Palace of Justice, Munich: Distant view from the Karlsplatz

Prince Luitpold of Bavaria (Prince Regent 1886-1912) commissioned Thiersch to build the Munich Justizpalast. The first sketches for it were in an Italian High Renaissance style, but he soon decided to execute the building (1890-97) in the livelier and increasingly fashionable Baroque Revival style. The grandiose, well-lit Treppenhaus (stairhall) under the huge glass dome is unequalled in the secular architecture of the time. The effect is heightened by the rich stucco ornamentation and colourful marble facing of the walls (partly destroyed 1945). The steel construction of the dome, an elaborate ventilation system and electric lighting powered by a generator within the building were all pioneering technical achievements.