Rating: 7,8/10 (2249 votes) Valhalla – Hall of Fame for outstanding historical figures. Located on the banks of the Danube, east of the nearby city of Regensburg. As Scandinavian legends say, Valhalla – the habitat of the heroes who died in battles, which are delivered there by the Valkyries – warlike maidens. The neoclassical building, copying the ancient Greek temples, was designed by Leo von Klenze. He also erected the New Hermitage in St. Petersburg in Russia. Valhalla's dimensions are the same as those of the Greek Parthenon in Athens. Prince Ludwig wanted to create such a hall of fame in 1807. Then the German states were defeated in the battles with the army of Napoleon and according to the plan of Ludwig Walhall would become a monument to all the greatest hero of Germany from the beginning of the new era. Walhalla in Bavaria was intended not only for warriors, as mythical, but also for scientists, writers, church ministers and women. The names of representatives of the Franks, Anglo-Saxons, Swiss, Goths and Lombards were included in the hall of fame. In 1825, by the time of Ludwig's coronation, 60 busts of outstanding people had already been created. In 1826, Ludwig chose the site where the hall of fame was to be built. On the northern frieze of the building, images of the German states are applied, and on the southern one – battle scenes. The Hall of Fame was opened in October 1842, at that time there were 96 busts and 64 memorial plaques. The main criterion by which the first 160 people were selected was belonging to German culture. That is why there were representatives of Sweden, the Czech Republic, Austria, Great Britain, Poland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia and the Baltic States. Today, the government of Bavaria, being the successor of royal power, chooses people whose busts will be in Valhalla. Since the opening of the hall of fame, only 32 busts and one memorial plaque have been added, today there are 193 memorial signs, of which four are dedicated to immigrants from the Russian Empire with German roots. We also recommend reading Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany, Bavaria Resort Topic: Valhalla in Germany, Bavaria resort. |