Bayern im Krieg von 1870/71 (Docu - Historical photos..)

[Hans1906]

Good morning,

yesterday evening on the german TV channel BR (Bayern) a very interesting docu about historical photos from the french/german war
of the years 1870/71.

Translation from the BR website:

"The Bavarian monarch King Ludwig II is only 25 years old when he has to make one of the most momentous decisions of his life: Does he send the people to war or not? Only four years earlier, Bavaria had fought against Prussia in the war of 1866. In order to achieve the foundation of the Empire planned by Otto von Bismarck, the Bavarians, allied with their former enemies - Prussia - were now to take up arms against France?
This must have been a deeply disturbing situation for King Ludwig II, as the monarch had been an admirer of French art and culture all his life. He had planned Herrenchiemsee Palace in every detail, modelled on the Palace of Versailles. In order to achieve the greatest possible perfection, the young monarch had corresponded with French photographers and asked them in numerous letters and urgent telegrams for further photographs of the French model.
However, photography not only provided the Bavarian monarch with exclusive insights into France's courtly culture, but also gained more and more importance during the Franco-Prussian War. For the first time, war events could be depicted. Events at the front were also staged in order to make targeted propaganda.
For 150 years these war photographs were stored in various archives in Europe. The 30-year-old image scientist and art historian Paul Mellenthin tracked down the pictures in years of research. Paul Mellenthin was one of the first scientists ever to receive permission to view and evaluate the previously unpublished photography collection of King Ludwig II. The Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds granted the researcher a unique view into the so-called "Secret House Archives" and thus into photographs whose commissioning by the king is documented by his personal correspondence.
Formally, this documentation is told as an exciting, driving road movie: Accompanied by spectacular landscape photographs of the Chiemgau and Herrenchiemsee Island, it not only provides new insights into the specific role of Bavaria in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, but also discovers for the first time for the public the private photography collection of King Ludwig II, which was created at the same time in the 1870s. These unique testimonies give viewers an emotional access to the historical event, which will be commemorated in 2020 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary."

Link to the BR website: https://www.br.de/br-fernsehen/programm ... 82184.html

Link to the BR mediathek: https://www.br.de/mediathek/video/fotog ... 0013a312be

Playing time of the docu about 44 minutes, excellent photo material, very worth seeing!

Greetings from germany

Hans1906