"Walhalla" means "hall of the dead". "German - Germanic" personalities may be considered for a place in this hall of fame twenty years after their death at the earliest.
Blick ins Innere der Walhalla
Upon entering the hall, the visitorfinds himself facing an impressive collection of outstanding personalities. 128 marble busts and 64 commemorative tablets bear witness to achievements in German and European history, arts and science, music and painting (see Walhalla - official guide for more Information and individual biographies).
The tablets honour a proud succession of figures from Hermann the Cheruscan to Peter Henlein, inventor of the pocket watch. No authentic likenesses of these 64 personalities exist. It was therefore impossible to commission a bust.
First in the row of busts is the German King Henry l (the Fowler); last is Sophie Scholl (member of the White Rose resistance group).
The interior
The subtle use of multi-coloured marble for the floor and walls, an ornately structured ceiling decorated with figures from Germanic mythology, a freize of reliefs depicting scenes from early German history, caryatids and six Valkyries (by Chr. Daniel Rauch) combine to create a dynamic yet graceful interior.
The Walhalla was conceived äs an "open" monument. In other words, it was intended that more busts would be added in future. This has happened at irregulär intervals.