[...] I have very great cause for gratitude in your announcement of the decision of both Municipal Councils of Bayreuth to place freely at my disposal the necessary approaches and surround to the site in the neighbourhood of St. George's Church, chosen for the erection of a Festival Theatre [...]
Since the best I could hope was that my desire to be allowed to make the town of Bayreuth the site of my Festival performances would be kindly acceded to by the authorities, I now confess with great satisfaction that the very hospitable manner in which my wishes have been met, greatly increases my joy in their fulfilment. I shall, I hope, be able to convince you during the fortunate progress of my enterprise of the important assumption I am so bold as to associate with it, namely that my plan for concentrating my ideas for the reform of public art in Germany upon a particular locality, will prove a clear and influential example. The fact that the very hospitable advances of the magistracy of Bayreuth are now added to the other considerations which led me to decide on that city, affords me the most encouraging guarantee that my hopes and wishes will be fulfilled. [...]
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner, Vol. 2, selected and ed. Wilhelm Altmann, trans. M. M. Bozman (J. M. Dent & Sons, 1927), No. 649