The Residenz (, ''Residence'') in central
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 ...
is the former royal palace of the
Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...
monarchs
A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority an ...
of
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
. The Residenz is the largest city palace 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 ...
and is today open to visitors for its architecture, room decorations, and displays from the former royal collections.
The complex of buildings contains ten courtyards and displays 130 rooms. The three main parts are the Königsbau (near the
Max-Joseph-Platz), the Alte Residenz (Old Residenz; towards Residenzstraße) and the Festsaalbau (towards the
Hofgarten). A wing of the Festsaalbau contains the
Cuvilliés Theatre since the reconstruction of the Residenz after World War II. It also houses the Herkulessaal (Hercules Hall), the primary concert venue for the
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (, BRSO) is a German radio orchestra. Based in Munich, Germany, it is one of the city's four orchestras. The BRSO is one of two full-size symphony orchestras operated under the auspices of Bayerischer Rundf ...
.
The Byzantine Court Church of All Saints (
Allerheiligen-Hofkirche) at the east side is facing the Marstall, the building for the former Court Riding School and the royal stables.
History and architecture
The first buildings at this site were erected in the year 1385 and were financed by the township of Munich as a sanction for a failed uprising against
Stephen III (1375–1413) and his younger brothers. The Silver Tower (''Silberturm''), as the strongest bastion, was significantly situated next to the inner walls protecting the castle against the city. This sturdy new castle (''Neuveste'' – new fortress), surrounded by wide moats and located at the very north eastern corner of the new double ring of town walls, replaced the difficult to defend
Alter Hof (the Old Court) located in the middle of the town as residence of the
Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...
rulers. For the Dukes of the often divided country had felt the need to keep some distance from the frequently rebellious city dwellers at the one hand and for some defence against their warlike relatives at the other. As a result, they sought to build themselves a shelter impregnable and easy to leave (directly towards the glacis, without having to enter city lanes) at the same time. Around 1470, under
Albert IV (1465–1508), the fortress walls and the gate in the north were built, followed by the construction of two turrets.
The
Gothic foundation walls and the basement vaults of the old castle including the round pillars of the so-called ballroom cellar (''Ballsaalkeller'') are today the oldest surviving parts of the palace. The Residenz's development over the centuries did not take place only out of its main centre, the Neuveste, but in addition grew out of several single parts and extensions, the first of which used to be the ''
Antiquarium''. Finally, after more than four centuries of development, the giant palace had practically replaced a whole former city quarter with barracks, a monastery, houses and gardens. It assembles the styles of the late
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
, as well as of
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
,
Rococo
Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
and
Neo-Classicism
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 ...
.
The Alte Residenz

With the order of
William IV
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...
(1508–1550) to expand the Neuveste with the so-called ''Rundstubenbau'' and to set up the first Court Garden, began the history of the Munich Residenz as a representative palace. To the history cycle of this garden pavilion belonged once also the ''
Battle of Issus
The Battle of Issus (also Issos) occurred in southern Anatolia, on 5 November 333 BC between the League of Corinth, Hellenic League led by Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid Empire, led by Darius III of Persia, Darius III. It was the second g ...
'' of
Albrecht Altdorfer
Albrecht Altdorfer ( – 12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg, Bavaria. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main representative of the Da ...
.

Under
Albert V (1550–1579) Wilhelm Egkl built next to a banqueting hall of the Neuveste (St. George Hall) an art chamber in the
building of the former ducal stables and many collections in Munich originate from there. Since there was not enough space for the extensive collection of sculptures, the building for the ''Antiquarium'' was created 1568–1571. It had to be built outside the castle, as there was no place in the Neuveste.
William V William V may refer to:
* William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030)
* William V of Montpellier (1075–1121)
* William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191)
* William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181)
* William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361)
* Will ...
(1579–1597) ordered the construction of the ''Witwenstock'' (Widow Wing) for the dowager Duchess Anna and in 1581–1586 the four wings of the ''Grottenhof''.
Friedrich Sustris
Friedrich Sustris (c. 1540, in Padua – 1599, in Munich) was an Italian-Dutch painter, decorator and architect. He was a son of the artist Lambert Sustris, who worked in Italy.
