Königsplatz (, ''King's Square'') is a square in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Built in the style of European
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...
in the 19th century, it displays the
Propyläen Gate and, facing each other, the
Glyptothek (archeological museum) and the
Staatliche Antikensammlungen (art museum). The area around Königsplatz is home to the
Kunstareal, Munich's gallery and museum quarter.
Architecture
The square was designed as part of the representative grouping along the
Brienner Straße by
Karl von Fischer,
Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell, and
Leo von Klenze. The square was intentionally set lower at the centre by nearly one meter to make the three monumental buildings dedicated to the ancient past appear higher. The
Glyptothek
The Glyptothek () is a museum in Munich, Germany, which was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig I to house his collection of Ancient Greek art, Greek and Roman art, Roman sculptures (hence γλυπτο- ''glypto-'' "sculp ...
and
Propylaea were also designed by Klenze, while the
Staatliche Antikensammlungen were designed by
Georg Friedrich Ziebland. The museums were built between 1816 and 1845.
The
Lenbachhaus is situated at the north-west side of the square.
Königsplatz during the Third Reich
As a beautiful and monumental place, the Königplatz was used during the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
as a square for the Nazi Party's mass rallies. The
Brown House, the national headquarters of the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
was located at 45 Brienner Straße close to the square.
Two Honor Temples (''
Ehrentempel'') were erected at the east side of the Königsplatz in severe neo-Greek style to echo the architecture of the older buildings; they "enshrined" the remains of the 15 Nazis killed in the 1923
Beer Hall Putsch, who were honored by Nazis as martyrs. Both temples were demolished by the US Army in 1947, although their platforms remain to this day. Two buildings of the Nazi party constructed by
Paul Troost next to the temples still exist; in the one north of Brienner Strasse, the ''
Führerbau'', where the
Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...
was signed in 1938. The other one south of said Boulevard was formerly an administrative building for the Nazi Party. After the war, both buildings were used by the Americans as a "Central Collecting Point", where recovered paintings and other artworks taken for the Nazis' unrealized ''
Führermuseum'' were stored. Today the north building houses the a school for music and theatre called the
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
The University of Music and Theatre Munich (), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts music school, conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is the former ''Führerbau'' of the NSDAP, locate ...
. The south building houses the
Museum of Casts of Classical Statues and
Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte (Central Institute for Art History).
Nazi book burnings
The Nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the German Student Union (, ''DSt'') to ceremonially Book burning, burn books in Nazi Germany and First Austrian Republic, Austria in the 1930s. The books targeted for burning were those viewed ...
occurred at Königsplatz in 1933.
''The March to the Führer'' (''
Der Marsch zum Führer'') is a Nazi propaganda film released in 1940. It depicts the nationwide march of
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...
to
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
and features the Königsplatz.
After the war the Königsplatz was restored to its pre-war appearance.
Transportation
The Königsplatz is served by a
U-Bahn station of the
same name.
Sport
During the
2022 European Championships the 2022 European climbing championships and the
2022 European Beach Volleyball Championships events were held at Königsplatz
See also
*
Nazi architecture
Nazi architecture is the architecture promoted by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Germany, Nazi regime from 1933 until its fall in 1945, connected with urban planning in Nazi Germany. It is characterized by three forms: a Stripped Classicism, stripp ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konigplatz
Tourist attractions in Munich
Neoclassical architecture in Munich
Squares in Munich
Maxvorstadt