Architecture sights in Bavaria
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walk on the roof
Don't have time to make it to the Alps for climbing around lofty heights? No sweat. Just head to the Olympic Stadium for a walk on the roof . Yup, the roof; that famously contorted steel and plexiglass confection is ready for its close-up. Just like on the mountains, you'll be roped and hooked up to a steel cable as you clamber around under the eagle-eyed supervision of an experienced guide showering you with fascinating details about the stadium's architecture and construction. Unusual perspectives are guaranteed, but the vertigo-prone might want to take a pass on this one. Minimum age is 10 and expeditions last two hours. Wear rubber-soled shoes.
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Dom Mariä Heimsuchung
North of Rathausplatz you'll find the cathedral, Dom Mariä Heimsuchung, which dates back to the 10th century. Architecturally it's a hotchpotch of addition on addition, including the instalment of bronze doors in the 14th century depicting Old Testament scenes. The oldest section is the crypt underneath the west choir, which features a Romanesque Madonna. Other treasures include medieval frescoes, the Weingartner Altar by Hans Holbein the Elder, and - dating from the 12th century - the Prophets' Windows (depicting Daniel, Jonah, Hosea and Moses), some of the oldest stained-glass windows in Germany.
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Dom St Peter
Regensburg's soaring landmark, the Dom St Peter ranks among Bavaria's grandest Gothic cathedrals. Construction dates from the late 13th century, but the distinctive filigree spires weren't added until the 19th century; the extravagant western facade from this period is festooned with sculptures. Inside are kaleidoscopic stained-glass windows above the choir and in the south transept. Another highlight is a pair of charming sculptures (1280), attached to pillars just west of the altar, which features the Angel Gabriel beaming at the Virgin on the opposite pillar as he delivers the news that she's with child.
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Fuggerei
Built to provide homes for poor Catholics, the Fuggerei is one of the oldest welfare settlements in the world. Jacob Fugger financed the project in the 16th century and this town within a town is still home to 150 Catholic Augsburgers. Many of the 140 apartments have been modernised but the exterior is pretty much unchanged, with the original bell pulls beside each door. For centuries the rent has remained at one Rhenish Gilder (€1 today) per year, plus utilities and three daily prayers. Sound management means the Fugger Foundation is still going strong, despite the global economic downturn.
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Asamkirche
Near the Sendlinger Tor, a 14th-century gate, you'll come upon the pint-sized St Johann Nepomuk church, better known as the Asamkirche. Designed and built in the 18th century as a private chapel by the prolific Asam brothers, who lived next door, the over-the-top baroque interior with not an inch of unembellished wall or column, must have been an awe-inspiring sight for 18th-century Müncheners, as it is today. The narrowness of the nave packed with barley-sugar columns, hovering cherubs and faux marble heightens the riotous effect.
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Theatinerkirche St Kajetan
The imposing baroque church swelling up on the west side is the Theatinerkirche St Kajetan, built in the 17th century to commemorate the birth of Prince Max Emanuel. Its massive twin towers flanking a giant cupola are a landmark of Munich's skyline. Inside, the intensely ornate high dome stands above the Fürstengruft (royal crypt), containing the remains of Wittelsbach dynasty members. Opposite and a bit to the north, a neoclassical gate leads the way to the former Hofgarten (Royal Gardens).
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Dom
Bamberg's princely and ecclesiastical roots are felt strongest around Domplatz on the southern bank of the Regnitz. The dominant structure is the soaring Dom, the result of a Romanesque-Gothic duel fought by church architects after the original edifice burnt down (twice) in the 12th century. Politics dictated the final floor plan, which was altered each winter during 20 years of building. The interior is renowned for its fine acoustics, and from May to October free 30-minute organ concerts take place at noon on Saturday.