Sustris got his training from his father Lambert in Venice and Pad ...
was the architect. Around 1590 the construction of the ''Black Hall'' was begun to the southeast on the Antiquarium. Under direction of Sustris the ''Erbprinzentrakt'' (Prince Wing), north of the Witwenstock, was added.
Maximilian I (1597–1651) commissioned what is now called the Maximilian Residenz (''Maximilianische Residenz ''), the west wing of the palace. Until the 19th century, it was the only publicly visible facade and it still is preserved. The portals are guarded by two lions and a statue of the Virgin Mary as patroness of Bavaria in a wall niche between the portals on the west side of the residence complex. Maximilian had rebuilt and connected the existing buildings. In addition, Maximilian I had from 1612 large parts of the south and west wings of the Neuveste with the Silver Tower demolished. Between 1611 and 1619, the wing at the large Emperor's Courtyard (''Kaiserhof'') was created to the north of the complex. It documents the high political claims of Maximilian.
Its large dimensions satisfied Maximilian's successors up to 18th century, who contented themselves with interior upgrading and smaller extensions such as the wing for the ''Grüne Galerie'' (1730) and the ''Residenz Theatre'' (1751).
Courtyards
Ten courtyards can be found inside the large complex: The Grotto Courtyard (''Grottenhof'') with the ''Perseus Fountain'' was built between 1581 and 1586 under
William V William V may refer to:
* William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030)
* William V of Montpellier (1075–1121)
* William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191)
* William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181)
* William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361)
* Will ...
(1579–1597) by
Friedrich Sustris
Friedrich Sustris (c. 1540, in Padua – 1599, in Munich) was an Italian-Dutch painter, decorator and architect. He was a son of the artist Lambert Sustris, who worked in Italy.
Sustris got his training from his father Lambert in Venice and Pad ...
as the leading architect,
and takes its name from the grotto on the western façade of the Antiquarium.
The octagonal ''Brunnenhof'' (Fountain Courtyard) served as a place for tournaments before the large ''Wittelsbach Fountain'' was erected in the middle of the courtyard in 1610. The buildings around the ''Kaiserhof'' (Emperor's Courtyard) with the ''Residenz Tower'' as clock tower, were erected from 1612 to 1618, in the reign of Maximilian I. Both courtyards are decorated with optical illusions on the facade, the same as the facade of the Alte Residenz.
The ''Königsbauhof'' (King's Building Courtyard) replaced a garden. At its eastern side the rococo facade of the ''Grüne Galerie'' (Green Gallery) is situated, designed by François Cuvilliés the Elder in of 1731–33.
Other courtyards are the ''Kapellenhof'' (Chapel Courtyard), the large ''Apothekenhof'' (Apothecary Courtyard) behind the Festsaalbau, the ''Puderhöfchen'' (Small Powder Courtyard), the ''Küchenhof'' (Kitchen Courtyard), the ''
Kabinettsgarten'' (Cabinet Garden), and then finally the ''Zierhöfchen'' (Decorative Courtyard or Comité Courtyard).
The Königsbau
Today's building is from the time of King
Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I or Louis I (; 25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868) was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the German revolutions of 1848–49, 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As ki ...
(1825–1848), who instructed his architect
Leo von Klenze
Leo von Klenze (born Franz Karl Leopold von Klenze; 29 February 1784 – 26 January 1864) was a German architect and painter. He was the court architect of Ludwig I of Bavaria.
Von Klenze was a devotee of Neoclassicism and one of the mo ...
to extend the palace. Between 1825 and 1835 the King's building (''Königsbau'') was constructed to the south in the style of the
Florentine Palazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...
. The building is 30 meters high.
In the Königsbau are numerous suites of rooms, including the State Apartment of Ludwig I on the first floor and the Nibelungen Halls on the ground floor. Today also the Treasury is situated in the ground floor of the Königsbau. The royal living rooms are still preserved; they served primarily for the representation and could be visited by appointment already at that time. The actual private apartments of the royal couple on the back of Königsbau have not survived due to their destruction in World War II. On the second floor were the so-called ''Festgemächer'', which were intended for minor court festivities. The spatial sequence was divided into lounge, reception salon, dance hall, flowers hall and private rooms for the king. These rooms are still preserved but in a highly simplified form and are now home to the
Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts.
