Friday, July 18, 2008

The House & City that Wittelsbach Built

Munich Pop History Day 3: If you’ve never heard of Wittlesbach, then you are missing an enormous part of Munich history. The Wittlesbach dynasty ruled Bavaria for more nearly 750 years. Twenty years after establishing Munich, Henry the Lion was deposed – some say for his refusal to provide aide to other German Dukes, and others say the Emperor accused him of breaching the peace in the region. Regardless, Otto I Wittlesbach became Duke of Bavaria in 1180 and Bavaria was passed down within the family until 1918. The Wittlesbach family decided they wanted a city similar to Paris, and to achieve that parks, libraries, museums and Universities were erected. Much of the city as it’s known today was formed by the Wittlesbach Dynasty. During that time, they created the gigantic Residence, which you see a picture of the Hall of Antiquities here. Most people are much more familiar with the mad King Ludwig II for his creation of many near-by castles. The Ludwings were, in fact, part of the Wittlesbach family as well.

1 comment:

The Honourable Husband said...

The Antiquarium is truly extraordinary. One looks at the Greek and Roman statues in the room, and notice a few armless and headless characters. Tempting to think that they've been that way for centuries. But the damage actually dates back to WWII, when the Residenz was all but destroyed. So many buildings in Munich have been restored, so painstakingly. It's hard to know which is real, and which rebuilt.