The marble hall
Around 130 busts in a single space.
Burkhard Mücke — CC BY-SA 4.0 · SimonWaldherr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carsten Steger — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kora27 — CC BY-SA 4.0
A full-size **Greek temple** on a hill above the Danube — a close copy of the **Parthenon**, built in Bavaria between 1830 and 1842. The idea was King **Ludwig I** of Bavaria''s: he wanted a monument gathering the great figures of **all German speakers**, at a time when Germany was not yet a country but dozens of principalities. The purpose was political — to create a **shared cultural identity** ahead of political unification. The name is Norse — **Valhalla**, the hall of the slain — the building is Greek, and the contents German. A deliberately strange combination. Inside is a single marble hall holding **around 130 busts** and **65 memorial plaques** for those whose features are unknown. The criteria: the subject must be a German speaker or of Germanic origin, and dead for at least twenty years. Note: the list is **still being added to**: someone is chosen every few years by decision of the Bavarian government. Recent additions include **Sophie Scholl**, the anti-Nazi resister, and **Konrad Adenauer**. Note: the approach from the riverbank is **358 marble steps**.
Around 130 busts in a single space.
From the terrace, over the whole bend of the river.
358 steps rising from the riverbank to the temple.
Donaustauf — about 11 km east of Regensburg
Three ways. The **river boat** is the finest: it leaves from the quay near the Stone Bridge and runs up the Danube for about an hour, arriving at the foot of the stair — seasonal (roughly April to October) and better booked. The **bus** to Donaustauf, then a climb on foot. And the **car**, which is quickest: 11 km, with a road looping round to a **car park near the top** that spares you the 358 steps entirely — which matters for anyone who cannot manage them. ⚠ The boat trip there and back with the visit is about **four hours**, so count it as half a day. ⚠ Donaustauf itself has castle ruins on a neighbouring hill, worth adding if time allows.
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