Guntherbühne Rinchnach
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| Legal form | Registered association (eingetragener Verein) |
|---|---|
| Member of | Verband Bayerischer Amateurtheater |
| Location | |
| Headquarters | Rinchnach |
| Country | Germany |
|
| |
The Guntherbühne is the open-air stage in Gehmannsberg, part of the municipality of Rinchnach in the district of Regen, Lower Bavaria, Germany, and the amateur theatre of the Guntherbund Rinchnach e. V., which built it. Its main production is the Gunther Festspiele, a historical open-air play about Gunther, the founder of Rinchnach, performed with about 100 amateur actors since 1954.[1]
History
The Gunther Festspiele have been staged in Rinchnach since 1954; according to the municipality, the play is the oldest of its kind in the Bavarian Forest.[2] In more recent decades the Guntherbund also staged modern comic open-air plays on the stage.[1] After the 2011 season the festival lapsed for about fifteen years because, according to the association's chairman Kurt König, nobody was willing to take on the work any longer. The association decided around 2024 to revive it; it built stables for the horses that appear in the play, a roofed grandstand, a catering area and two new stages designed by the new director Julian Niedermeier from Landshut, who adapted the play with Regina Wenig.[3] The revived festival premiered on 30 May 2026, followed by eight further performances in June.[2]
Repertoire
The Gunther Festspiele tell the life of Gunther, a former imperial count from Thuringia who became a Benedictine monk at about the age of fifty, went to Niederaltaich Abbey in 1006, cleared the forest and founded Rinchnach in 1012, and later moved on as a hermit towards Bohemia, where he died in 1045. The 2026 version follows the historical story closely and includes jugglers and horses; the young, middle-aged and old Gunther are played by three different actors.[3]
Venue
The open-air stage lies in a disused quarry in Gehmannsberg and has a roofed grandstand for more than 400 spectators, a modern lighting system and catering huts.[1]
Organisation
The stage is run by the Guntherbund Rinchnach e. V., whose stated purpose includes staging the Gunther play.[1][3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Freilichtbühne Gehmannsberg / Rinchnach, Gemeinde Rinchnach, retrieved 18 October 2026. Archived on 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gunther Festspiele in Rinchnach 2026 auf der Freilichtbühne Gehmannsberg, Gemeinde Rinchnach, retrieved 18 October 2026. Archived on 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 „Gelebte Heimatgeschichte“: Comeback der Gunther Spiele, Da Hog'n, 12 May 2026, retrieved 18 October 2026. Archived on 18 June 2026.