Is it me or does the 19th century like to connect itself to previous eras of history?>most archaeological excavations of ancient artifacts was from the 19th century>most common deceptions of classical Greece and Rome are from paintings from the 19th century>most famous castle by king ludwig ii is based off medieval castles and was built in the 19th century>most iconic iterature about the renaissance and enlightenment is from the 19th century
>>18409958>Big beautiful hilltop castle>ruined by a massive "We are World Heritage!" bannerDo Yuros really?
>>18409958While the 19th century was arguably the most revolutionary century in history, thanks to the Industrial Revolution, they were also looking backward with an almost obsessive intensity. The world was changing faster than ever (steam engines, factories, urban smog). People looked to the "Middle Ages" or "Ancient Rome" as a simpler, more "authentic" time.The 19th century didn't just study history; it tried to live in it. This was the era of "Revivalism." If you look at the architecture of the time, almost nothing was "new", it was all a "Neo" version of something else:Neo-Gothic: The British Houses of Parliament.Neo-Renaissance: The Paris Opera House.Neo-Classical: Most of Washington D.C.Neo-Romanesque: King Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein Castle.King Ludwig II is the perfect example of this. It isn't a "real" medieval castle; it was a 19th-century stage set designed for a Romantic fantasy, complete with modern plumbing and a telephone line.This was also the birth of Nationalism: New nations (like Germany and Italy) needed a "backstory." They funded literature and art that highlighted their medieval roots to create a sense of shared identity. This was the dominant artistic movement. Romantics valued emotion and "the sublime" over cold logic, leading them to idolize the chivalry of the knights and the ruins of antiquity.The 19th century basically invented archaeology as a science. As European empires expanded, they wanted to claim the "glory" of the past. They weren't just finding artifacts; they were trying to prove their own nations were the "rightful heirs" to the great civilizations of old.Also, it was the century of the Historical Novel with people essentially writting "fan fiction" of the past.Before the 19th century, people mostly viewed history as a series of lessons. The 19th century was the first time we started viewing the past as a destination; somewhere we could visit through a book, a painting, or a fake castle.
>>18409958>most archaeological excavations of ancient artifacts was from the 19th centuryThis is blatantly untrue.A good number of charismatic artifacts were excavated and shipped to western museums so they stand out in the public mind. Archaeological excavation proliferate after WWII and far more excavation took place from 1950 to 2000 than in the entire 19th century. The questions archaologists were pursuing were significantly different and there was/is much less interest within the field directed at the monumental artifacts. Archaeology that is only focused on the elites is half assed. Most 18th century practitioners were school boys who creamed themselves over Greco-Roman mythology and elite life. If anything, they destroyed far more of the archaeological record than they preserved in museums. As a professional archaeologist who has worked in both academic and contract environments, the 19th century is the shameful teenage years of the profession.
>>18409972I guess that's why the 20th century happened to be so 'modernist'. It's a shame really.
>>18410008Yep. The whole modernism, brutalism, and other movements are all big "fuck this shit" to the whole Imperial-building that lead to WW1 and represented by these movements.
>>18409962That castle is revolting even without the banners. It's incoherent kitch built by an insane king who wanted to larp being in a fairytale or Wagner opera, and it bankrupted Bavaria at the time. Imagine if your head of state was obsessed with Harry Potter and spent the majority of the country's budget in a giant concrete replica of Hogwarts. That's basically the story of Neuschwanstein.
>>18410045>Imagine if your head of state was obsessed with Harry Potter and spent the majority of the country's budget in a giant concrete replica of Hogwarts.Damn, I want this.
>>18410070Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando have a full scale replica of Hogwarts Castle
>>18409962His castle is extremely tacky and not any kind of historical site, it's basically a fantasy luxury palace he paid for by squandering his country's treasury. It's not even remotely historically accurate, it's basically just a rich man's fanciful idea of what a castle is.
