Hall of Fame and Bavaria (closed until further notice)

Bavaria at the Theresienwiese
1 April to 13 October: Daily, 9 am to 6 pm
From 14 October to the end of March, the Ruhmeshalle and the Bavaria are closed due to traffic safety. The Bavaria is open until 8 pm during Oktoberfest. 

The Ruhmeshalle and the Bavaria Statue are closed until further notice.

€ 5

U5 to Schwantalerhöhe

Groups must reserve beforehand: please call (0151) 20 90 18 28.

Ludwig’s house and court architect, Leo vn Klenze, and his sculptor, Ludwig Schwanthaler, were responsible for the construction of the Bavaria Statue. The Munich-based iron-caster, Johann Baptist Stiglmaier, and his nephew, Ferdinand von Miller, received the order to caste the statue out of bronze.“Nero and I are the only people who have created something so monumental, since Nero, nobody has built anything like that,” commented the Bavarian king during the time that he ordered the Bavarian Statue to be built. This is proven true—that was the first time that such a colossal metal work made in the classical style was ever made since Classical Antiquity. Because of this, the exterior of the Bavaria Statue has little in common with typical antique statues. With its bear furs, sword, oak wreath, and flanking lions, the Bavaria Statue has a distinctly German flair.The cast iron of the Bavaria Statue is one of the technical masterpieces of the 19th century. As the head of the Bavaria Statue was lifted 4 meters off the ground from the sandpits in Erzgießereistraße in September 1844, Miller had offered the current king at that time an extravagant spectacle: to the surprise of King Ludwig I, 28 workers, two children, Millers Buben Fritzt Buben, and Ferdinand could all fit into the head of the statue. And this feat was no trick of the eye!When the Bavaria Statue could finally be inaugurated, the progenitor of the statue, Ludwig Schwanthaler, and the one who ordered it to be built, King Ludwig I, had already died.Since its completion, the Bavaria Statue has witnessed many events in history, such as peace demonstrations and revolution parades after World War I, the celebrations after the end of the Nazi rule, bomb raids, a plane crash, an assassination attempt, and a flood.The Bavaria statues has also watched every form of public entertainment that occurred on the Thereisenwiese—from circuses, the Tollwood Winter Festival, the Spring Festival, the Zentrallandwirtschaftsfest, and of course, the Oktoberfest. The statue has also easily survived many repairs that had occurred over the past centuries. For those who would like to have a view of the fields, the hollow head of the Bavaria Statue can be climbed.Bavaria has also other faces that you can see—from the largest to the oldest: Huber Gerhard’s 400-year old Tellus Bavaria (both the original and a copy), a replica in the courtyard garden at the Diana Temple, and the original statue just a few meters away amongst the bronze columns of the residence.Since 2010, more Bavaria statues have been created in Munich: the cabaret artist, Luise Kinseher plays the role of Mama Bavaria every year when Derblecken is performed. During these performances, Kinseher tells off the bigwigs of the German political scene, while acting as the loving, but strict patron of Bavaria, the Mama Bavaria. 

Let yourself be impressed by this 18-meter tall, majestic statue of Bavaria’s patron in front of the Ruhmeshalle (hall of fame). With the Munich City Pass you save the full admission! With the Munich Card you get 1€ disount!