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Lorenzkirche
Lorenzkirche is chock-full of artistic highlights. Check out the 15th-century tabernacle in the left aisle - the delicate carved strands wind up to the vaulted ceiling. Remarkable also are the stained glass (including a rose window 9m in diameter) and Veit Stoss' Engelsgruss (Annunciation), a wooden carving with life-size figures, suspended above the high altar. North of the church, the Tugendbrunnen (1589) is a fountain featuring the seven Virtues with a figure of Justice looking on.
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St Peterskirche
It requires a little effort (306 steps, to be precise), but for our money the best view of central Munich is from the 92m-tall tower of the St Peterskirche, Munich's oldest church (1180). Also known as 'Alter Peter' (Old Peter), it's a virtual textbook of art through the centuries, from the Gothic St-Martin-Altar to Johann Baptist Zimmermann's baroque ceiling fresco and Ignaz Günther's rococo sculptures, plus some really creepy relics of an obscure saint named Munditia.
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Akademie der Bildenden Künste
The Akademie der Bildenden Künste is housed in a three-storey neo-Renaissance building. Founded in 1808 by Maximilian I, it advanced to become one of Europe's leading arts schools in the second half of the 19th century and still has a fine reputation today. Famous students included Max Slevogt, Franz von Lenbach and Wilhelm Leibl; and, in the early 20th century, Lovis Corinth, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc and others who went on to become modern-art pioneers.
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Dom St Kilian
Würzburg's Romanesque Dom St Kilian was built between 1040 and 1237, although numerous alterations have added Gothic, Renaissance and baroque elements. The row of elaborate pillar-mounted tombstones was hewn from red marble by Tilman Riemenschneider. Attached to the north transept is the festive Balthasar Neumann-designed Schönbornkapelle, the final resting place of the Schönborn bishops.
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Cuvilliés-Theater
Designed by Belgian architect François Cuvilliés and recently renovated, the Cuvilliés-Theater is one of Europe's finest rococo stages. The original theatre building was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944, but the original finely carved fittings and furnishings, which had been dismantled and kept in a safe place during WWII, witnessed the premiere of Mozart's opera Idomeneo.
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Alte Kapelle
South of the Dom, the humble exterior of the graceful Alte Kapelle belies the stunning interior with its rich rococo decorations. The core of the church, however, is about 1000 years old, although the Gothic vaulted ceilings were added in the Middle Ages. The church is open only during services but you can always peek through the wrought-iron grill.
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Klosterkirche St Anna im Lehel
The Asamkirche may be more sumptuous, but the Klosterkirche St Anna im Lehel is actually a collaboration of the top dogs of the rococo. Johann Michael Fischer designed the building, and Cosmas Damian Asam painted the stunning ceiling fresco and altar. So there!
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Hofkirche
In the Residenz's south wing, the Hofkirche is another Neumann and Tiepolo co-production. Its marble columns, gold leaf and profusion of angels match the Residenz in its splendour and proportions. Hours vary here; check with information desk or tourist office.
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Bronze Sculpture of Juliet
Lovesick? Head to the old town hall's south side and pay your respects to Romeo's heart-throb Juliet, a beautiful bronze sculpture that was a gift from Munich's sister city, Verona. Leave her some flowers and your love life will improve…
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Schottenkirche St Jakob
The 12th-century main portal of the Schottenkirche St Jakob is considered one of the supreme examples of Romanesque architecture in Germany. Its reliefs and sculptures form an iconography that continues to baffle the experts.
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Pagodenburg
The two-storey Pagodenburg was built in the early 18th century as a Chinese teahouse and is swathed in ceramic tiles depicting landscapes, figures and floral ornamentation.
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Grottenhof
Tours of the Residenzmuseum soon take you to the Grottenhof (grotto court), home of the wonderful Perseusbrunnen (Perseus Fountain), with its namesake holding the dripping head of Medusa.
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St Burkhard
St Burkhard, is a Romanesque basilica with a Gothic extension. Treasures include a Madonna by Riemenschneider and a 14th-century relief depicting the Crucifixion.
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