Propylaea (Munich)

The Propylaea on the west side of Munich Royal Square were built by Leo von Klenze commissioned by King Ludwig I in the form of a temple entrance ( propylon ). They are next to the Obelisk at Karolinenplace the only building of Leo Klenzes, the Ludwig I on suitable the city of Munich.

History

Already in 1816 it was considered to build the Propylaea, but it took 30 years until the order has been issued for this purpose. Klenze still painted before building a picture of the Propylaea, to promote his project. Then, when King Ludwig I was forced to abdicate in 1848, the project was in jeopardy - not least because Munich here no more gate needed at this time because the town had already grown well over the king space of time.

Klenzes paintings underscored clearly the urban significance of the construction: If you look through the portico of the Propylaea, you can see the newly created axis Briennerstrasse which abuts on the Karoline square with its obelisk to Hofgartentor, the Odeon Square and the Ludwig street. Thus, the Propylaea with the winning goal at that time part of a newly created coordinate system that moved the royal residence in the center of Munich.

Finally, the Propylaea were built by private funds of Ludwig I - as a sign of friendship between Greece and Bavaria, as well as a monument to the freedom struggle of Greece from 1821 to 1829, the son of Louis and wittelsbacher King Otto of Greece, and the Bavarian army. Therefore, can be found on the walls of the main thoroughfare names of Greek freedom fighters. After 1854 started the construction of the Propylaea were inaugurated in 1862, shortly before the fall of the Greco- Bavarian King Otto.

Ultimately, the Propylaea were the most representative city gate of Munich, the capital of the new Kingdom of Bavaria. Your name refers to the " Propylaia ," the stem to the staircase to the Acropolis in ancient Athens, which was developed as a temple district under Pericles. In Munich it was the king place, which should receive a comparable stem. Thus, the neoclassical architect, painter and urban planner Leo von Klenze wanted to transplant a picture of pure Hellenism to Bavaria.

From 1862 to 1928, the portals and the main gate of the Propylaea served as passageways for traffic. 1928 but these were then closed to traffic and laid the roadways side.

Architecture

The Propylaea are the last purely classical building in Munich. Leo von Klenze she designed based on the model of the Propylaea of the Acropolis.

The Propylaea were almost seamlessly built of large blocks and completed the design of the King Square. They perfected the existing classical canon: The ionic Glyptothek and the Corinthian Antikensammlung were supplemented by the Propylaea with its Doric columns.

In preparation used Klenze documentaries about "Thor Dipylon " in Athens and sighted records from the " still standing Thor of Messene ." He then decided to flank the gate with two towers. In addition, the gate was bordered on either side of three Doric columns. These pillars are located on a raised platform and carry a pediment, which was decorated with a frieze of Ludwig von Schwanthalerstraße. Schwanthalerstraße also designed the reliefs on the tower walls.

Each of the two towers is a powerful cuboid with a large porch and an open space upstairs. The two portals of the towers served the freight traffic (as seen from downtown off) when you leave the city through the left gate drove into town got the freight traffic through the right gate. It thus ruled left-hand traffic here. The monumental gate in the middle of the Propylaea was the riders and city Weighing reserved. The underside of the roofs of the towers was designed as a coffered ceiling. If you wanted to move upstairs between the towers, you would have to climb over the railing on the flat roof of the lower central building. There should be found in the case of defense behind a lower fine masonry protection.

While there are Doric columns outside, wear the interior Ionic columns, the roof rafters of the Propylaea. In addition, the floor plan as well as the section of the gatehouse show that in the basement of the building could be traversed by stairs, platforms and passageways.

The neoclassical architects of the time knew that Greek temples were designed in color. But unfortunately it was unknown how it was possible in ancient Greece, to provide marble surfaces with bright colors. Leo von Klenze wanted to give the building a magnificent color jewelry, but he also did not find any solution for the application of the paint. So he planned instead the plastic decoration of the Propylaea.