Bayreuth

Bayreuth is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Frankish Alb and the Fichtelgebirge. It is the capital of Upper Franconia. Population: 74,000 (2001).

History

Bayreuth was first mentioned in 1194 and may have been founded by the counts of Andechs. 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 belonged to the county of Kulmbach.

Related Topics:
1194 - Andechs - Hohenzollern - Kulmbach

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The turning point of the town's history was in 1603, when the margrave of Kulmbach (in the meantime also called Brandenburg-Kulmbach) decided to move his residence to Bayreuth. The develepmont of the new capital firstly stagnated due to the Thirty Years' War, but afterwards many famous baroque buildings were added to the town. Especially during the reign of margravine Wilhelmine several parks and castles were built which constitute much of Bayreuth's present appearance.

Related Topics:
1603 - Thirty Years' War - Baroque - Wilhelmine

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In 1769 the last margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (or Brandenburg-Bayreuth) died without an heir, and the state was annexed by the neighbouring Ansbach. Bayreuth was no longer a state capital. Soon after it became Prussian (1792), French (1806) and finally Bavarian (1810).

Related Topics:
1769 - Ansbach - 1792 - 1806 - 1810

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In 1872 the composer Richard Wagner moved to Bayreuth. For the connection between Wagner and the town, see below.

Related Topics:
1872 - Richard Wagner

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Later Bayreuth became a scene of the Nazi ideology. Nazi leaders often visited the Wagner festival and tried to turn Bayreuth into a Nazi model town. It was one of several cities in which town planning was administered directly from Berlin, due to Hitler's special interest in the town and in the festival.

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Bayreuth was heavily bombed at the end of World War II.

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After the war Bayreuth tried to part with its ill-fated past. The Wagner festival started again in 1951. In 1975 the Bayreuth University was founded and largely contributed to the further growth of the town. In 1999 the world gliding championship took place at Bayreuth municipal airport.

Related Topics:
1951 - 1975

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