Walhalla - A Hall of Fame Through German History

Valhalla. While most people think of the majestic hall from Norse mythology where Odin reigns and those killed in battle go to feast, this is instead Walhalla, a monument and hall to honor those who made significant contributions to the Germanic people. It is essentially a hall of fame through the history of Germany, and is well worth a visit when you're in Regensburg. Located just down the river from the city, we hopped on a boat to visit this incredible monument and learn more about the history of our new home country.
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[@OnwardMJ]

I just had to get a little shot of food in the video! Shout out to @NALF (kzbin.info) for hyping up the buttered pretzel - it was delicious! Have you been to Walhalla before? What did you think of it? Who do you think should be added to the monument? Is there anyone who shouldn't be there? Who and why? Don't forget to keep watching til the end to catch some epic drone shots! (And maybe one day I'll share a funny story about what happened 😂).

[@Syntaxter]

1992 2000 2011 2019 2023 (Das sollte jeder mal gesehen haben.) Das an den Kanal. Absolut schön gemacht. 👍🏼

[@kaess307]

Valhalla (old Norse Valhöll 'dwelling of the fallen'), also Valhall, Walhalla or Valhalla, possibly linked or identical to the Valaskjalf palace of the gods, is in Norse mythology the resting place of the fighters who died in a battle and who have proven to be brave so-called Einherjer

[@Rayhid1956]

As always, I enjoyed watching this video. I never heard of this place before. I will put it on my bucket list for future trips to southern Germany.

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! It really is a cool place to visit when you're in Regensburg - which is one of my favorite places in Germany!

[@Rayhid1956]

@@OnwardMJ You're welcome. I've been in to Regensburg before but had limited time to spare sightseeing. It will be a while before I take a trip down Regensburg.

[@indiramichaelahealey5156]

Wow, how impressive. Even I as a German was never there, have to change that.

[@OnwardMJ]

It really is cool, especially when I think about how Ludwig planned it before Germany was even Germany. And since Regensburg is such an awesome city to visit, it's definitely worth it!

[@borghorsa1902]

Love Roman-Greek architecture, the way the columns are and the steps of course 👍

[@1neAdam12]

Africans designed and built all that architecture.

[@tedhoeborn2310]

I was there in October of 23 with my son-in-law. Then off to Regensburg for lunch.

[@normalawson5629]

Cool place.

[@arnodobler1096]

Sophie Scholl the most impressive german Woman of all time! I admire her very much! Sophie Scholl - The Final Days (German: Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage) is a 2005 German historical drama film directed by Marc Rothemund and written by Fred Breinersdorfer 👍

[@kingofshit303]

a little off-topic but If you like metal music you should listen to the german band Blind Guardian and their song Valhalla (it has english lyrics)

[@OnwardMJ]

I'm not as into metal now as I was when I was younger, but I'll have to check it out.

[@bbeela3257]

As a German, I have to admit cultural appropiation'😅 The concept of Wahalla stems from Scandinavia. The place in Regensburg with its classicitic & Roman- Greeko design doesn't come across as Germanic. These days, we would definitely curate the place of the achievements of the Germanic people differently😅

[@tiwaz4598]

You do know Walhalla is a place in the afterlife in Germanic heathenism right? And that it is not exclusively Scandinavian.

[@MT-qt9mw]

As a German you do not know that much of the cultural and philosophical root of Western Europe lies in Hellenic Greece. Most of the aristocratic and noble families of Western Europe trace their ancestry back to Troy through Charlemagne. The best of the Roman army was comprised of Germanic people. The Germanic people had more less the same pantheon as the Norse gods and shared philosophical and spiritual traditions with the Celts.

[@bbeela3257]

@MT-qt9mw That is a very inaccurate but amusing tale of eurocentric history. You are aware that the majority of ' hellenistic philosophical & cultural achievements' have been copied and imported from ancient Egypt. Following your logic, the Germans should celebrate & claim their roots & origin of their sophistication - ancient Egypt and not Greece! I wonder why we neither see Greeko architecture nor pyramides in Germany🤣

[@tiwaz4598]

@@bbeela3257 Everything you are saying is wrong. From the content to terminology like "Greeko".

[@rupertschwarz5477]

There is a better trip from Regensburg: just go the other direction there the Danub broke through the mountains to the monestary Weltenburg.

[@panther7748]

As a German, I have mixed feelings about this place. It was build when german nationalism was still romantic and mostly unreflected. Much has happened since then and the Walhalla, from its name to its purpose and appearance, seems to be a relic of the past. It doesn't fit very well into our modern society. Today's Germany has not much use or love for this kind of pathos.

[@OnwardMJ]

Thank you for sharing that perspective. As I try to think about it in light of the darker parts of German history, my question would be this: can something like Walhalla, that celebrates the positive contributions of many individuals across history, be looked to as a symbol of what the nation could be? Not necessarily looking for an answer to that question, but just kind of thinking about it. I know American history has plenty of dark patches, and yet there is still a strong desire to celebrate an American identity and ideal (although I admit, depending on who you are in America these things may be less appealing and positive). But you've certainly made me think about some things!

[@mogon721]

Completely agree. This whole concept is a relict of a pathetic age where sentiments drunk with nationalism became an outright pest that led directly into the abyss of the 20th century. It fits into modern Germany not any better than uniformed torchlight parades or feudalism.

[@panther7748]

@@OnwardMJ Thank you for your reply. :) It could be looked at in this way, but the problem is that even positive pathos is still pathos (at least in my opinion). I think one has to understand where we come from: During the Nazi era, the german national pathos was driven to an extreme level. Everything was about nation, race, sacrifice, historical significance and heroism - maximum pathos. And it led to almost unimaginable destruction, death and the complete moral devastation of our people. Other nations wrap themselves in some sort of cozy national pathos, the British with their "Keep calm, be defiant" attitude, the French with their pride in "La Grande Nation", their pompous military parades, etc... We don't have that. We are as unglamorous as possible. And the Walhalla, even though it has nothing to do with the Nazis per se, is a product of the same kind of national pathos. In a sense, it is the result of a certain innocence we have lost somewhere between Stalingrad and Auschwitz. But at the same time, it was this seemingly innocent national emotions and attitudes that led directly to the Nazi dictatorship, which used them in this extreme way. And many people really believed in them. Besides, the name Walhalla comes of course from the germanic/norse mytholigy and this has a bad undertone for us as well, since it was used by the Nazis (especially the SS) in their weird neo-pagan-germanic belief system and for state propaganda. So even the name itself is somewhat contaminated. I think humility and a down-to-earth approach is the best approach for Germany in the future, as it has been in the past. I don't know how exactly the Walhalla fits into this, but I know that we can't just use it completely without historical self-reflection, sort of like the French use the Panthéon in Paris. Edit: Typo

[@mogon721]

​@@OnwardMJ Imagine some 1840 governor of Florida had initiated such a building where he wanted to celebrate Americans who he considered to have made great contributions, and only the Floridian Senate would have a word as to who would fall into this category. Sure, there would probably be a small number of black people or even women now, but basically, a lot of those busts would be slaveholders, confederated generals or politicians, and racist poets. That's about the situation with this institution in the hands of the free state of Fake-Austria...

[@zhufortheimpaler4041]

@@mogon721 on point