BAIREUTH, or Bayreuth, the capital of the circle of Upper Franconia, in Bavaria, is pleasantly situated in a valley on the left bank of the Red Maine, 40 miles N.N.E. of Nuremberg. It is well built, with broad, regular, and well-paved streets, and is partially surrounded by old walls. The river is crossed here by two bridges. Most of the buildings are of compaι∙atively modern date, the city having suffered severely from the Hussites in 1430, and from a conflagration in 1621. Among the more important are—the old castle, erected in 1454, the new castle, built in 1753, the opera-house, one of the finest in Germany, the gymnasium, founded in 1664, the riding school, and the barracks. Among the ecclesiastical buildings, the Stadtkirche, dating from 1439, and containing the monuments of the margraves of Baireuth, is the most important; and there are also a handsome synagogue, a public library, theatre, hospital, and an orphan and a lunatic asylum. In 1841,a monument, by Schwanthaler,was erected here to Jean Paul Richter, who spent the last twenty years of his life in the city, and has left some beautiful descriptions of the neighbourhood in his Siebenkäs. His house was in Fried-richsstrasse. Baireuth is a railway junction, and has an active trade, chiefly in grain and horses. It manufactures woollen, linen, and cotton goods, leather, delft and other earthenware, and tobacco, and has also several breweries and distilleries. About half a league distant is the village of St George, noted for its marble works; and about two miles to the E. is the Hermitage, a fanciful building, erected in the early part of the last century, with gardens containing terraces, statues, and fountains. Baireuth has been chosen by Richard Wagner as the scene of his musical festivals, and a ...