The 138-year-old hand-painted cyclorama 'The Battle of Atlanta', one of only two surviving cycloramas in the United States, with galleries on the Civil War.
The Cyclorama is on view at the Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road NW. The centerpiece is The Battle of Atlanta, a 138-year-old hand-painted cyclorama that stands 49 feet tall, measures 371 feet in circumference, and weighs 10,000 pounds. It's one of only two surviving cycloramas in the United States, the other being the Battle of Gettysburg.
Seventeen German artists at the American Panorama Company in Milwaukee created it in the 1880s. It debuted in Minneapolis in 1886 before touring Indianapolis, Chattanooga, and Nashville, finally arriving in Atlanta in 1892. Since then, it was restored to its original hourglass shape and size, and it now hangs in the 23,000-square-foot Lloyd and Mary Ann Whitaker Cyclorama Building.
The experience starts when you enter the rotunda through a seven-foot-tall tunnel and ascend to a fifteen-foot-tall stationary platform for a 360-degree view. Every hour, a twelve-minute film is projected onto the painting to bring the scene to life. Beyond the rotunda, two levels of galleries explore the myths and truths of the Civil War and the painting's own history.
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Admission is included with general admission to the Atlanta History Center.
Date
Sunday, 18 October 2026
Price
Paid
Recommended Age
+14 years
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