The Friedensengel was commissioned by the city council and was finished in 1899 to mark 25 years of peace following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. The golden angel, however, imitates the Greek statue of Nike on Mount Olympus, who is actually the goddess of victory. The reinterpretation as a symbol of peace can be attributed to Munich’s fervently pacifist citizens. The Friedensengel crowns a 23-meter Corinthian column, which is based on a hall that resembles the Erechtheum temple on the Acropolis in Athens. Inside that hall, gold mosaics depict the allegories of Peace, War, Victory and Culture.

© MF Adler/Feb 08