Hundreds of curious visitors hustle through Maximilianeum during open house day. Being impressed with the hallways, the paintings of past celebrities and the contrasting simplicity of the plenary hall they miss out on the actual purpose of the magnificent building: a scholars' institute for highly gifted high school graduates. If you belong to the Maximilianeer you have made it.

When King Maximilian II. proclaimed the support of the youth there was no Pisa-shock. The monarch, who had studied himself, wanted an educational institution for the gifted. In 1857 the building of the foundation at the end of Maximilianstraße was started. The Maximilianeum ought to shine in the so-called Maximilians style, just like the boulevard: a mixture of all historic art epochs combined with modern construction technique. The foundation was very well-appointed. The paintings of the "Historische Galerie" show world historic events like Friedrich Kaulbach's "Krönung Karls des Großen". The marmoreal busts present inventors (Leibniz), wise men (Konfuzius), litterateurs, statesmen and commanders (Alexander the Great).

Since 1949 the scholars share the Maximilianeum with the Bavarian Parliament, which provides the rent and the building's maintenance. At first students and representatives were a bit suspicious, meanwhile they party together. The sessions are broadcasted live from the plenary hall into the internet. It's not only the students who enjoyed an amazing over the city in pre-war times, but also guests of the cafés in the arcades. Back then it was the highest café, today the parliament's restaurant promotes its perfect service and the historic ambiance.

The monarch's goal was to gain the best graduates of Bavaria and Palatinate on the left of the Rhine river (once part of Bavaria) fo the higher state service. Provided they were Christians. He granted them board and lodging, irrespective of their parents' class and finances. Physicians and theologians were excluded. Initially the scholarship was only for men. Thanks to a foundation of the Wittelsbacher women are also part of the program since 1980.

The terms of admissions are the same for everybody: you have to have a high school diploma of 1,0 (best grade) and then master two assessments. If you have made it through the first one you receive a scholarship of 400 Euros. If you master the so-called Maxim exam you get your ticket to the Maximilianeum. There should be no lack for the industrious. Back then the scholars received half a liter beer with each meal, today they are taken care of by a staff of eight people: a cook, two kitchen helpers, the concierge, the laundress and three cleaning ladies who also clean the students' rooms. On top, they can use the library and a swimming pool which are shared with the representatives. The toughly earned membership, which was also owned by Franz Josef Strauß and Nobel Prize physicist Werner Heisenberg, lasts a lifetime and pays off with an elitist network.

by Dietmar Stanka