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Ludwig I (1786-1868), King of Bavaria from the ancient Wittelsbach dynasty, which ruled for almost a millennium. From childhood, he was surrounded by the culture of the emerging German romanticism, which was based on a powerful Hellenistic cultural and historical basis. Interest in the history and culture of Ancient Greece formed the ideological and aesthetic model of the world of the Bavarian monarch. It was fully realized by him during the years of his reign (1825-1848) with the goal of creating "Athens on the Isar" from Munich. Thus, the king collected a priceless collection of works of art, consisting of paintings, ancient manuscripts, pottery of Ancient Greece, which became part of the exposition of the Glyptothek and Alte Pinakothek museums founded by him, as well as the State Library. On the banks of the Danube, the most important cultural and historical symbols of German architectural romanticism were built in the Greek style: Walhalla and Befreiungshalle. Ludwig was one of the first European monarchs to legislatively prohibit the demolition of ancient monuments (1826). He reorganized the Academy of Arts, moved the university from Landshut to Munich, and gave new life to the city theaters. The monarch's inner circle included famous German artists: Peter Cornelius, Johann Overbeck, Wilhelm Kulbach. In addition, Ludwig himself was the author of several poetry and literary collections. During the years of the king's reign, the first railway from Nuremberg to Frührt (1835) was built in Bavaria, the ancient fortress of Ingolstadt was restored (1828), the Ludwig-Danube Canal was founded, providing a sea route from the North Sea to the Black Sea, and systemic reforms were carried out in the economy. The wedding celebration of the king with Theresia, Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1810), laid the foundation for the world-famous Oktoberfest festival. The achievements of the active romantic monarch were appreciated by many of his contemporaries, including the Russian poet Pyotr Vyazemsky, who dedicated the poem "Munich" (1854) to him, written under the impression of his personal acquaintance with him. The romantic king, connoisseur and great expert on the history of world art, his patron, being a consistent adherent of the culture of German romanticism of the first half-mid-19th century, turned Bavaria into a key center of German cultural and historical heritage. The Hellenistic style of architecture became the hallmark of Munich and its environs. In fact, King Ludwig formed the state and cultural identity of the Bavarian kingdom, which, having become part of the German Empire (1871), and today being part of the Federal Republic of Germany, clearly retains its autonomy and historical and cultural exclusivity. #bayern #history #romance