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Ahnengallery
Tours at the Residenzmuseum take you through the downstairs Ahnengallery (Ancestors' Gallery), a riot in rococo with 121 portraits of the rulers of Bavaria in chronological order.
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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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Aktionsforum Praterinsel
An art and cultural centre in a former schnapps distillery with artists studios, exhibits, open-air performances and parties.
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Allianz Arena
Sporting and architecture fans alike should take a side trip to the northern Munich suburb of Fröttmaning to see the ultra-slick around €340 million Allianz Arena , Munich's dramatic new football stadium. Nicknamed the 'life belt' and 'rubber boat', it has walls made of inflatable cushions that can be individually lit to match the team colours of the host team (red for 1 FC Bayern, blue for TSV 1860 and white for the national soccer team).
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Alpines Museum
In a deceptively beautiful building on the island's southern tip, the Alpines Museum could deliver a fascinating exhibit about the Alps but is actually a pretty dry and predictable presentation. Paintings, photographs, scientific instruments and graphics illustrate the history of the mountain range, its settlement, expeditions and the popularity of Alpinism. Sadly it avoids the debate over the mountains' touristic exploitation and environmental problems resulting from global warming.
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Alte Pinakothek
Munich's main repository of Old European Masters, the Alte Pinakothek is stuffed with all the major players that decorated canvases between the 14th and 18th centuries. It's in a neoclassical temple masterminded by Leo von Klenze and is a delicacy even if you can't tell your Rembrandt from your Rubens. Nearly all the paintings were collected or commissioned by Wittelsbach rulers and mirror their eclectic tastes over the centuries. It fell to Ludwig I to unite the bunch in a single museum.
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Alter Botanischer Garten
Alter Botanischer Garten is a nice place to cool your heels after an Altstadt shopping spree. Created under King Maximilian in 1814, the tender specimens were moved after WWII to a clean-air spot behind Schloss Nymphenburg. All remaining 'foreign' plants were removed under the Nazis in 1935, who turned it into a pleasant, if rather generic, park.
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Alter Hof
The central courtyard of the Alter Hof is the oldest Wittelsbach residence with origins in the 12th century and 1282 birthplace of Holy Roman Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian. The bay window on the southern façade was nicknamed 'Monkey Tower' in honour of a monkey which saved the infant ruler from the clutches of a ferocious market pig. Local lore at its finest.
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Altes Rathaus
The eastern side of Marienplatz is dominated by the Altes Rathaus. Lightning got the better of the medieval original in 1460 and WWII bombs levelled its successor, so what you see is really the third incarnation of the building designed by Jörg von Halspach of Frauenkirche fame. On 9 November 1938 Joseph Goebbels gave a hate-filled speech here that launched the nationwide Kristallnacht pogroms.
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Antikensammlungen
Complementing the Glyptothek, one of Munich's oldest museums, the Antikensammlungen is an engaging showcase of exquisite Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities. The collection of Greek vases, each artistically decorated with gods and heroes, wars and weddings, is particularly outstanding. Other galleries present gold and silver jewellery and ornaments; figurines made from terracotta and more precious bronze; and super-fragile drinking vessels made from glass.
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Antiquarium
The famous Antiquarium is a barrel-vaulted hall smothered in frescoes and built to house the Wittelsbachs' enormous antique collection. This leads to the Schlachtensäle (Battle Halls) decorated with scenes from the Napoleonic campaigns, some of which King Ludwig II himself participated in.
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Archäologische Staatssammlung
Turns out Bavaria has been a popular place of residence for 120,000 years. Prehistoric Stone Age people came first, then the Romans, the Celts and finally various Germanic tribes. The Archäologische Staatssammlung opens up a window on these long-gone civilisations with cult objects, floor mosaics, jewellery, medical equipment and scores of other items.
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Asamkirche
Though pocket-sized, the late baroque Asamkirche is as rich and epic as a giant's treasure chest. Its creators, the brothers Cosmas Damian & Egid Quirin, dipped deeply into their considerable talent box to swath every inch of wall space with paintings, putti (cherubs), gold leaf and stucco flourishes. The crowning glory is the ceiling fresco illustrating the life of St John Nepomuk to whom the church is dedicated (lie down on your back in a pew to fully appreciate the complicated perspective).
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Badenburg
The Badenburg is a sauna and bathing house that still has its original heating system.
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Bavaria Filmstadt
Movie magic made in Munich is the draw of the Bavaria Filmstadt, a theme park built around Bavaria Film, one of Germany's oldest studios founded in 1919. The top-grossing German film of all-time, Das Boot , was among the classics shot here but today's German audience is more interested in sets of the family soap, Marienhof . Films and TV are still produced today, and who knows, you might see a star during the guided 90-minute tours. The tour is in English.
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Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
A Gutenberg Bible, the original Carmina Burana and 1000-year-old prayer books are part of the amazing archive of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Founded in 1558 by Duke Albrecht V, it's in another Gärtner building and brims with 9.1 million volumes, nearly 400,000 maps and subscriptions to over 42,000 periodicals. Yup, that would make it one of the largest in the German-speaking world. Check it out, if only for the free art exhibits.
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Bayerische Staatskanzlei
Bavaria's governor keeps his office in the humongous Bayerische Staatskanzlei which takes up the entire eastern flank of the Hofgarten. It's a strikingly modern glass palace built around the restored centre section of the Army Museum that for years stood as a ruined anti-war memorial.
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Bayerisches Nationalmuseum
A highlight of Munich's museum scene, the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum is chock-full of items illustrating the art, folklore and cultural history of southern Germany between the Middle Ages and the early 20th century. The ground floor yields new treasures and surprises in every room, from suits of armour to oil paintings, town models to altars and emotionally-charged sculpture by Tilman Riemenschneider.
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Bier & Oktoberfestmuseum
East of the Viktualienmarkt is the Bier und Oktoberfestmuseum where you can learn all about the golden nectar and the world's favourite drink-up. Think four floors of old brewing vats, historic photos and some of the earliest Oktoberfest regalia. The building itself, a sensitively restored survivor from 1340, has some great medieval features including painted ceilings and a kitchen with an open fire. The earthy pub is open to midnight (closed Mon).
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BMW Headquarters
The BMW Headquarters is a stunning building of four gleaming cylinders. Come worship at the altar of the auto.
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BMW Museum
The silver-bowl-shaped BMW Museum is due to emerge from a complete revamp in spring 2008. Channel your inner Michael Schumacher in what promises to be an avant-garde exhibition space merging art, history and design. Check the website for details.
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BMW Welt
Next to the Olympic Park, where Lerchenauer Strasse meets Petuelring, a glass and steel double-cone 'tornado' spirals skyward. It's arrested only by a roof the size of an aircraft carrier yet imbued with the lightness of a cloud. Open since October 2007, the BMW Welt is an architectural showstopper, a cathedral to cars, a place of pilgrimage for those who worship at the altar of the auto.
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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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Bürgersaalkirche
The early 18th-century Bürgersaalkirche contains the tomb of Rupert Mayer, a Jesuit priest and noted Nazi opponent who was beatified in 1987.
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Cuvilliés Theatre
One of Europe's finest rococo theatres, the Cuvilliés Theatre hosted the premiere of Mozart's opera Idomeneo . The sumptuous interior is expected to emerge from major restoration in mid-June 2008. To get there, enter the court on Residenzstrasse, walk through the Kapellenhof to the Brunnenhof and the entrance will be on your left.
