I can't read German, but my recollection is that this built around the time of German unification to serve as a sort of pantheon of great Germans, with statues of great German poets, scientists, leaders, etc in the hope that this would cement a common German identity. Is that right?
I could have sworn one of the Mediterranean fascist leaders did something similar in the 20th century, but i can't find a citation.
According to Wikipedia the unification was in the 1860.
This though was built by Ludwig I. which was shortly before that (1825-1848) and according to the link above in response to the (citation link: "embarrassing") "invasion" by Napoleon, in order to fortify/ensure the "germanic identity" of the people that lived there, so that it would not "washed out" by a influx of french identity, thus also the name Walhalla.
At least that's how I understand the (very short) explanation in the above link.
“It was conceived in 1807 by Crown Prince Ludwig in order to support the gathering momentum for the unification of the many German states. Following his accession to the throne of Bavaria, construction took place between 1830 and 1842 under the supervision of the architect Leo von Klenze”
I could have sworn one of the Mediterranean fascist leaders did something similar in the 20th century, but i can't find a citation.