'Napoleon and Bavaria' – exhibition in the Bayerisches Armeemuseum, Ingolstadt, Germany
30 April – 30 October 2015
Monday – Sunday, 9 am – 6 pm
The Bayerisches Armeemuseum, housed in the Ingolstadt Neues Schloss, presents an original exhibition on the Bavarian kingdom's complex relationship with Napoleon, leading to its formation as an independent state in 1815. Initially, the Bavarian Elector Max Joseph supported Napoleon and reformed the state with a new constitution in 1808 based on the French model. But the price for an alliance with Napoleon was high – namely, the provision of 30,000 soldiers (from a population of 4 million) to fight in campaigns. Few returned from the failed Russian Campaign in 1812, and, this time, Elector Max Joseph changed sides, against Napoleon. The Vienna Congress of 1815 allowed Bavaria to assert its independence and integrity as a state. Bavaria owed its liberation to Napoleon, who became a symbol for European unity, but also, most significantly, to its courage to resist him.
Napoleon stayed in the Ingolstadt Neues Schloss en route to his campaign against the Austrians in 1809. It was also the meeting place for Napoleon and the Crown Prince of Bavaria, Ludwig. In 1800/1 the Bavarian Fortress in Ingolstadt was razed to the ground upon Napoleon's command, but this castle was left intact.
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A free app on the exhibition, including a map of Bavaria with over 250 sites of interest, is available on iOS and Android. Download it on the App Store.
A series of cultural events (concerts, theatre, tours, etc.) in Ingolstadt will accompany the exhibition. Highlights include the History Festival on 13 and 14 June 2015, where visitors can experience how soldiers in the Napoleonic period really lived and worked.
Help the ‘Discover Napoleon' project!
The museum is collecting information on Napoleon's traces in Bavaria for their App and Website. If you know of any relevant memorial stones and plaques, graves or road signs, send your photos and details to poststelle@hdbg.bayern.de with the subject ‘Discover Napoleon'.
More information in English here.
Full programme in German here (pdf).
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Admission: €1 – €9 (see full prgramme here, p. 10)
Tours, workshops and group admission from €2 per head. Call 0821 45057457 for booking and details.
The exhibition is accessible for visitors with reduced mobility.
By presenting a train ticket at the museum, you are eligible for reduced-rate admission on the same day.
Address: Ingolstadt Neues Schloss
Bayerisches Armeemuseum
Paradeplatz 4, 85049 Ingolstadt
Langue(s) : German