The Gesellschaft der Freunde von  bayreuth

Under the terms of its statutes, the aim of the Gesellschaft der Freunde von Bayreuth (Society of Friends of Bayreuth) is to provide financial support for the Bayreuth Festival. Funds are provided directly in the form of a subsidy that contributes towards the Festival’s annual running costs and to technical and structural improvements, thereby making an important contribution to the future of this unique institution.

It was as long ago as 1948 that a group of leading figures came together with the aim of providing the funding that was necessary if the Bayreuth Festival was to make a new start. The Gesellschaft der Freunde von Bayreuth was formed in 1949 and gave active financial support to the Festival when it reopened two years later. Bayreuth’s rebirth was a great success, a success that was by no means a foregone conclusion in the light of the country’s recent past but which marked the beginning of international discussions on the whole subject of the Bayreuth Festival.

The number of Friends of Bayreuth has continued to grow since its beginnings in 1949, and the Gesellschaft now has more than five thousand members, making it one of the largest and most financially powerful sponsorship groups in Germany.