Walhalla Blick Von Der Donauseite © Stefan Gruber

Walhalla: The German Hall of Fame

Walhalla: The German Hall of Fame

An infatuation with all things Bavarian-Hellenic

Churches, castles and monasteries: Many of the historic buildings on the Route of Emperors and Kings are truly unique. Dedicated 155 years ago as the ‘Hall of Fame of the Germans’, the Walhalla at Donaustauf holds a special position among them – and also recalls the time when the Bavarians anointed the Greek king.

Many a traveller had to stop by the massive façade atop the Bräuberg mountain near Donaustauf, not far from Regensburg, to make sure that the temple – which would be much less out of place on the Mediterranean than it was along the Danube landscape – was not a mirage sent from Athens to Bavaria. But these tonnes upon tonnes of limestone are real and they form Walhalla, even if, depending on your perspective, this may seem grotesque or fantastical.
However, the neo-antique pageantry of classical Greek construction and thinking may be less anachronistic than it might seem at first glance.

Walhalla Sonnenaufgang © Andreas Beiderbeck Photography
Walhalla Sonnenaufgang © Andreas Beiderbeck Photography
For the love of heroes
A love of the ancient world
Treatment for national pride
Good things come to those who wait
Otto, King of Greece
Bavarocracy with purity requirements
A colossal heritage
Who is allowed in?
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