The Palais Ludwig Ferdinand (also called the Alfons Palais and the Siemens Palais) is an early 19th-century

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, designed by

Leo von Klenze Leo von Klenze (Franz Karl Leopold von Klenze; 29 February 1784, Buchladen (Bockelah / Bocla) near Schladen – 26 January 1864, Munich) was a German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer. Court architect of Bavarian King Ludwig I, Leo ...

. It is located on the Wittelsbacherplatz (at number 4) but forms part of an ensemble with the buildings on the west side of the

Odeonsplatz The Odeonsplatz is a large square in central Munich which was developed in the early 19th century by Leo von Klenze and is at the southern end of the Ludwigstraße, developed at the same time. The square is named for the former concert hall, t ...

. It was Klenze's own residence, then belonged to Princes

Alfons Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

and Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria. It is now the headquarters of

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...

. The palace was built in 1825–26 for Karl Anton Vogel, a manufacturer of gold and silver thread, to a plan by Franz Xaver Widmann and with façades by Leo von Klenze, who lived on the

piano nobile The ''piano nobile'' (Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the hou ...

for 25 years."13. Ludwig-Ferdinand-Palais, Wittelsbacherplatz 4, 1825/26", Michael Hardi, ''Leo-von-Klenze-Pfad: ein Rundgang durch die Münchner Innenstadt'', 2nd ed. Munich:

Bavarian Ministry of the Interior ) is the interior ministry of Bavaria. It is headquartered in Munich, and was established on November 21, 1806 as the ''Departement des Innern''. The first Minister of the Interior was Count Maximilian von Montgelas (until 1817). Since October 16, ...

, 2009,
pdf p. 23
Klenze had originally intended the site for the first Protestant church in Munich, but that was later built elsewhere by Johann Nepomuk Pertsch. The east front of the palace is at the head of a short unnamed street which branches off the Odeonsplatz, between the

Odeon Odeon may refer to: Ancient Greek and Roman buildings * Odeon (building), ancient Greek and Roman buildings built for singing exercises, musical shows and poetry competitions * Odeon of Agrippa, Athens * Odeon of Athens * Odeon of Domitian, Rome ...

and the

Palais Leuchtenberg The Palais Leuchtenberg, (known between 1853 and 1933 as the Luitpold Palais or Prinz Luitpold Palais) built in the early 19th century for Eugène de Beauharnais, first Duke of Leuchtenberg, is the largest palace in Munich. Located on the west si ...

, which Klenze had previously designed with identical exteriors, so that on that side the three form an ensemble. This was originally the main façade of the building, designed by Klenze with a projecting central bay and a balcony above the main entrance, and with details echoing his Bazar building directly across the Odeonsplatz. Around 1850, the building was extended to the west. From 1878 the building belonged to Princes Alfons and Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria, from whom its older names are derived.Palais Ludwig Ferdinand
muenchen.de , retrieved 4 March 2013. Ludwig Ferdinand had it remodelled, and around 1900 the façade on Wittelsbacherplatz was embellished with arched doorways and a balcony. The building was badly damaged in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After reconstruction, it was rented in 1949 to Siemens & Halske, a predecessor of Siemens AG, who initially used it for their motor pool and

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

business. After Prince Ludwig Ferdinand died in 1949, the cousins

Hermann von Siemens Hermann von Siemens (9 August 1885 in Berlin – 13 October 1986 in Munich) was a German industrialist of the Siemens family. Life He was the eldest son of Arnold von Siemens who himself was the eldest son of Werner von Siemens, the famous invent ...

and

Ernst von Siemens Ernst Albrecht von Siemens (9 April 1903 in Kingston upon Hull – 31 December 1990 in Starnberg) was a German industrialist. Life Siemens was born in England when his father Carl Friedrich von Siemens was director of Siemens Brothers and return ...

, then chairman and CEO of their company, decided to buy it for the company's headquarters, as official seat of the management board and the supervisory board, and in 1957 finalized the sales contract with the prince's heirs. Those leading institutions of Siemens still today reside in this house.Christian Marquart
"Die Standortentscheidung der Firma Siemens für Bayern—Der Neubeginn und Wiederaufbau"
Louise-Schroeder-Gymnasium, 2001–03 , archived at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

11 September 2008, retrieved 4 March 2013. A staircase was added on the Wittelsbacherplatz side in 1968. The building and vast adjacent new wings, occupying the whole block between Finken Str., Kardinal Doepfner Str. and Oskar-von-Miller Ring, including the

SiemensForum München SiemensForum München was located in Munich, Bavaria, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populou ...

, underwent thorough renovation until 2016.

References

External links

* {{Commonscat-inline, Palais Ludwig Ferdinand Palaces in Munich Siemens Leo von Klenze buildings