a spring visit at the Walhalla near Regensburg
The Walhalla is a hall of fame that honors laudable and distinguished people in German history – "politicians, sovereigns, scientists and artists of the German tongue"; thus the celebrities honored are drawn from Greater Germany, a wider area than today's Germany. The hall is a neo-classical building above the Danube River, east of Regensburg in Bavaria.
The Walhalla is named for the Valhalla of Norse mythology. It was conceived in 1807 by Crown Prince Ludwig in order to support the then-gathering momentum for the unification of the many German states. Following his accession to the throne of Bavaria, construction took place between 1830 and 1842 under the supervision of the architect Leo von Klenze. The memorial displays some 65 plaques and 130 busts covering 2,000 years of history, beginning with Arminius, victor at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. (source: Wikipedia)
You can find there also Sophie Scholl, member of the Anti-Nazi "White Rose", or Konrad Adenauer. All in all an interesting collection of "celebrities" and today more unknown men and women - the busts sometimes not of high quality.
I hope one day we will have a European Walhalla or European Pantheon, which unites a lot of men and women, who made great contributions to European history and spirit.
Anyhow, even this very German place shows some early European connections and roots - even in a time when nation building seemed so important. Some nationalists should think about it. And about a history, in which great parts of Europe were united in diversity.
a spring visit at the Walhalla near Regensburg
The Walhalla is a hall of fame that honors laudable and distinguished people in German history – "politicians, sovereigns, scientists and artists of the German tongue"; thus the celebrities honored are drawn from Greater Germany, a wider area than today's Germany. The hall is a neo-classical building above the Danube River, east of Regensburg in Bavaria.
The Walhalla is named for the Valhalla of Norse mythology. It was conceived in 1807 by Crown Prince Ludwig in order to support the then-gathering momentum for the unification of the many German states. Following his accession to the throne of Bavaria, construction took place between 1830 and 1842 under the supervision of the architect Leo von Klenze. The memorial displays some 65 plaques and 130 busts covering 2,000 years of history, beginning with Arminius, victor at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. (source: Wikipedia)
You can find there also Sophie Scholl, member of the Anti-Nazi "White Rose", or Konrad Adenauer. All in all an interesting collection of "celebrities" and today more unknown men and women - the busts sometimes not of high quality.
I hope one day we will have a European Walhalla or European Pantheon, which unites a lot of men and women, who made great contributions to European history and spirit.
Anyhow, even this very German place shows some early European connections and roots - even in a time when nation building seemed so important. Some nationalists should think about it. And about a history, in which great parts of Europe were united in diversity.