In 1876, Wagner founded the festival in his own theatre in Bayreuth, exclusively for his own work. Here, he also spent the last decade of his life in his first home, 'Wahnfried'. After his death, it developed into the centre of an ideological Wagner cult. During the Nazi era, as the residence of the Wagner family, it was closely associated with Adolf Hitler. Partially destroyed by a bomb in 1945, Wahnfried was rebuilt true to the original from 1974 onwards. It opened as the Richard Wagner Museum in 1976.

This publication traces the 50-year history of the museum and highlights Wahnfried as a place of remembrance located between artistic heritage, political instrumentalization, and critical re-evaluation. Richly illustrated, it documents the transformation, research into, and presentation of a house highly significant in German cultural history.

• 50 Years of Wahnfried - relating history, stories, and insights into the Richard Wagner Museum, not only for Wagner fans