The Maximilianeum, a palatial building in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, 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 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 the lead architect. The Maximilianeum sits grandly and as a focal point on the bank of the Isar River above Maximilian Bridge at the eastern end of Maximilianstrasse, a royal avenue dotted with

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

palaces influenced by the English

Perpendicular In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', � ...

style. Weight problems delayed completion until 1874, and the façade, which had been conceived as Neo-Gothic, needed to be altered;

Gottfried Semper Gottfried Semper (; 29 November 1803 – 15 May 1879) was a German architect, art critic, and professor of architecture who designed and built the Semper Opera House in Dresden between 1838 and 1841. In 1849 he took part in the May Uprising in ...

was entrusted with the adjustments, resulting in the final quasi-

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

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 established a comparable scholarship for female students. The Maximilianeum has an exchange program with

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

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 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