Bavaria statue

The Bavaria statue (German just 'Bavaria') is a bronze-cast statue of a female figure representing Bavaria's "secular patron saint", the "Tellus (Mater) Bavarica" ("goddess of the land of Bavaria"), located at the border of the Theresienwiese in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, where the Oktoberfest takes place each September.

The statue was commissioned by Ludwig I of Bavaria, and the design chosen by a competition. When the architect Leo von Klenze, building the 'Ruhmeshalle' (Hall of Fame) in the background of the Bavaria, placed an order to build the statue, he thought about a Greek design, settled between an athena and an amazon. The sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler changed the design to a more romantic Germanic look (no helmet, oak wreath instead of laurel wreath, bear-skin, lion and sword instead of spear). It is an allegoric personification of Bavaria's strength and glory.

The statue was built at the foundry of J.B. Stiglmair from 1844 until 1850, mainly by Stiglmair's nephew Ferdinand Von Miller. Since the Bavaria is one of the biggest bronze sculptures in the world, it had to be built out of four big parts and several smaller ones. It is 18.52 metres (60 ft 9 in) high and weighs about 87.36 tonnes [Given as 1560 Bavarian Zentners, which unit was until 1858 about 54 kg.] (96.2 tons).

Inside the statue, a staircase of 66 stairs allows tourists to climb to the top and view Munich from above.

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