Bayreuth Bayreuth Bayreuth (; ) (Bavarian: Bareid) is a medium-sized city in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the early 21st century, it is the capital of Upper Franconia and has a population of 72,148 (2015). It is world-famous for its annual Bayreuth Festival, at which performances of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. The town is believed to have been founded by the counts of Andechs probably around the mid-12th century, but was first mentioned
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