Bayreuth 1904 by the branch to Hollfeld and in 1909 by the branch via Thurnau to Kulmbach, known as the "Thurnauer Bockala" (which means something like "Thurnau Goat"). On 17 April 1870 Richard Wagner visited Bayreuth, because he had read about the Margrave Opera House, whose great stage seemed fitting for his works. However, the orchestra pit could not accommodate the large number of musicians required, for example, for the Ring of the Nibelung and the ambience of the auditorium seemed inappropriate for his piece. So, he toyed with the idea of building his own festival hall (the "Festspielhaus") in Bayreuth.
Gau Bayreuth the "Gau" was also home to the Flossenbürg concentration camp and its many subcamps. Because the "Gau Bayerische Ostmark" was not a border region any more, it was renamed into "Gau Bayreuth" in 1942. Wächtler was shot on orders of Hitler, having left his capital Bayreuth in April 1945. He was replaced by Ludwig Ruckdeschel, whose reign until the surrender of Nazi Germany was very brief. The Gauleiter of Gau Bayreuth: Ludwig Ruckdeschel was also the deputy "Gauleiter" from 1 February 1933 to June 1941. In this position, he led the "Gau" from Hans Schemm's death to the appointment of