The Potsdam performance of Sophocles' »Antigone« in 1841 was an event of historic significance tantamount to a renaissance of Greek tragedy in the German theatre. In terms of the performing version used, the incidental music, and the stage architecture, Ludwig Tieck (1773-1853) and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) explored avenues that were to radically change the development of theatre in a number of essential ways. The immense success of this performance and the attention it attracted at home and abroad assured Greek tragedy a lasting place in the repertory of German-speaking theatres, which it has maintained to this day.