Overview

• Markus Söder told CSU lawmakers at the Kloster Banz retreat that the official procedure has been started to fill two open places in the Walhalla with Franz Josef Strauß and Hannah Arendt.
• The proposals move to an assessment of suitability by the Bavarian science ministry in consultation with the Academy of Sciences, with a final decision required from the Bavarian cabinet.
• Eligibility rules include a minimum of 20 years since death, significance in public life, and ties to the Germanic language family, with proposers covering the cost of a bust.
• The Walhalla near Donaustauf, opened in 1842 by King Ludwig I, currently contains 132 busts and 65 memorial plaques according to the state arts ministry.
• Inclusion of contemporary party politicians has been rare, prior pushes for Strauß date to 2010 and 2015, and Söder framed the move as strengthening identity in response to what he calls cancel culture.