The Maximilianeum, a palatial building in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, was built as the home of a gifted students' foundation but since 1949 has housed the Bavarian State Parliament.

History

The Maximilianeum was initially an educational foundation set up by King

Maximilian II of Bavaria Maximilian II (28 November 1811 – 10 March 1864) reigned as King of Bavaria between 1848 and 1864. Unlike his father, King Ludwig I, "King Max" was very popular and took a greater interest in the business of Government than in personal extr ...

in 1852 to prepare gifted students for the civil service. Construction of the building was the initiative of King Maximilian II in 1857,"The Maximilianeum", Bayerischer Landtag
/ref> with

Friedrich Bürklein Georg Friedrich Christian Bürklein (30 March 1813 – 4 December 1872) was a German architect and a pupil of Friedrich von Gärtner.Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie"Bürklein, Friedrich" (in German) Biography He was born in Burk, Middle Francon ...

the lead architect. The Maximilianeum sits grandly and as a focal point on the bank of the

Isar River The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria, and Bavaria, Germany, which is not navigable for watercraft above raft size. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Bad Tölz, Munic ...

above Maximilian Bridge at the eastern end of Maximilianstrasse, a royal avenue dotted with

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

palaces influenced by the English

Perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It ca ...

style. Weight problems delayed completion until 1874, and the façade, which had been conceived as Neo-Gothic, needed to be altered; Gottfried Semper was entrusted with the adjustments, resulting in the final quasi-

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

appearance decorated with arches, columns, mosaics, and niches filled with busts. Until 1918, it also housed a "historical gallery" and the royal page school. The building was significantly damaged by bombing during the Second World War,"Maximilianeum", Landeshauptstadt München
/ref> but was rebuilt.

Maximilianeum foundation

The foundation still exists. Each year six to eight male students receive scholarships, free room and board at the Maximilianeum, and the opportunity to study abroad and take part in language courses. In 1980,

Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria (Albrecht Luitpold Ferdinand Michael; 3 May 1905 – 8 July 1996) was the son of the last crown prince of Bavaria, Rupprecht, and his first wife, Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria. He was the only child from that ...

established a comparable scholarship for female students. The Maximilianeum has an exchange program with Balliol College, Oxford.

Bavarian parliament

The Bavarian state government took up occupancy in 1949. The much less visible rear of the edifice has been extended in motley fashion to provide new parliamentary office space, in 1958, 1964, 1992, and again in 2012, each time with a different architectural approach. In June 2015, the Bavarian Parliament named the entrance hall of the Maximilianeum after Friedrich Bürklein.Kratzer, Hans. "Der unbekannte Architekt". ''Süddeutsche Zeitung Nr.'', 131 vom 11. June 2015, S. 39. Periodically exhibitions are hosted.

References

External links

Maximilianeum Panorama
{{Authority control Commercial buildings completed in 1874

Maximilianeum The Maximilianeum, a palatial building in Munich, was built as the home of a gifted students' foundation but since 1949 has housed the Bavarian State Parliament. It sits grandly and as a focal point on the bank of the Isar River above Maximilian ...

Buildings and structures in Munich Historicist architecture in Munich German Landtag buildings Culture in Munich Registered historic buildings and monuments in Bavaria 1874 establishments in Bavaria