August 2016
Kill what? Yes, that was about what our reaction was when we heard out river cruise boat was to stop at Kilheim. A town of 15,000 people, it was actually Kelheim, not Kimheim. It is situated on the river Danube at the confluence of the Danube and the Altmühl, i.e. the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal.
The most famous thing around here is the Befreiungshalle (“Hall of Liberation”), a Neoclassical monument on the Michelsberg hill above the town of Kelheim. The view of the converging rivers from the ground of this monument was impressive even though I had a hard time placing myself on the map of the area due to winding rivers and so on.
King Ludwig I of Bavaria ordered the Befreiungshalle to be built to commemorate the victories against Napoleon during the Wars of Liberation that lasted from 1813 to 1815. Inside the monument was more impressive than outside, with marble tiles in interesting geographic patterns and 34 statues of victory looking down at you.
We were bused in and out to/from this monument from/to the ship.
Small Wide World 