From 2016 to 2018 the ''Yellow Staircase'' of Klenze was restored. Once it was the main entrance to the royal apartments in the Königsbau.
The ''Maximilian-Joseph Denkmal'' (King Maximilian-Joseph Memorial) at
Max-Joseph-Platz (Maximilian-Joseph Square) stands in front of the Königsbau. It was created as a memorial for King
Maximilian Joseph (1799–1825) by
Christian Daniel Rauch and carried out by Johann Baptist Stiglmaier. It was only unveiled in 1835 as the king had rejected being depicted seated.
The Festsaalbau
The neo-classical 250 metre long Banqueting Hall Wing (''Festsaalbau'') in the north section of the Residenz was added between 1832 and 1842 by Klenze under instructions from King Ludwig I. Here were located the Large Throne Room and the royal reception halls. One of the primary concert venues for the
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (, BRSO) is a German radio orchestra. Based in Munich, Germany, it is one of the city's four orchestras. The BRSO is one of two full-size symphony orchestras operated under the auspices of Bayerischer Rundf ...
is the ''Herkulessaal'' (Hercules Hall), which has replaced the destroyed Large Throne Room. The Festsaalbau today houses also the
Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities () is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledge within their subject. The general goal of th ...
and the
Cuvilliés Theatre (Old Residenz Theatre).
The
Winter Garden
A winter garden is a kind of garden maintained in wintertime.
History
The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility constructed large conservatories that housed tropical and subtropical pla ...
was commissioned by King
Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886), also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King (), was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke ...
(1864–1886) around 1870. After the king's death, the Winter Garden on the roof of the Festsaalbau of the Residenz Palace was dismantled in 1897. The reason for this was due to water leaking from the ornamental lake through the ceiling of the rooms below. Photographs and sketches still record this incredible creation which included a grotto, a Moorish kiosk, an Indian royal tent, an artificially illuminated rainbow and intermittent moonlight.
The Old Residenz Theatre
The building of the
Residenz Theatre
The Residence Theatre (in German: Residenztheater) or New Residence Theatre (Neues Residenztheater) of the Residence in Munich was built from 1950 to 1951 by Karl Hocheder. The renovation of 1981 by Alexander von Branca removed the decoration w ...
, next to the church, was constructed already under
Elector Maximilian III (1745–1777) from 1751. Before World War II, it housed the
Old Residenz Theatre. The decoration of the old theatre, carefully dismantled and removed, was moved into the south-eastern wing of the Festsaalbau next to the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche after the war. Here it was reopened as ''Cuvilliés Theatre''. In 2008, the courtyard before the theatre was also redesigned and covered with a new glass roof. It was then named ''Comité Courtyard'' after the Comité Cuvilliés, an initiative that made the renovation of the theatre possible by collecting donations.
The Allerheiligen-Hofkirche

The
Allerheiligen-Hofkirche (''Court Church of All Saints'') on the eastern side of the Residenz was commissioned in 1825 by King Ludwig I. It was inspired by the
Cappella Palatina
The Palatine Chapel /ˈpælətaɪn ˈtʃæpəl/ () is the royal chapel of the Palazzo dei Normanni, Norman Palace in Palermo, Sicily. This building is a mixture of Byzantine architecture, Byzantine, Norman architecture, Norman and Fatimid archite ...
, the richly decorated
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
royal chapel in
Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
. As bombs destroyed all but the outer walls in 1944 and its rich interior ornament was almost completely lost. The church is now used for concerts and events.
The Marstall
Facing the church, the ''Marstall'', the building for the former Court Riding School (''Hofreitschule'') was erected under King Maximilian Joseph by Klenze between 1817 and 1822. The construction of the monumental portal arch, surmounted by busts of Castor and Pollux, is considered one of the most mature early works of Klenze. The extensive buildings for the royal stables no longer exist. From 1923 the Marstall housed the
Marstallmuseum which was in 1941 moved into
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace (, Palace of the Nymphs) is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. The Nymphenburg served as the main summer residence for the List of rulers of Bavaria, ...
