayreuth]], plays in the [[DEL2]], the second highest ice hockey league in Germany.

Bayreuth had its sporting heyday in the late 1980s and early 90s. The basketball team, [[Steiner Bayreuth]], were twice German Cup winners (1987/1988 and 1988/1989) and in the 1988/1989 season they also won the German championship. The hockey team of Bayreuth's swimming club (SCC) was twice champions of Second Division South and also played for a year in the Hockey League. At the time that the [[table tennis]] team of Steiner Bayreuth was also first class<ref>founded in 1970 by Horst Steiner (*1949) Zeitschrift [[Deutscher Tischtennis Sport|DTS]], 1989/6 dts regional/Süd p.5</ref> (since 1983 2nd Division, in 1984/85, 1986/87 and 1987/88 1st Division,<ref>Zeitschrift [[Deutscher Tischtennis Sport|DTS]], 1984/6 p.32</ref> 1988 relegated<ref>Zeitschrift DTS, 1988/5 p.12</ref> and the team has played for many years in the 2nd Football Division. The table tennis players of the [[1. Bayreuth FC]] played in the 1st Division from 1994 to 1997.

In 1999 the World [[Glider (sailplane)|Glider]] Championships took place in Bayreuth.

===Regular events===
* In January, May, June, July, November and December: Young master pianists (concert series for young pianists from various music academies in the rooms of piano makers, Steingraeber & Söhne)
* April: Bayreuth Easter Festival (charity concerts for children with cancer)
* May: Musica Bayreuth
* June: Uniopenair
* June: Time for New Music
* June: Bayreuth Folk Festival
* July: Bayreuth Town Festival (on the first weekend in July)
* July: Bayreuth Piano Festival
* July–August: [[Bayreuth Festival]], Midsummer Night Festival
* September: Rock in Bayreuth
* September: Bayreuth Baroque (opera performances in the [[Margravial Opera House]])
* October: Bayreuth ''Kneipen'' Festival
* October: Bayreuth Museum Night (the day before the clocks go back)
* October: Since 2008 the town had awarded annually the Margravine Wilhelmina Prize of the Town of Bayreuth as part of the Bayreuth Future Forum symposium of the University of Bayreuth

==Economy and infrastructure==

===Transport===

====Long-distance roads====
Motorways (''Autobahnen''):
* [[Bundesautobahn 9|A&nbsp;9]]: [[Berlin]]–[[Leipzig]]–''Bayreuth''–Nuremberg–[[Ingolstadt]]–[[Munich]]
* [[Bundesautobahn 70|A&nbsp;70]]: [[Schweinfurt]]–[[Bamberg]]–''Bayreuth''

Federal roads (''Bundesstraßen''):
* [[Bundesstraße 2|B&nbsp;2]]: [[Mescherin|Rosow]]–Berlin–[[Lutherstadt Wittenberg]]–Leipzig–[[Gera]]–[[Hof (Saale)|Hof]]–''Bayreuth''–Nuremberg–[[Donauwörth]]–[[Augsburg]]–Munich–[[Mittenwald]]
* [[Bundesstraße 22|B&nbsp;22]]: [[Würzburg]]–Bamberg–[[Hollfeld]]–''Bayreuth''–[[Weiden in der Oberpfalz|Weiden]]–[[Cham (Oberpfalz)|Cham]]
* [[Bundesstraße 85|B&nbsp;85]]: [[Berga (Kyffhäuser)|Berga]]–[[Weimar]]–[[Ludwigsstadt]]–Kulmbach–''Bayreuth''–[[Amberg]]–[[Schwandorf]]–[[Cham (Oberpfalz)|Cham]]–[[Neukirchen vorm Wald]]–[[Passau]]

====Railways====
From [[Bayreuth Hauptbahnhof|Bayreuth Central Station]] (''Hauptbahnhof'') railway lines run north [[Bayreuth–Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg railway|to Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg]], and from there to Bamberg and over the [[Schiefe Ebene]] to Hof, east [[Bayreuth–Warmensteinach railway|to Weidenberg]], southeast [[Weiden–Bayreuth railway|to Weiden]] and south [[Schnabelwaid–Bayreuth railway|to Schnabelwaid]] with connections to [[Nuremberg]] on the [[Nuremberg–Cheb railway|Pegnitz Valley Railway]]. The lines around Bayreuth are all single-tracked and non-electrified.

