Befreiungshalle (Liberation Hall)
As a mighty central building, the Befreiungshalle (Liberation Hall) is visible from afar above the confluence of the Altmühl and Danube rivers near Kelheim and commemorates the victorious battles against Napoleon and the unification of all German tribes after the wars of liberation of 1813 to 1815. The building was begun under King Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1842 by Friedrich Gärtner, following ancient and Christian models, and completed in 1863 by Leo v. Klenze. The buttresses of the exterior façade are crowned by 18 colossal statues as allegories of the German tribes. The number 18 also symbolises the date of the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig (18.10.1813), in which Napoleon's troops were crushed. In the interior, 34 victory goddesses made of white Carrara marble, designed by Ludwig Schwanthaler, join hands in a solemn round dance. They support 17 gilded shields made from the bronze of melted-down guns on which victorious battles are recorded.
Last edited on 28.10.2023
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