. Today the building serves as the scenery house, workshop building and study stage of the Residenz Theatre.
Opening to public and World War II damage
Prince Regent
Luitpold (1886–1912) ordered the rebuilding of the Stone Rooms for his purposes as he did not want to live in the apartments of the King. During his time, the new Treasury, designed by Julius Hofmann, was created. Today it forms the entrance to the counter area. King
Ludwig III (1912–1918) occupied the palace for only a short period before the revolution of 1918. He first moved like his father, into the Stone Rooms at the Kaiserhof tract, and later into the Königsbau. Now technical upgrades such as central heating and electric lighting were made, which the Prince Regent still rejected. In addition, the Nibelungen Halls were used by Queen
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
, to create with other women items for Bavarian soldiers during World War I.
As early as the reign of King Ludwig I, interested citizens could by appointment (when the royal couple were not living in the Residenz) visit the Königsbau. Under Prince Regent Luitpold, it was possible to visit all the unused parts of the palace and the Old Treasury. In 1897 the first guide book for the Residenz in Munich was published. After the revolution of 1918, the Residenz became a public museum.
The palace was severely damaged by bombing during World War II. Most of its rooms were reconstructed by the 1980s. Some of the buildings, however, were rebuilt in a simplified manner. Examples of this are the facade of the Alte Residenz on Residenzstrasse or the Arcades in front of the former throne hall on the first floor of the Festsaalbau. A substantial loss was caused by the destruction of the neo-classical rooms and halls in the Festssalbau (including the Grand Throne Hall, now the Hercules Concert Hall, and the Grand Stairway), of the rich décor of the Papal Rooms including the ceiling of the Golden Hall and of the apartment of King
Ludwig II
Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886), also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King (), was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duk ...
(1864–1886). The frescoes of the Court Church of All Saints were also completely destroyed.
Restoration of historic interiors continues, most recently with the Yellow Staircase in the Konisgsbau, with work completed in 2021.
Inside the palace
Residenz Museum
The Hall of Antiquities (''Antiquarium''), built between 1568 and 1571 for the antique collection of
Duke Albert V (1550–1579) by Wilhelm Egkl and
Jacobo Strada, is the largest Renaissance hall north of the Alps. It was remodelled into a banqueting hall by Friedrich Sustris in 1586–1600. The Antiquarium housed the Ducal Library until 1581. The low hall was then covered with a barrel vault that had 17 window lunettes. The hall was adorned with paintings by
Peter Candid, Antonio Ponzano, and Hans Thonauer the Elder, though some were initially designed by Sustris himself. The Court Chapel (''Hofkapelle''), the Emperor's Staircase (''Kaisertreppe'') and Imperial Hall (''Kaisersaal''), the Stone Rooms (''Steinzimmer''; 1612–1617; general design by
Hans Krumpper) and the Trier Rooms (''Trierzimmer''); ceiling frescoes by
Peter Candid) built for
Elector Maximilian I are typical examples from the early 17th century.

The Baroque era is represented by the Papal Rooms (''Päpstlichen Zimmer''), erected under his son
Elector Ferdinand Maria (1651–1679).
Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...
lived here during his visit in Munich in 1782. As a result, the rooms were named after him. The extensions of
Elector Maximilian II Emanuel (1679–1726), especially the Alexander room and Summer room, are representative living rooms. They were altered not long after his death. The remains were destroyed during the residence fire of 1729.
The Ancestral Gallery (''Ahnengallerie''; 1726–1731) along with the ''Porcelain Cabinet'' (both constructed by
Joseph Effner) and the Ornate Rooms (''Reichen Zimmer'') designed by
François de Cuvilliés for
Charles Albert (1726–1745), are magnificent examples of the court Rococo style. The rich decoration was executed by
Johann Baptist Zimmermann
Johann Baptist Zimmermann (3 January 1680, Wessobrunn, Gaispoint — 2 March 1758, Munich) was a German Painting, painter and a prime Stucco, stucco plasterer during the Baroque.