Since 23 May 1992 [[tilting train|tilting]] [[DB Class 610|Class 610]] [[diesel multiple units]] have worked the Pegnitz Valley route. These were bought by the former [[Deutsche Bundesbahn]] specifically for the winding track.

Since a 2006/2007 timetable change, Bayreuth has no longer been connected to the DB's long-distance network. However, the [[Franken-Sachsen-Express]] still provides a direct connection to Dresden (since December 2007, every two hours). This service is worked by [[DBAG Class 612|Class 612]] diesel multiple units. There are also [[Regional-Express]] links via [[Lichtenfels, Bavaria|Lichtenfels]] to [[Bamberg]] and [[Würzburg]], and via Lichtenfels and [[Kronach]] to [[Saalfeld]].

====Local public transport====
[[File:ZOH Bayreuth.jpg|thumb|The central bus station (ZOH) at the {{lang|de|Hohenzollernplatz}}]]
The town bus routes are operated by Bayreuth Transport and Public Baths (BVB) ({{lang|de|Bayreuther Verkehrs- und Bäder GmbH}}). Sometimes private bus operators run services on behalf of the transport companies. The 15 routes (lines 301–315) operate from Monday to Friday at 20 or 30-minute intervals; on Saturday and Sunday the interval is extended to 30 minutes. Late evening services (from about 20 to 12 pm during the week and to 1 am at weekends), on Sunday mornings a simplified network of six lines (lines 321–326) runs buses at 30-minute intervals. Some lines then operate like an on-call taxi service. The network is star-shaped. Originally, the central station was at the market square in {{lang|de|Maximilianstrasse}}. Since 27 October 2007 the Central Bus Station (ZOH) has been at {{lang|de|Hohenzollernplatz}} at the junction of {{lang|de|Kanalstraße}} on the {{lang|de|Hohenzollernring}}. At this stop there are also bus stops for local buses to facilitate transfers.

Regional rail is operated by the [[Omnibusverkehr Franken]]. From 1 January 2010 public transport from the town and district of Bayreuth was integrated into the [[Nuremberg Regional Transport Network]] ({{lang|de|Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg}}).

====Cycling====
In most places there is a signed [[Segregated cycle facilities|cycle path]] network. In the centre of Bayreuth itself, cycling is fairly straightforward due to the relatively flat [[topography]], something which encourages the use bicycles as an everyday means of transport. Because of the proximity of the 600 kilometre long [[Main Cycleway]], Bayreuth is also a destination for many tourist [[cycle route]]s. Because of the long service intervals of the Bayreuth town bus system and its long overnight pause, students use bicycles as their everyday mode of transport. Bicycles may be carried for a fee on [[DB Regio]] trains leaving Bayreuth and in the VGN's buses.<ref>[http://www.vgn.de/24C101EC-A6FE-11D7-AE44-00034709FE0C Fahrradmitnahme] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006002546/http://www.vgn.de/24C101EC-A6FE-11D7-AE44-00034709FE0C |date=6 October 2010 }}, vgn.de.</ref>

====Air transport====
The local airport supports Bayreuth's commercial aviation traffic, individual business travel, general aviation and air sports. There is no commercial service any more: In 2001, the service which used to operate three times a day from Frankfurt via Bayreuth to Hof, stopped service.

The airfield at Bindlacher Berg is also one of the most important bases for gliding in Germany. For example, the World Championships took place here in 1999. For the air sports community in Bayreuth, the airport is a departure point for glider flights taking part in the national Bundesliga competition league. The local gliding club also provides instruction in flying gliders and light aircraft. The nearest international airport is [[Nuremberg Airport]], which is located {{convert|85|km|0|abbr=on}} south of Bayreuth.

{{See also|Bayreuth Airport}}

===Important firms===
* [[Basell]] Bayreuth Chemie (Producer of polyolefins)
* [[Brauerei Gebrüder Maisel]] (wheat beer specialist)
* [[British American Tobacco]] (Germany) GmbH (cigarette production)
* [[Cherry (keyboards)|Cherry]] (Data entry devices, switches and sensors, car motifs)
* [[Cybex (keyboards)|Cybex]]
* [[Grundig Business Systems]] (world market leader for professional dictaphone systems)
* [[W. Markgraf]] (construction)
* [[medi]] (medical aids)
* [[Stäubli]] (textile machines, technical couplings and robot arms)
* [[Steingraeber & Söhne]] piano manufacturers
* [[TenneT TSO]] system operator
* [[Zapf GmbH|Zapf]] (manufacturer of ready-made garages and houses)
* [[Trans Space Travels]] (Private space plane development firm)

