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"And now we shall drink for our Republic! Hooray! Let's go, Hans!" - the two good friends again raised their weighty beer mugs and took a huge swig. "Such fine beer! It is a pity that Oktoberfest came to an end, though, Karl," and the one who was named Karl nodded in solemn agreement and again raised his mug of beer to his lips. Hans looked around - the beer hall was packed to its fullest capacity; the sound of voices and accordion, along with the thick cigarette smoke hung in the air, as beautiful girls quickly scurried around, dragging great glass piles of empty and filled beer steins. "Something has become hot here - maybe we can go for a walk," suggested one of the friends, "I know another tavern not far from here, on the Ludwigstrasse!" The friends finished their beers together, banged their mugs on the wooden table and began to make towards the exit with much difficulty. Out on the street, too, it was crowded but the fresh air and the cool October sun sobered the drunks and they began moving each other towards the Ludwigstrasse. After a while, the friends found themselves in front of a strange building resembling a palace with columns but lacking walls. "That's it for you!" Hans hiccupped - "There are no walls, there is not even a place to go to the toilet, except to hide behind this fellow..." - and thus Hans waved his hand towards the side of the great bronze statue nestled under the roof of this strange building. "You what!" - said Karl, pulling at his friend - "It is impossible, you old pig! This is Feldherrnhalle! And this is not any fellow, but our famous commander von Wrede!" - "Well, my apologies, brother, I live in Berlin and I do not know much about your Bavarian commanders!" said Hans, looking around. "And the second one is also a Bavarian commander?" "This is also the famous Johann Tilly - he led us to victory in the Thirty Years War for the Mother Church! And you know," said Karl, leaning in towards his friend, "I will tell you secretly - this Tilly is not even a Bavarian at all, but a Belgian or Dutchman - I don't remember exactly..." Hans laughed, saying, "Come on! Maybe you will say that the second one is not a commander either!" Then Karl responded, "You can laugh, but this is true; the whole of Bavaria knows about it. The second is also not a commander - von Wrede was just an ordinary official, and only under Napoleon, he ascended to commander and appointed himself Colonel! I was always afraid of bullets and shrapnel!" The friends again laughed. "Wait, wait," said Hans, stopping a friend, "and the man in the center with the woman and the banner is also a general? No, wait, I'll guess right now - this is a real Bavarian commander, with a banner in one hand and a woman in the other, they say - I say take the banner, and leave the woman for me!" and again Hans laughed with the fullness of his voice. "I would strike you to laugh at us Bavarians" growled Karl, "enough flapping your tongue, it's high time we drank something again!" And the friends, swaying and holding each other in support, set off along the Ludwigstrasse in search of another tavern. It was the fine autumn day of October 7th, 1923. The Beer Hall Putsch, which put a fame on Felherrnhalle and elevated the Nazi Party, was only thirty three days away - but this is another story, having nothing to do with King Ludwig the First of Bavaria.
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Feldherrnhalle or the "Hall of the Bavarian Commanders" was built by King Ludwig as the beginning of the "new city” of Munich or Ludwigstrasse street, well designed by architect Friedrich von Gartner in 1841-1844. The building was made in the style of the Loggia Lanzie in Florence and was intended to personify the invincible spirit of the Bavarian army and to remind all Bavarians of glorious past victories and fierce battles. The grand busts of fine Tilly and prince von Wrede were cast from cannon bronze by the famous master Ludwig Schwanthaler. Later in 1882 a sculptor - Ferdinand von Miller - added a composition in honor of the victory over France. The sculptural compositions of Felderrnhalle have always served as grounds for controversy; the birth origin of Count Tilly and the military achievements of von Wrede incited a great deal of ridicule from Bavarians as a monument to the Bavarian army. Upon the memorial 2 Talers coin, the Felderrnhalle is depicted in its original form - without a central monument and lions, which were added later in 1906.
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German Talers since 1800 by John S. Davenport.
Bavaria, King Ludwig Series (1825 - 1848).
2 Taler 1844, FELGHERRNHALLE.
Davenport 591, KM 818, Thun 83, AKS 106, J.74, Schw. 30.
To Commemorate the completion of the Temple of Heroes in Munich.
Obverse: Head of the Ludwig to the right, LUDWIG I KOENIG VON BAYERN.
Reverse: FELDHERRNHALLE, Building with two statues, 1844 below.
37.1200 g., 0.9000 Silver, 1.0740 oz. ASW.
PCGS MS 63.
Cameo strike, mirror fields. Sparkling gem. Some hairlinea and minimal scratches in the fields.