Culture and Folk Art : Germany

Bavaria spends well over DM 100 million every year to conserve its cultural heritage. Munich boasts not only the Deutsches Museum, which ‘uses the world’s largest collection devoted to the history of science and technology, but also many listoric buildings and art museums such as the Alte and Neue Pinakothek, Lenbach House and the Schack Gallery. Nuremberg, the city of Albrecht Diirer M528) and Hans Sachs (1494-1576), preserves rne of the finest examples of late medieval treasures!ts churches. The National Museum of German Culture is itself worth a special trip to the city.

The churches in the Banz and Etta! monasteries, the Vierzehnheiligen basilica and the Wieskirche near Steingaden, which appear in the UNESCO World Heritage List, are outstanding examples of Baroque and Rococo architecture, as is the former residence of the prince-bishops in Wurzburg. The latter’s staircase, created by Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753) and graced with frescoes by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, is one of the most beautiful in the world. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nordlingen and Dinkelsbuhl are virtually open-air museums, linked with other sights by the “Romantic Route”. There are 31 permanent stages and 29 open-air stages in Bavaria. Every year the Bayreuth Festival showcases the operas of Richard Wagner, who lived in Bayreuth from 1872 to 1883.

Other outstanding festivals include the Munich Opera Festival, the Passau European Festival Weeks, the Ansbach Bach Week and the Wurzburg Mozart Festival. Folk music is popular all over Bavaria as well, especially during the many folk festivals such as the “Leonhardi-Fahrt” in Bad Tolz, the Augsburg “Friedensfest”, the “Death of the Dragon” pageant in Furth im Wald, the Wurzburg Festival of St. Kilian and the Kiefersfelden jousting tournament. A tradition since 1634 is the Oberammergau Passion Play, which is performed every ten years (next performance in the year 2000).