Peek inside Richard Wagner's newly restored house

"Where I found peace from my delusions" is a very rough translation of Richard Wagner's neologism "Wahnfried" - "Wahn" meaning delusion and "Fried" peace. The itinerant composer finally found a permanent home only when he was approaching age 70. The bust in front is that of the visionary (or delusional?) King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who funded both Wagner's festival and his mansion.

For the first time, the garden has been restored to look like it did when Richard and Cosima Wagner gazed upon it. The couple is buried just behind it, along with Wagner's dog, Russ. This opulent back yard extends directly into the vast park of Bayreuth Palace.

It may look as though the Wagners had left on a trip - except for the cloth and clase casings. The furniture stands where the originals once did, most of them destroyed during an air raid in April 1945 during the final weeks of World War II. Originals from the Wagner residence that survived the ravages of time are protected behind glass.

This part of the expanded facility is brand new. So as not to disturb the initial impression of the historic Wahnfried and the Siegfried Wagner House off to the left, it's tucked away off to the rear and is visible only after approaching the house. There are temporary exhibitions on the ground level, while underground rooms house the permanent exhibits and Wagner Archive.

You don't need your opera glasses to appreciate these. The costumes are housed in the part of the museum that is underground and deals with Bayreuth Festival history after Richard Wagner's death in 1883.

Pictures are an indispensible part of any historical exhibition. These, to go along with the original costumes, seem to float in space behind glass panes. Here we see an Isolde from a bygone era.

With this miniature replica of Richard Wagner's festival theater, it's possible to peek inside and get an impression of the famous covered orchestra pit beneath the stage. In the original, the overall construction creates a blend of instrumental and vocal sound ideally suited to Wagner's music.

After taking in the exhibits, visitors can restore their energy here - or deplete it, depending on their mood and the piece - and listen to a selection of over 500 recordings. While the ear is being stimulated, the eye rests on a Japanese garden outside the window.

Richard Wagner's original scores and letters are stored behind high-security doors in the subterranean archive. The air conditioning there not only keeps the objects cool. Its special mix with reduced oxygen levels also protects against fire damage.

The Siegfried Wagner House is next to Wahnfried. The multimedia exhibition there has nothing but floor-level information panels with texts and images. Meanwhile, recorded voices tell of the era of Winifred Wagner and the Third Reich.

This exhibit has to be protected as well. In an earlier era, female Wagner devotees would kneel there, clutch it and sob. The "Master" passed away on this object while the Wagners were in Venice, and it was returned to Bayreuth along with his remains.