Verena Wagner
Encyclopedia
Verena Wagner is the fourth child and youngest daughter of Winifred
and Siegfried Wagner
and the granddaughter of German
composer Richard Wagner
.
Verena Wagner grew up in the Villa Wahnfried
in Bayreuth and attended the Obernkirchener rural school. Adolf Hitler
was a great fan of Wagner
's music and became very close to Verena's mother, Winifred Wagner
, (there were even rumours that they would marry). Hitler also befriended her children and treated them as his own.
Indeed, in 1940 Verena Wagner and Hitler were rumoured to be romantically linked
In 1943 Verena Wagner married Bodo Lafferentz
, a member of the Nazi Party from 1933 and a high ranking officer (SS-Obersturmbannführer) of the SS
from 1939. They had five children: Améli (1944-), Manfred (1945-), Winifred (1947-), Wieland (1949-) and Verena (1952-).
In 2003 Verena Lafferentz-Wagner attended the International Richard Wagner Congress held in Copenhagen
, attending as guest of honour a performance of Die Walküre
by the Royal Danish Opera with H.M. Queen Margrethe
, H.R.H. Prince Henrik
, the patron of the Wagner Congress, Herr Wolfgang
and Frau Gudrun Wagner
, and Kammersängerin Birgit Nilsson
. In February 2007 she opened, as guest of honour, a grand concert of her grandfather's works at Sofia
in Bulgaria
.
Verena Wagner-Lafferentz is an honorary member of various international Wagner societies and is the vice-chairman of the Richard Wagner Foundation
and a foundation board member of the Richard Wagner Festival.
Winifred Wagner
Winifred Wagner was an English woman married to Siegfried Wagner, Richard Wagner's son. She was the effective head of the Wagner family from 1930 to 1945, and a close friend of German dictator Adolf Hitler....
and Siegfried Wagner
Siegfried Wagner
Siegfried Wagner was a German composer and conductor, the son of Richard Wagner. He was an opera composer and the artistic director of the Bayreuth Festival from 1908 to 1930.-Life:...
and the granddaughter of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
composer Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
.
Verena Wagner grew up in the Villa Wahnfried
Wahnfried
Wahnfried may refer to:*Wahnfried, Richard Wagner's villa in Bayreuth*Richard Wahnfried , the long-time alias for German composer and musician Klaus Schulze...
in Bayreuth and attended the Obernkirchener rural school. Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
was a great fan of Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's music and became very close to Verena's mother, Winifred Wagner
Winifred Wagner
Winifred Wagner was an English woman married to Siegfried Wagner, Richard Wagner's son. She was the effective head of the Wagner family from 1930 to 1945, and a close friend of German dictator Adolf Hitler....
, (there were even rumours that they would marry). Hitler also befriended her children and treated them as his own.
Indeed, in 1940 Verena Wagner and Hitler were rumoured to be romantically linked
"Many people affirm that Hitler would gladly marry the granddaughter of Richard WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, twenty-year-old, vivacious Verena Wagner, who is a frequent visitor and vacation guest at his mountain snuggery, were he not opposed in principle to marriages between persons of such unequal ages. She has the reputation of being his most outspoken critic, telling him in unflattering words simple truths that no Cabinet member would dare utter."
In 1943 Verena Wagner married Bodo Lafferentz
Bodo Lafferentz
Bodo Lafferentz was a member of the Nazi Party from 1933 and an SS-Obersturmbannführer from 1939. He served in World War I and received the Iron Cross 2nd Class in 1916....
, a member of the Nazi Party from 1933 and a high ranking officer (SS-Obersturmbannführer) of the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
from 1939. They had five children: Améli (1944-), Manfred (1945-), Winifred (1947-), Wieland (1949-) and Verena (1952-).
In 2003 Verena Lafferentz-Wagner attended the International Richard Wagner Congress held in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, attending as guest of honour a performance of Die Walküre
Die Walküre
Die Walküre , WWV 86B, is the second of the four operas that form the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner...
by the Royal Danish Opera with H.M. Queen Margrethe
Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
, H.R.H. Prince Henrik
Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark
Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark , is the husband of the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II.-Early life:Henrik was born in Talence, Gironde, France...
, the patron of the Wagner Congress, Herr Wolfgang
Wolfgang Wagner
Wolfgang Wagner was a German opera director. He is best known as the director of the Bayreuth Festival, a position he initially assumed alongside his brother Wieland in 1951 until the latter's death in 1966...
and Frau Gudrun Wagner
Gudrun Wagner
Gudrun Wagner was the wife of Wolfgang Wagner, sole director of the Bayreuth Festival since 1967. Her behind-the-scenes influence led her to be considered virtual co-director.-Biography:...
, and Kammersängerin Birgit Nilsson
Birgit Nilsson
right|thumb|Nilsson in 1948.Birgit Nilsson was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano who specialized in operatic and symphonic works...
. In February 2007 she opened, as guest of honour, a grand concert of her grandfather's works at Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
Verena Wagner-Lafferentz is an honorary member of various international Wagner societies and is the vice-chairman of the Richard Wagner Foundation
Richard Wagner Foundation
The Richard Wagner Foundation was formed in 1973, when, faced with overwhelming criticism and Wagner family infighting, the Bayreuth Festival and its assets were transferred to the newly created Foundation...
and a foundation board member of the Richard Wagner Festival.