The Walhalla Towers near Regensburg next to the village of Donaustauf. The idea of the snow white portico and the building resembling a Greek church came from Ludwig I of Bavaria who asked his royal architect, Leo von Klenze to create a copy of the Parthenon in Athens. 358 steps lead up to the temple of glory from the valley. The portico is 125m long and 50m wide. The pediments of its façade are supported by eight huge pillars. Thus they reflect the proportion of the original building. The large framework that supports the roof and is already missing from the original Parthenon was also built onto the hall. Because of this, contrary to the one in Greece, semidarkness looms in the building. Its boarded ceiling is decorated with golden ornaments and statues of prominent people deemed worthy by the king to be exhibited in the hall.
A spectacular view of the winding Danube can be seen from the steps of Walhalla. The most spectacular castle of the area, the Furstenberg looms over the village of – that only has a population of 3000 people. The castle was built by the bishop of Regensburg in the 12th century. The old tower of the original building became the heart of the castle built later. The other seven towers that rise from the castle walls were built in the 17th and 18th century just like the quarters of the then bishop who had a taste for splendor. Today, these quarters are the main building of the castle. In the horseshoe shaped inner courtyard of the building, complex outdoor games are held every summer and festivals of sacred music are organized from time to time.
The magnificence of the elector’s palace is in sharp contrast to the impressively simple castle chapel. Of course, the latter wasn’t made for the bishop but for the people and soldiers, craftsmen and servants came here to pray.