The Befreiungshalle (Hall of Liberation) is a neoclassical monument on the Michelsberg hill above the town of Kelheim. It stands upstream of Regensburg on the river Danube at the confluence of the Danube and the Altmühl.
King Ludwig I of Bavaria ordered the Befreiungshalle to be built in order to commemorate the victories against Napoleon during the Wars of Liberation that lasted from 1813 to 1815.
The construction was started in 1842 by Friedrich von Gärtner in a mixture of Neoclassical and Christian styles. It occurred on Michelsberg, in a place previously occupied by a part of the ruins of a pre-historic fortification or town, thought by some to have been Alcimoennis. At the behest of the King, Leo von Klenze later altered the plans and completed the building in 1863.
The powerful-looking rotunda made of Kelheim limestone rests on a three-tier base, which is designed as an octadecagon. The outer facade is divided by 18 pillars with 18 colossal statues by Johann Halbig as allegories of the German tribes that took part in the battles. These are: 'Franconian, Bohemian, Tyrolean, Bavarian, Austrian, Prussian, Hanoverian, Moravian, Saxony, Silesian, Brandenburger, Pomeranian, Mecklenburg, Westphalia, Hesse, Thuringian, Rhinelander, Swabia' (circulating in this order with an arbitrary start).
References:The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.