Showing 1-14 of 14 results
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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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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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Feldherrnhalle
Corking up Odeonsplatz's south side is the Feldherrnhalle, built by Klenze's main rival Friedrich von Gärnter and modelled on the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence. Sombre and chunky, it honours the valour of the Bavarian army and positively drips with testosterone; just check out the statues of General Johann Tilly, who kicked the Swedes out of Munich during the Thirty Years' War; and Karl Phillip von Wrede, who first fought with, then against Napoleon in the early 19th century.
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Hofbräuhaus
No visit to Munich would be complete without a stop at the Bavaria's most celebrated beer hall. The writhing hordes of tourists tend to overshadow the sterling interior, where dainty twirled flowers and Bavarian flags adorn the medieval vaults. The swirl of flags underneath the chandeliers recently got a paint job to minimise their resemblance to Nazi swastikas. The ballroom upstairs was the site of the first large meeting of the National Socialist Party on 20 February 1920.
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Hofgarten
Office workers catching some rays during their lunch break, stylish moms pushing prams, seniors on bikes, a gaggle of chatty nuns - everybody comes to the Hofgarten. The formal court gardens with fountains, radiant flower beds, lime tree-lined gravel paths and benches galore sits just north of the Residenz. Paths converge at the Dianatempel, a striking octagonal pavilion honouring the Roman goddess of the hunt. In summer it's a favourite spot for classical music recitals.
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Justizpalast
Just west of Karlsplatz, the 1890s Justizpalast looms like a pompous presence with neobaroque and neo-Renaissance flourishes. 'Justice' was not exactly meted out here on 22 February 1943 when Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst were condemned to death by the notorious judge Roland Freisler. The verdict was read at . Four hours later they were dead. There's a permanent exhibit about the sham trial in the very courtroom in room 253.
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Leuchtenberg-Palais
A stately town palace modelled after a Roman palazzo and now home of the Bavarian Finance Ministry.
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Michaelskirche Crypt
This dank crypt is the final resting place of the 'Mad King' (Ludwig II) whose humble tomb is usually drowned in flowers.
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Münchner Kindl
A toy-filled refuge is Münchner Kindl, which welcomes kids 18 months to 10 years old.
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Residenz
The Residenz is a suitably grand palace to reflect the splendour and power of the Wittelsbach clan, the Bavarian rulers who lived here from 1385 to 1918. The edifice dwarfs Max-Joseph-Platz along with the grandiose Nationaltheater, home to the Bavarian State Opera. Its museums are among the jewels in Munich's cultural crown.
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Schloss Nymphenburg
Adelaide of Savoy certainly married well. After she gave birth to her son Max Emanuel, her husband, Elector Ferdinand Maria was so overjoyed that he rewarded her with her own palace, Schloss Nymphenburg. Later rulers dabbled with the place until it grew into the lavish edifice you see today.
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Schloss Suresnes
The baroque Schloss Suresnes is a petite palace built in 1718 for one of Elector Max's government officials. Paul Klee had a studio here from 1919 to 1922, and it now houses a Catholic academy.
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Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus
Leading late 19th-century portraitist Franz von Lenbach used his considerable fortune to build a fabulous Tuscan-style home, which his widow later sold to the city for a pittance but with the proviso that it be used as a museum. To get things going, she also threw in a bunch of hubbie's works. Today's Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus is swarmed by fans of the expressionist Blauer Reiter (Blue Rider) artist group founded by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc in 1911.
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Viscardigasse
The little Viscardigasse, which runs behind the Feldherrnhalle, came to be known as Drückebergergasse (Dodger's Alley) during the Third Reich. To commemorate the 16 Nazis who died during the Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler installed a guarded memorial along Residenzstrasse and required all passers-by to give the Hitler salute. The only way to 'dodge' such nonsense was by sneaking through Viscardigasse instead, a small act of civic defiance.
Showing 1-14 of 14 results
