The university town in northern
Bavaria where in 1876
Richard Wagner built his own theatre (the
Festspielhaus) and established his own
music festival for the performance of his own
operas, and which continues in that role to this day, the holy shrine for
Wagnerians.
It has always been run by Wagner's family and there is now a battle for succession; some factions want it opened up to more than Wagner. It is currently Wolfgang Wagner, grandson of the composer, and a musical conservative. The head of Bayreuth is one of the key musical positions in Germany, and the appointment has input from all levels of government.
Dragons for a staging of the Ring Cycle once turned up in Lebanon by mistake... Beirut...