Tassilo, Korbinian und der Bär – Bayern im frühen Mittelalter

In the organizer's words:

A ruler with a sword and sceptre, a saint who tames a wild bear ... this is not the stuff of a Hollywood movie, but pure Bavarian history. Tassilo, Korbinian and the bear take us back to the early Middle Ages in the Bavarian State Exhibition 2024! The history of the diocese of Freising began with the arrival of the missionary bishop Korbinian in 724. To mark the 1,300th anniversary of the diocese, we tell you about the beginnings of the church in Bavaria and the splendor of the Agilolfing dukes. They had called Korbinian and ruled over a land that at times stretched as far as South Tyrol, Upper Austria, Carinthia and Slovenia. A powerful kingdom of the Bavarians was within their grasp. Let yourself be captivated by the treasure and fate of Duke Tassilo III, who was a match for the Frankish King Charlemagne.

The exhibition is organized by the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte and the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. In addition to the state exhibition, selected state rooms of the cathedral district will be made accessible to the public via guided tours.

The exhibition motif shows a key event from the Korbinian legend: On his way across the Alps, the saint was attacked by a bear that tore his packhorse. By a miracle, however, Corbinian was able to tame the predator. In the picture, the bishop has the bear chastised, which then dutifully carried his luggage all the way to Rome. The motif is taken from a mural by Cosmas Damian Asam, which he created for Freising Cathedral on the occasion of the diocese's 1000th anniversary in 1724. The scene is framed by the decorative letter "T", which stands for Duke Tassilo.