Munich Residenz

The Residenz grew from a fourteenth-century castle into a complex of ten courtyards and about a hundred and thirty rooms open to visitors, the seat of Bavarian rulers until 1918. Bombing in the Second World War destroyed most of it; reconstruction ran from 1945 into the 1980s, working from photographs, plans and salvaged fragments, and much of what stands is careful rebuilding. The Antiquarium of 1571, a barrel-vaulted hall sixty-six metres long, is the largest Renaissance interior north of the Alps. The treasury holds a thousand years of regalia, including a small crown of English origin from around 1370.

Background

The first buildings on the site date from 1385, and around 1470, under Albert IV, walls, a north gate and two turrets followed. The Antiquarium was built in 1568-1571 to give the sculpture collection room. Friedrich Sustris designed the Grotto Courtyard with its Perseus Fountain in 1581-1586 for William V, and the octagonal Fountain Courtyard, once a tournament ground, received the Wittelsbach Fountain in 1610. Maximilian I added the west wing, whose portals are guarded by two lions with a statue of the Virgin Mary in a niche between them. The Festsaalbau holds the Cuvilliés Theatre and the Herkulessaal, the main concert venue of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Source: Wikipedia, "Munich Residenz"

The main sights

• The Antiquarium - a 66-metre Renaissance vaulted hall of 1571.
• The treasury - regalia and objects spanning a thousand years.
• The Cuvilliés Theatre - a rococo court theatre dismantled and saved in the war.
• The reconstruction - rooms rebuilt from photographs after 1945.

When to go

Year-round; the complex is large enough to fill a day and separate tickets cover the palace, treasury and theatre. It is busiest in summer and at Christmas.

Practical notes

Much of the interior is postwar reconstruction rather than original fabric. The site is very large and tiring. Rooms close in rotation for maintenance.

Nearby

The English Garden lies north; Marienplatz is south.

Key facts