Hans Freiherr von und zu Aufseß (1801 - 1872) came from a dynasty of Imperial knights with ancestral home at Unteraufseß Castle in Upper Franconia. At the age of 21, he devoted himself to historical research and started building a vast private collection. From 1832 on he propagated the idea of a museum showcasing pan-German heritage.
At the time of the German Revolution of 1848, Germany was divided into 38 kingdoms and small principalities. Hans von und zu Aufsess was a strong supporter of a unified Germany. When the revolution failed to unite the country, he turned his private collection into a museum to demonstrate that the German tribes had more commonalities than differences and to create at least a "cultural unification."
The Museum opened in 1853 and has since expanded its collection to become the the largest museum of cultural history in any German speaking country.
The marble bust was sculpted by Arnold Hermann Lossow for Bavarian King Ludwig I who donated it to the museum in 1867.
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