Questions on an unquestioned Masterpiece

Today's perception of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and especially of its post-war rebuilding by Hans Dllgast is marked by the readable scars of war in the facades and the emblematic Grand Staircase.Yet, within Dllgast's concept of humble repair, the new solution for the vertical access meant the most vigorous intervention in Leo von Klenze's original building.And there's also a formal discrepancy between the mended facades and the austere completeness of the monumental staircase.Still, many questions on the complex planning history as well as on a (co-) authorship of the final design for the staircase remain unresolved.Based on a recapitulation of Klenze's original functional layout, the article examines the staircase by a new analysis of archival material as well as corresponding evidence on the building itself.