Ruhmeshalle en beeld van Bavaria, München 1868 - 1890

Johann Friedrich Stiehm created this stereoscopic card, "Ruhmeshalle en beeld van Bavaria, München," sometime between 1850 and 1900. The image captures Munich’s Ruhmeshalle, a hall of fame, and the statue of Bavaria, which sits in front of it. These monuments, commissioned by King Ludwig I, speak volumes about 19th-century Bavaria’s understanding of itself. The Ruhmeshalle was built to honor Bavarian military leaders, nobles, and civilians. The statue of Bavaria, a powerful female figure, embodies the strength and virtue of the Bavarian state. But who gets remembered, and who is left out? The Ruhmeshalle, while grand in scale, tells a selective history. It begs the question: whose stories are deemed worthy of remembrance, and whose are forgotten? Consider what it means to monumentalize certain figures while overlooking others. This stereoscopic card invites us to reflect on the power of representation and the complexities of historical memory.