Wagner's own opera house, completed in 1876 on the Grüner Hügel (Green Hill) above the city, was designed from the ground up to present his works. The raked orchestra pit is hidden beneath the stage, creating the "mystic gulf" between audience and performance that Wagner intended. The acoustics are extraordinary. Tours run outside the festival season; during July and August the house is in full use and tickets are among the most coveted in opera — waiting lists run to several years.
The theatre seats about 1,900 people in steeply raked wooden seats without upholstery, which contributes to the sound. Wagner deliberately kept the building plain on the outside, a brick barn on a hill, to concentrate all expectation on what happens inside. The surrounding park and the view back over Bayreuth are pleasant in themselves. Guided tours run daily when the festival is not in session.