Beauty and Function in the University by pedersdottir
Die Grosse Aula: the great auditorium. (The final word is pronounced: OWL-ah)Located in the Main Bldg of LMU, the Aula was one of the few large meeting spaces that escaped major damage in the wake of WWII bomb attacks. As such, it functioned as the site for governmental reconstruction after the war. The new Bavarian Constitution was ratified here and the first freely-elected postwar Bavarian legislature met in this room.
It also served as concert hall to the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under Wilhelm Furtwaengler in the postwar years.
Objects d'art convey the essence of the arts and sciences. The Aula is decorated with plaster placques that trace the roots of modern democracy from ancient civilizations. The artistic legacy of ancient Greece dominates the stage with large gold mosaics depicting Apollo in a blazing chariot surrounded by 4 Muses. In a nod to astronomy, the balcony houses an astrological clock that displays the constellations of the northern hemisphere.
While not generally open to the public, the Aula is on view at times when it becomes the venue for university festivities and holiday concerts.