===Former important firms===
* [[F. C. Bayerlein]] 1809–1979 (textile company: weaving, spinning, cotton-spinning and dying)

===Media===
[[File:Radio Mainwelle Bayreuth.JPG|thumb|upright|Radio Mainwelle]]
* ''Nordbayerischer Kurier'' (daily paper)
* ''Fränkische Zeitung'' (FZ); formerly the ''Bayreuther Anzeiger'', renamed in October 2008 (advertising paper)
* ''Bayreuther Sonntag'' (advertising paper)
* ''Bayreuth4U'' (town magazine)
* [[Bayerischer Rundfunk]] (North Upper Franconia correspondent office). In the 1950s/1960s Bayerische Rundfunk operated a radio station in Bayreuth on [[medium wave]] with a [[frequency]] of 520 [[kHz]] and a transmitter power of 200 [[watt (unit)|watt]]s using a 60-metre high transmission mast.
* Campus TV (University of Bayreuth media project in media science)
* ''Der Tip'' (University of Bayreuth student paper)
* ''Oberfränkische Wirtschaft'', (trade magazine for Upper Franconia)
* Radio Galaxy (local radio station for the Bavaria-wide youth radio)
* Radio Mainwelle (local radio)
* Schalltwerk (University of Bayreuth internet radio)

===Garrison===
For centuries Bayreuth was also a [[garrison|garrison town]] for the [[Prussian Army]], [[Royal Bavarian Army]], {{lang|de|[[Reichswehr]]}}, ''[[Wehrmacht]]'', [[US Army]], German Army (''[[Bundeswehr]]'') and the German Border Police (''[[Bundesgrenzschutz]]''). In the early 1990s, following the end of the [[Cold War]] the garrison tradition of the town came to an end when the ''Bundeswehr's'' Margrave Barracks (''Markgrafenkaserne'') and the Röhrensee Barracks (''Röhrenseekaserne''), used by the US Army and the BGS (''Grenzschutzabteilung Süd 3''), were closed.

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}[[File:Bayreuths-Partnerstädte.jpg|thumb|150px|Bayreuth's twin towns]]
Bayreuth is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref name=twins>{{cite web |title=Partnerstädte, Kooperationen|url=https://www.bayreuth.de/rathaus-buergerservice/stadtverwaltung/partnerstaedte/|website=bayreuth.de|publisher=Bayreuth|language=de|access-date=2021-02-07}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Annecy]], France (1966)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Rudolstadt]], Germany (1990)
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[La Spezia]], Italy (1999)
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Prague 6]], Czech Republic (2008)
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Tekirdağ]], Turkey (2012)

Since 1990, there is also a cultural partnership with the state of [[Burgenland]], Austria, and a university partnership between the University of Bayreuth and the [[Washington and Lee University]] in [[Lexington (Virginia)|Lexington]], [[Virginia]].

==Notable people==

===1600–1700===
[[File:Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth.jpg|thumb|140px|Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth]]
* [[Anna Maria von Eggenberg, née Brandenburg-Bayreuth]] (1609–1680), Princess of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
* [[Erdmann August of Brandenburg-Bayreuth]] (1615–1651), Prince of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
* [[Georg Albrecht, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach]] (1619–1666), founder of the Kulmbach subline
* [[Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth]] (1644–1712), Margrave of the Frankish Principality of Bayreuth
* [[Christian Heinrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth-Kulmbach]], (1661–1708), nobleman
* [[Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth]] (1671–1727), Electress of Saxony
* [[George William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth]] (1678–1726), Margrave of the Frankish Principality of Bayreuth

===1701–1800===
* Princess [[Wilhelmine of Bayreuth]] (1709–1758), monarch
* [[Casimir Christoph Schmidel]] (1718–1791), physician and botanist
* [[Johann David Schoepf]] (1752–1800), surgeon, botanist, zoologist and naturalist
* [[Anna Heinel]] (1753–1808), dancer
* [[Johann Christian Ritter]] (1755–1810), first printer in South Africa
* [[Johann Georg Wunderlich]] (1755–1819), flutist, university teacher and composer
[[File:Rudolf Wagner.jpg|thumb|150px|Rudolf Wagner]]
* [[Ludwig Abeille]] (1761–1838), pianist and composer
* [[Jean Paul]] (1763–1825), German romantic writer
* [[Ludwig Förster]] (1797–1863), Austrian-German architect
* [[Heinrich von Gagern]] (1799–1880), politician, first president of the Frankfurt National Assembly on 19 May 1848
* [[August Riedel]] (1799–1883), painter

