Wahnfried

Richard and Cosima Wagner made their home at Wahnfried in Bayreuth, shown above, which was largely funded by Ludwig II, and they are both buried there. There is a statue of Ludwig too (below).

The name literally means "where my delusions, madness (wahn) have found peace, freedom (fried)." Much of it was damaged in World War II and really only the front facade preserves the original.

The photo below of Cosima is from 1877 in London. Wagner would die in Venice in 1883; she would live until 1930 - dying at the age of 92.

Here is Cosima and Siegfried, her son with Wagner, around 1929. Siegfried was bisexual, which caused the family no end of problems.

Wahnfried remained a family home until 1973 and it is now a museum and research center (website here). The Bayreuth Festspielhaus (Bayreuth Festival Theater), where Wagner's operas are performed each year, is on the northern side of the city.