While I was in the general area (Munich is about 2 hours away), I just had to tick off this Opera House. The year 2017, when the renovations are meant to be over, seems so far away: too long to wait. Bayreuth provided a handy short break in my long drive back home from the South of Germany. I left my hotel in Munich early and arrived at the city center of Bayreuth at 9.30 a.m.. This city has some 70,000 inhabitants, and the center was a nice surprise. The Opera House surely isn't the only monument the nobility has left Bayreuth. It's worth walking around for a couple of hours.

The Margravial Opera House is among the smaller of the many chic buildings. Its 18th-century facade is original and one of the reasons for its OUV. Unfortunately, it lies in the shade early in the morning, so it was difficult to take good pictures or even enjoy the finer details.

Inside I paid the 2,5 EUR entrance fee to see the exhibition. The ticket seller asked if I was aware that the theatre hall itself was under renovation - clearly, they want to lower the expectations. Two exhibition rooms are now available on two floors: the first focuses on the technicalities of the restoration, and the second on the building's history and former use. A caretaker came upstairs with me to show me the possibilities of the audiovisual 'table'. This is indeed a good addition, as it shows you what the interior of the theatre looks like from all corners. You can also zoom into the various ornaments.

The route between the two exhibition rooms passes the Court Loge and the original staircase. Here you get a hint of what the rest might look like. From this viewpoint, you can also peek inside the main area, but there's nothing more to see than scaffolding and coverings. In total I spent about 20 minutes inside - still wondering why on earth the WH nomination and the undoubtedly necessary restoration works weren't better coordinated time-wise.