Athens became the capital of the new Greek state in 1833. The location of the royal palace soon became the most critical issue. The German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel proposed the construction of the palace on the Acropolis. The Bavarian architect, Leo von Klenze, suggested a site on the western edge of the city, near the ancient cemetery of Kerameikos. In the end, the building was erected on an eastern hill overlooking the whole town. A popular story claims that the Bavarian authorities left pieces of meat in various locations around Athens and selected the site where the flesh remained fresh for the most extended period. The palace was designed by the Bavarian architect Friedrich von Gärtner and is the largest neoclassical building in Athens.