Wahnfried

Wahnfried

Wahnfried was the name given by Richard Wagner to his villa in Bayreuth. The name is a German compound of Wahn (delusion, madness) and Fried(e), (peace, freedom).

The house was constructed from 1872 to 1874 under Carl Wölfel's supervision after plans from Berlin architect Wilhelm Neumann, the plans being altered according to some ideas of Wagner. The front of the house shows Wagner's motto "Hier wo mein Wähnen Frieden fand – Wahnfried – sei dieses Haus von mir benannt." ("Here where my delusions have found peace, let this place be named Wahnfried.")

The grave of Richard Wagner and his wife Cosima lies on the grounds of Wahnfried. The house has been a museum since 1976. Visitors can take a walk in the remote Hofgarten, the baroque park of Bayreuth's New Castle, to where a path directly leads.

The back of Wahnfried, with the grave of Richard and Cosima Wagner in the foreground

A stylized version of Villa Wahnfried was used for the sets of Stefan Herheim's new production of Parsifal at the Bayreuth Festival in 2008.

External links

• Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth
• Richard Wagner's Grave
•  "Wahnfried". New International Encyclopedia. 1905.

Coordinates: 49°56′28″N 11°34′56″E / 49.941111°N 11.582222°E