This year, Bavaria commemorates the 225th anniversary of the death of its former elector Karl Theodor (1724-1799) on February 16th and his 300th birthday on December 10th. The commemorative year will be heralded in the Landshut city residence, as the Bavarian Palace Administration announced on Tuesday in Munich. On Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., the recently rediscovered Karl Theodor bell rings from the roof turret of the city residence’s chapel every hour on the hour.
According to the announcement, the bell, which was cast in 1783 and restored in 2023, names the elector as the client in its inscription. It shows a crucifix and a relief of the Altötting miraculous image. The Landshut sculptor Christian Jorhan the Elder made the templates for this. The Landshut bell founder Joseph Stern did the casting. In 1781, Karl Theodor had the important Renaissance palace in the middle of the residential city renovated for the new court of Count Palatine Wilhelm von Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen and his wife Maria Anna, a niece of the Elector.
During his lifetime, Karl Theodor was a sovereign who was little loved by the Bavarians. It was only later that his achievements were seen, explains the President of the Palace Administration, Bernd Schreiber: “His legacy lives on in the rich art treasures in our palaces and in the magnificent gardens such as the English Garden in Munich, which millions of people from all over the world admire today. ” This is considered the first public garden in the world and is still one of the largest inner-city parks.
Karl Theodor von Pfalz-Surbach was born in drugbos near Brussels in 1724. In 1742 he became Elector Palatine. With the death of the Bavarian Elector Max III. In 1777, Joseph, who had no descendants, also passed on the government of the Electorate of Bavaria to the Wittelsbacher of the Palatinate. He was reluctant to move his residence from Mannheim to Munich in accordance with the agreements. He was exposed to vehement criticism because of his plan to swap Bavaria for the Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium).
Karl Theodor was a great friend of the arts and sciences. He enriched Bavaria’s art collections with acquisitions and commissions, which are said to be highlights in the treasury of the Munich Residence. He also expanded Nymphenburg Palace, where his ceremonial carriages are still on display in the Marstall Museum.