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The head
Four openings in the helmet look out over the Theresienwiese
An internal circular staircase leads up to a platform in the head, where four openings in the helmet provide a view of the Theresienwiese and downtown Munich. The bronze figure is 18.52 metres high and stands on a stone base 8.92 metres high. It is the first colossal statue since Classical Antiquity made entirely of cast bronze.
87.36 tonsWeight of the statue, about
The design
Klenze drew a Greek amazon, and Schwanthaler gave her a bearskin and sword
In 1824 the architect Leo von Klenze first proposed a Greek amazon, inspired by the Colossus of Rhodes and Phidias' Athena Parthenos. The sculptor Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler instead clothed her in a Germanic style, with a simple dress, a bearskin, a wreath of entwined oak leaves and a drawn sword. The wreath in her left hand is an honour for those whose busts are to be placed in the Hall of Fame.
“Only Nero and I can produce such giant statues”
King Ludwig I, after choosing Klenze's design
The casting
The head was cast in 1844 from Turkish cannon from the Battle of Navarino
On September 11, 1844 the head was cast with metal from bronze Turkish cannon salvaged from the 1827 naval Battle of Navarino. The cannon had been sold in Europe as recycling material under the Greek King Otto, Ludwig's son, and a number of them had reached Bavaria. The last major casting, for the lower section, took place on December 1, 1849.
The unveiling
Wagons drawn by 20 horses brought the statue, unveiled on 9 October 1850
Between June and August 1850 the separate pieces were carried to the site on especially constructed wagons, each drawn by 20 horses. On August 7 the head was escorted to the Theresienhöhe in a festive procession through Munich. The unveiling on October 9 followed a procession of all the trades and guilds and, as expected, turned into a tribute to King Ludwig, who had already abdicated.
The repair
In 2001 experts found over 30 flaws and closed the statue to visitors
Experts found such serious damage in 2001 that the statue was closed to visitors, with over 30 separate flaws detected. The renovation cost some one million euros: the raised arm was stabilized, the surface cleaned and sealed, and a completely new inner stairway built. To help pay for it, replicas were sold, among them the tip of the small finger, one version of which could be used as a drinking vessel.
Day 2, afternoon
It comes after Theresienwiese. Then Gärtnerplatz.
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The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Bavaria statue, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.