The Margraves' Opera House in Bayreuth

The theater, entirely made of wood, is a flamboyant example of the so-called “Bayreuth rococo” style, which also marks several other buildings of this golden era in the city. 

Built between 1746 and 1750, this baroque jewel was commissioned by the Margraves couple Friedrich and Wilhelmine von Brandenburg-Kulmbach (Wilhelmine was Friedrich the Great’s sister), to at that time Europe-wide acclaimed theater architect Giuseppe Galli Bibiena and his son Carlo. 

The Opera house has been a museum since 2009. It was acknowledged as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2012, for being “a unique and remarkable witness of a cultural tradition or a lost culture.” 

Between 2012 and 2018, the building was completely closed for extensive renovation efforts. Up to 60% of the old paintings had been covered since the last renovation campaign in 1936. The paintings now had been brought back to light to show the theatre’s original bright colors and magnificent shine.