Architecture sights in Munich
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A
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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B
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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C
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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D
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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E
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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F
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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G
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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H
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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I
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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J
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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