Shaping Public Opinion through Architecture and Urban Design

Perspectives on Ludwig I and His Building Program for a “New Munich”

Bibliographic Data

ID9644352
AuthorsJoshua Hagen (0000-0003-1171-1177, Marshall University, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume48
Issue1
Pages4-30
Publication date2015-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCentral European History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0008-9389 • E-ISSN: 1569-1616
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0008938915000011
OpenAlexW2059893581
LanguageEN
References cited16

As the sovereign of a newly fashioned kingdom facing uncertain prospects, King Ludwig I of Bavaria launched a sprawling building program to transform his capital city, Munich. Ludwig believed that the patronage of art and architecture would enhance his political authority and foster a sense of historical legitimacy in his kingdom. He regarded this building program as a way of expressing and impressing on the public his own views of politics, culture, and history, but the associated financial burden became a source of public discontent, a focal point for political opposition, and, ultimately, a factor in Ludwig's later abdication. Public sentiment and scholarly opinion toward Ludwig nevertheless underwent a broad rehabilitation after his reign. Many soon came to view Ludwig's projects as expressions of the monarch's cultural sophistication and generosity, rather than as instruments of political and ideological calculation

Art · Ideology · Legitimacy · Opposition (politics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Reign · Social science · Sociology · Sophistication · Visual arts · Architecture · Historical Art and Culture Studies · Historical Influence and Diplomacy · Law · Public Administration · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub