Abstract
During the early nineteenth century, Bavarian King Ludwig I embarked on an ambitious building program aimed at transforming his capital city Munich into a material expression of his authority. Ludwig commissioned a series of museums, palaces, and monuments in an attempt to associate his reign with the greatness of ancient Greece and Renaissance Italy. Although Ludwig championed these projects as providing cultural enrichment for his subjects, political calculations played a paramount role. Ludwig's new Munich was framed around monumental buildings, squares, and boulevards meant to position the monarchy as an unassailable cultural and political authority.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
