Bergwaldtheater

The Bergwaldtheater stands in the southern edge of Weißenburg on the Weißenburger Alb, part of the Franconian Jura range. It sits among the slopes of the Ludwigshöhe hill in the Schönau district, beside the Holzgasse road leading toward Haardt. The open-air stage occupies a former quarry within the city forest, at about 560 metres above sea level. A total of 1,232 seats are arranged in three blocks, with rough ‘root seats’ at the back. The stage itself is listed as a Bavarian monument, recognised for its cultural value. The theatre has hosted summer festivals since the 18th century, when travelling troupes first staged plays and operas outdoors. In 1928 the garden architect Bernhard Nill designed the present layout, and the following year Johanna Arntzen’s Waldspiel was performed to open the venue. From 1931 to 1940 it had its own intendant, Egon Schmid, who later faced pressure from local Nazi officials when he sought to engage Erika Mann. Her planned performance in 1932 was blocked, sparking a controversy that spread across Germany. In 2022 the theatre finally presented her production as a tribute to her resistance. Today visitors find a gently terraced auditorium set among beech and pine trees. The stage faces north-west, framed by rock walls that once supplied stone for the quarry. During the summer season professional actors and musicians perform plays, operas and concerts. Recent seasons have welcomed artists such as Max Giesinger, Roger Hodgson and La Brass Banda. Behind the seating area a network of woodland paths leads up the Ludwigshöhe, offering quiet views over the surrounding hills.