Prinzregententheater

In Munich, at the edge of the Haidhausen district, stands a theatre built for one composer above all: the Prinzregententheater. Ernst von Possart wanted a stage for Richard Wagner's operas, and Max Littmann gave it form on the model of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, replacing the traditional boxes with an amphitheatre of seats. On 21 August 1901 it opened with Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, before an audience that found the view of the stage unimpeded from every row, and the name comes from Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria.

The twentieth century tested the building hard. Bombs damaged it during the Second World War, yet when the Nationaltheater lay in ruins the theatre took in the Bavarian State Opera from 1944 to 1963. Only in 1988, after extensive restoration, did it return to full activity, with 1,122 seats and acoustics that still carry a voice cleanly to the last row.

Today two lives coexist under the Art Nouveau and classical lines of the façade: the Bavarian Staatsschauspiel fills the stage with productions, while inside works the Bavarian Theatre Academy founded by August Everding, which trains students in eight degree programmes for the stage professions. Enter when a rehearsal spills into the foyer: the place where Munich learned Wagner now teaches its next generation. The building is also accessible to wheelchair users.