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.
Bayreuth Altstadt–Kulmbach railway Bayreuth Altstadt–Kulmbach railway The Bayreuth Altstadt–Kulmbach railway was a branch line in the Bavarian province of Upper Franconia in southern Germany. It was also known colloquially as the "Thurnauer Bockela" (which roughly translates as "Little Thurnau Goat"). On 17 August 1872 the market town of Thurnau applied for the envisaged railway line from Forchheim through Hollfeld to Bayreuth not to be routed to Bayreuth but via Thurnau to Kulmbach, and to extend it via Nordhalben to Eichicht (de) and thus link it with the line to Jena. But after the Forchheim–Plankenfels–Bayreuth railway project went into a concrete planning stage in