King Max I. Joseph
King Max I. Joseph stands in Passau’s cathedral square as a bronze monument to Maximilian Joseph I, Bavaria’s first king. The figure wears full royal robes, extends his left arm, and holds a downward-pointing sceptre. A cuboid base carries the words “charta magna”, referring to Bavaria’s constitution introduced in 1818, while a royal crown completes the monument.
The city commissioned the monument for the twenty-fifth anniversary of Maximilian Joseph I’s reign. Karl Gottfried Eichler, Christian Jorhan the Younger, and Georg Samassa created it between 1824 and 1828. Its unveiling followed four years of work, with mayor Joseph Unruh delivering the commemorative speech. Maximilian Joseph I became king in 1806 and helped shape modern Bavaria through constitutional change. In 1924, surrounding trees were removed for a clearer view, prompting public protests. Plans to remove the statue during square renovations in 1961 ultimately failed, and it remained in place for its historical importance.
The outstretched arm gives the bronze figure its local nickname: the “rain tester”. From the square, that gesture makes the king appear to check the sky for rain.
- City
- Passau
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