Urban Art — new perspec­tives in Bayreuth

Bayreuth, halfway between Berlin and Munich, is a great destination when it comes to street art and urban art, meaning art in public spaces.

Urban Art in Bayreuth

As far as music and culture is concerned, Bayreuth is widely known and its repu­ta­tion is undis­puted. With the operas of Richard Wagner performed at the Bayreuth Festival, with its two world-class opera houses, one of which is even a UNESCO World Heri­tage Site, and with its nume­rous inter­na­tional festi­vals, Bayreuth takes its place among the very best. 

The world of Wilhel­mine, with its fairy­tale castles and parks, is also tremen­dously appe­aling. What is still curr­ently unbe­known to a lot of people, is that Bayreuth is also a fanta­stic desti­na­tion when it comes to urban art. Visit us now and discover the public art and street art that Bayreuth has to offer! Welcome to Bayreuth!

Bayreuth’s Open-Air Gallery – Bayreuth’s Sculp­ture Mile

Bayreuth’s Open-Air Gallery comprises around 35 objects, sculp­tures, plas­tics and street art murals, inclu­ding the major projects of Bayreuth’s Sculp­ture Mile with works by eminent 20th century artists such as Alfred Hrdlicka, Horst Antes or Carl Fredrik Reuters­wärd. The works of art can mostly be found in the historic city centre, but also in the Festival Park and at the university.

She´s back – Street Art for Bayreuth

With the series “She’s back – Street Art for Bayreuth” in 2018, the year of the reope­ning of the Margra­vial Opera House (LINK), an addi­tional fi ve spec­ta­cular, large-scale murals were created by inter­na­tional street artists. This firmly estab­lished Bayreuth among connois­seurs and fans as a hot insider tip as far as street art is concerned. Los Angeles-based American artist, Drew Merrit, created a large-scale portrait of Wilhelmine’s only daughter, who was considered the most beau­tiful prin­cess in Europe in her day. He depicts her as a young woman with modern facial features and a contem­po­rary expres­sion. The mural created by the Austrian artist, Nychos, depicts Wilhel­mine in comic style. Further murals were created by Stohead, Matthias Mross and Case Maclaim.

Spec­ta­cular: Bayreuth’s New Urban Art Hotel

In the new Urban Art Hotel, opened in 2022, a unique hotel project has emerged very close to the historic centre of Bayreuth. The smart-hotel, in which every room is a work of art in its own right, was created by over 50 street artists from Argen­tina, Brazil, Chile, the USA, the UK, France, the Nether­lands, Poland, Russia, Japan, Austria and Germany. Among them are a number of big names from the scene, such as Elle from New York City, the British artist D‑Face, Super A from the Nether­lands or Hera of the artist duo Herakut from Berlin.

City tour: Art in Public Spaces

The best way to expe­ri­ence urban and street art in Bayreuth is by joining one of our “Art in Public Spaces” city tours. The two-hour guided tour can be booked by appoint­ment throug­hout the year, but the urban art tour is also open to the general public on various dates: the 29th April, the 24th June, the 12th August and the 16th September 2022, at 4 p.m. on each occasion.

Further infor­ma­tion: Tourist-Infor­ma­tion, Opern­straße 22, 95444 Bayreuth, Tel. +49 921 /885–88