===1801–1900===
* [[Rudolf Wagner]] (1805–1864), anatomist and physiologist
* [[Max Stirner]] (1806–1856), philosopher and journalist
* [[Franz Liszt]] (1811–1886), Hungarian composer
* [[Eduard Riedel]] (1813–1885), architect
* [[Moritz Wagner (naturalist)|Moritz Wagner]] (1813–1887), traveler, geographer and naturalist
* [[Richard Wagner]] (1813–1883), composer
* [[Wilhelm von Diez]] (1839–1907), painter and illustrator
* [[Oskar Panizza]] (1853–1921), psychiatrist, dissident author
* [[Franz Muncker]] (1855–1926), literary historian
* [[Theodor von der Pfordten]] (1873–1923), High Court Judge at the Bavarian Supreme Court and participant killed in the [[Beer Hall Putsch]]
* [[Fritz Neuland]] (1889–1969), lawyer
* [[Wilhelm Leuschner]] (1890–1944), trade unionist and politician (SPD)
* [[Fritz Rasp]] (1891–1976), film and stage actor
* [[Hans Schemm]] (1891–1935), teacher, politician and Gauleiter (NSDAP)
* [[Robert Ritter von Greim]] (1892–1945), Army and Air Force officer, 1945 [[Field Marshal]]

===1901–1950===
* [[Ludwig Kirschner]] (1904–1945), German officer, Major-General last in World War II
* [[Ludwig Ruckdeschel]] (1907–1968), politician (NSDAP) and Gauleiter
* [[Eberhard Wagner]] (born 1938), German linguist and author
* [[Wieland Wagner]] (1917–1966), opera director and designer
* [[Friedelind Wagner]] (1918–1991), eldest daughter of [[Siegfried Wagner]]
* [[Wolfgang Wagner]] (1919–2010), opera director and designer
* [[Max von der Grün]] (1926–2005), writer
* [[Walter Demel]] (1935–2023), cross country skier
* [[Udo Steiner]] (born 1939), Judge of the Constitutional Court
* [[Gottfried Wagner]] (born 1947), opera director, multimedia director and publicist

===From 1951===
* [[Horst Knörrer]] (born 1953), mathematician
* [[Asha Noppeney]] (born 1954), athlete
* [[Klaus Schilling]] (born 1956), Professor of Robotics and Telematics
* [[Gudrun Brendel-Fischer]] (born 1959), politician (CSU)
* [[Stefan Rauh]] (born 1963), musician, composer and music publisher
* [[Saskia Marka]] (born 1975), German film title designer
* [[Martin Schöffel]] (born 1979), politician (CSU)
* [[Katharina Wagner]] (born 1978), opera director
* [[Maya Karin]] (born 1979), Malaysian actress, television personality, and singer
* [[Thomas Reiser]] (born 1979), philologist and translator
* [[Anne Haug]] (born 1983), triathlete
* [[Florian Mayer]] (born 1983), tennis player
* [[Philipp Petzschner]] (born 1984), tennis player

==Gallery==
<gallery>
blickbtstadtkirche.jpg|View of Bayreuth from the ''Stadtkirche''
Stadtkirche Bayreuth.jpg|The ''Stadtkirche''
Neues schloß bayreuth.JPG|The New Palace
Rollwenzelei.jpg|''Rollwenzelei'' with [[Jean Paul]]'s study (''Dichterstube'')
Mohren-Apotheke Bayreuth.JPG|The Mohren Apothecary on the town square
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Bayreuth coffee maker]] manufactured by [[Walküre Porzellan]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="DP camps">{{cite journal | url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages\D\I\Displacedpersonscamps.htm | title=Displaced persons camps | publisher=Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies | author=Maruniak, Volodymyr | journal=[[Encyclopedia of Ukraine]] | year=1984 | volume=1}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{wikivoyage}}
* {{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}
* [https://www.uni-bayreuth.de/ University of Bayreuth website] {{in lang|de}}
* [https://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/ Bayreuther Festspiele website]
* [https://www.picturechoice.org/franconia/bayreuth/index.html Images from Bayreuth] {{in lang|en|de}}

{{Germany districts Bavaria}}
{{Germany Bayreuth district}}
{{WWII DP camps}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bayreuth| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Upper Franconia]]
[[Category:Displaced persons camps in the aftermath of World War II]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Germany]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 12th century]]
[[Category:Urban districts of Bavaria]]