CX.*
Ratisbon, Bavaria, June 8, 1855.
From Saltzburg, near the Austrian frontier, I proceeded by mail coach eighty-five miles, through an interesting country, to Munich, formerly described, the Bavarian Capital, deservedly renowned among the lovers of the fine arts, as the modern Athens of Europe, and celebrated throughout the Fatherland for its Bayerisch beer, being to Germany what London is to England, for its extensive manufacture of that beverage.
The museum and studio of Schwanthaler, the celebrated German sculptor, is a source of great interest, and reminded me of Thorwaldsen’s collection at Copenhagen.
Munich is celebrated for its Erzgiesserei, or Bronze Foundry, and for its glass paintings; the latter work is finely executed, and the new church windows which display it are strikingly beautiful. The colossal bronze statue of Bavaria, a female figure of victory, with a huge lion reposing by its side, was not complete when I saw it in 1848, but is now upon an eminence commanding the Theresien Meadows, standing upon a pedestal of thirty feet, which gives it a height of eighty-four feet. It weighs one hundred and fifteen tons. A staircase of sixty-six stone and sixty-five iron steps leads one into the head, where two benches of cast metal accommodate twelve persons; it is a rather warm berth at this season of the year. I found the great equestrian statue of Washington, for the capitol at Richmond, Virginia, in process of construction at the foundry; it will probably require considerable time for its execution.
A few miles from the city one relieves the eyes, and escapes picture galleries, in the shady avenues of the royal summer residence at Nymphenburg, with its fountains ninety feet in height, and its beautiful sheets of water, winding through this vast inclosure, which occupies two hours’ walk in the circuit. The Botanical gardens are not devoid of interest. The supply of water is more copious than in any royal site I recollect having seen in Europe, except the Neapolitan Caserta, and La Granja, in Spain. The deer park, in the vicinity, is also a pleasant drive for the ladies and children, who occupy themselves in embroidery, drinking their beer, and feeding the young animals out of their hands.
In less than two hours, one rides from Munich to Augsburg, by railroad.
The old town has considerable of interest in its churches, architecture, monuments, &c. It being my second visit, one day at Augsburg sufficed, as I was en route to Ratisbon, and had to make the circuit by railroad to Donauworth, in order to descend the Danube. A little iron steamer, eighty feet in length, and narrow in proportion, with a tiny cabin, came to the place named as the head of steam navigation, with a small party of first-class passengers. We darted down the rapid stream at a lively rate, at times walled in by precipitous limestone rocks; the scenery was highly romantic and picturesque, with much to interest, but compared unfavorably with the views described in my last, from Vienna to Linz. We landed passengers at Menburg and Ingoldstadt, important towns, and in eight hours’ sail found ourselves at this place.
As I have formerly remarked, most of the German governments have different weights, coin, measure, and regulations. One day one has fifty pounds luggage free, and paper money in use; cross the boundary, as is the case here, no baggage is allowed; it must be paid, for even moderate distances, at one cent per pound. If you happen not to have changed your money, you submit to a heavy discount. My Russian friend had a large sum of Austrian paper florins over, and lost forty guldens or sixteen dollars, by not exchanging as I advised him, and was consoled by the money changer, saying: Mann muss lehr geld zahlen. One must pay for experience.
Regensburg, or Ratisbon, whence I write, is beautifully situated upon the south bank of the Danube. It was formerly the seat of the Imperial Diet; it has a population of only twenty-four thousand, but is an interesting old city, with enchanting shady walks surrounding the city, giving the occupants breathing room. Sunday being Frohnleichnamstag, or Corpus Christi, the service in the old cathedral was fully attended. This vast Gothic edifice, built in the year 1400, was crammed with furniture, offerings, pictures, and relics, which destroyed its beautiful proportions, until King Ludwig, with the eye of an artist, in 1838, saw its deformity, and ordered a general sweeping out, and renovated its magnificent illuminated glass windows, representing the life of Christ and historical Bible scenes.