>>18410078that's not full scale
>>18409996What you're saying is a half truth. While a lot of 19th century archeology was like that, especially in the middle east and Egypt, there was also an archeological explosion happening as the British were building railroads all over their country and it were these, far less fashionable finds that was what became the groundwork for modern archeological practices.
>>18409972Thanks, chatGPT.
>>18410045>That castle is revolting even without the banners. It's incoherent kitch built by an insane king who wanted to larp being in a fairytale or Wagner opera, and it bankrupted Bavaria at the time. Imagine if your head of state was obsessed with Harry Potter and spent the majority of the country's budget in a giant concrete replica of Hogwarts. That's basically the story of Neuschwanstein.Everything you tell is true. But castle is extremely cozy and elegant. Was you inside?Ludwig surely had an eye for an art, beauty and myth. Even in the year 2026 you like want to make castle for your fantasy RPG you just need to copy Neuschwanstein, it simply cannot be outdone.P.S.>and it bankrupted Bavaria at the time. Correction he wanted to build 100 castles. He finished 2.5 before going bankrupt.
>>18410078Made of polystyrene and plaster.
>>18410099>and not any kind of historical siteIt was build on ruins of castle dating back to 12th century just like The Nibelungenlied.Ludwig respected myth too, it wasn't just a random place.
Which one of you is the German who always seethes on /int/ about the 19th/20th century restorations done on French and German castles? I always enjoy your posts
>>18409958No castles looked like this in medieval times. This is a romantic idea of a medieval castle. Kinda like castles in Disneyland.
>>18410773Whom? Sauce?
>>18410786>This is a romantic idea of a medieval castle.Yes.>Kinda like castles in Disneyland.Low res Nintendo shit.
>>18410763It's been a long while since I've read it but I don't recall a scene that took place in a castle built on top of a previously ruined castle.>>18410773First time posting itt and I have often made posts about the subject of 19th century romantic reconstructions of german castles. I wouldn't call it seething as those structures are part of history as a 13th century castle ruin but I want to make it clear that those castles are not original medieval or even early modern structures.
>>18410946I mean old castle is dating back to 12th century just like The Nibelungenlied.One can entertain thought that its anonymous author visited that castle and sung his poem to it's nobles (very probable btw considering he was from Bavaria too).Just like Wagner sung his Der Ring des Nibelungen to Ludwig in Neuschwanstein 7 centuries latter.
>>18411119Ah I see what you meant.And Wagner was a composer and conductor not a singer.
I miss these types of castles bros.
>>18410045>>18410099kitsch is a word made up by Jews to justify making shitty modern "architecture"
>>18409958I think it was the Arts And Crafts movement. Mass industrialization and the reduction of like 90% of artisan activities to massive smoke-churning factories filled with poorly paid workers and polluted air made a lot of people hearken back to the days when things were made by hand. It was a mass movement trying to bring back "sovl", as this website terms it. Here's an example of an Arts And Crafts wallpaper pattern, obviously hearkening to an era that no one in the 19th century had any remote context with except through books or museumsIn terms of the scholarship you mentioned, I think it was just a product of mass literacy, better access to higher quality books, and an enlightenment-era sense of respect for the literary works of our forefathers
>>18409996Don't kid yourself. Archaeologists of the 19th century like William Buckland, Richard Owen, Ernest de Sarzec and Robert Koldewey helped discover many prehistoric and ancient artifacts through archeology. This archeology at the time may sound and look unadvanced compared to the latter years of archeology, but it was more foundational and helped revolutionise our understanding of ancient history.
>>18412827There are probably movements like this but nobody knows anything about them. Mostly because society has turned to consumerism. I hate the modern world
>>18409958Marx considered the known history of the previous centuries but a thin tissue of lies invented to perpetrate the aristocracies vanities, Marx instead invented the materialistic style of history that concentrated on aspects such as resources and challenges in different geographical regions.
>>18409958I want to live here so bad.
>>18412954Why was this shit so common in Victorian era/Gründerzeit?I really was born in the wrong generation.