Zimmermann was born in Gaispoint, Wessobrunn. He and his brothe ...
, Joachim Dietrich and Wenzeslaus Miroffsky. The two-storey exterior façade of the Green Gallery (''Grüne Gallerie'') with its seven arched windows facing the courtyard of the Königsbau is a masterpiece of Cuvilliés. The Green Gallery, named after the wall covering made of green silk damask, was not only a ballroom, but also a gallery for paintings and mirrors. The magnificent Bedchamber (''Paradeschlafzimmer'') served as the place for the electoral
dressing procedure. Thus all the structures erected by the court architects Joseph Effner and François de Cuvilliés served only the glorification of the House of Wittelsbach and the attainment of the imperial crown, which ultimately succeeded in 1742. In January 1745, Charles Albert died as Emperor Charles VII in the Residenz, which was thus also for a short time the imperial palace of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
. In the times of
Elector Maximilian III (1745–1777) the rococo Apartments of the Prince Elector (''Kurfürstenzimmer'') were constructed between 1746 and 1763. Cuvilliés and Johann Baptist Gunetzrhainer were responsible for the work.
The Neo-classical epoch is represented by the Charlotte Rooms (''Charlottenzimmer''), the ''Royal Apartments'' and the Halls of the Battles (''Schlachtensäle'') in the Königsbau. The wall and ceiling paintings are by
Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (26 March 1794 – 24 May 1872) () was a German painter, chiefly of Biblical subjects. As a young man he associated with the painters of the Nazarene movement who revived the florid Renaissance style in religious ...
in the ''Nibelungensäle'' (Nibelungen Halls; 1827–1834). They are the first monumental representations of the
Nibelungenlied
The (, or ; or ), translated as ''The Song of the Nibelungs'', is an epic poetry, epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The is based on an oral tradition of Germanic hero ...
Nibelungen Saga of Songs. The actual private chambers of the royal couple at the back of the Königsbau no longer survive as they were destroyed in World War II. Leo von Klenze was not only responsible for the architecture, but also designed the floors, the wall paintings and all the furniture. In the Festsaalbau were spacious halls that contained the Grand Throne Room in the centre, the Imperial halls, the ballroom and the Battle Hall in the north-eastern pavilion. These facilities were intended only for state occasions and were only accessible by a grand staircase which no longer exists. Here the most important royal ceremonies were held, surrounded by twelve colossal statues sculpted by
Ferdinand von Miller, representing the main Bavarian rulers.
In addition to the rich accumulation of furniture, paintings and sculptures, today the museum contains bronze work, clocks, tapestries, porcelain and several special collections such as masterpieces of bronze art, European
miniatures and liturgical
vestment
Vestments are Liturgy, liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christianity, Christian religion, especially by Eastern Christianity, Eastern Churches, Catholic Church, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. ...
s. The Wittelsbach dynasty porcelain collection includes items from their own
Nymphenburg Porcelain Factory as well as from such famous porcelain producers such as
Sèvres
Sèvres (, ) is a French Communes of France, commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a populatio ...
in France and
Royal Porcelain from Berlin. The Wittelsbach East Asian collection includes over 500 pieces of porcelain and some paintings. In the Royal Silver Chambers, valuable pieces are housed. The collection of
relic
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
s of the Munich Residenz come from the era of the
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...
. In the Festsaalbau bronze sculptures from the late 16th and early 17th centuries are presented, one of the richest collections of European bronze art from the
Mannerism
Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...
and early Baroque eras.
The Treasury

Founded by
Duke Albert V the Treasury houses the jewels of the
Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...
dynasty. This magnificent display in the ''Schatzkammer'' (Treasury) is contained in ten halls in the eastern wing of the Königsbau. The collection is one of the most important in the world and spans 1000 years from the early Middle Ages to Neo-classicism. Royal insignia, crowns, swords, goblets, goldsmith works, rock crystal, ivory work, icons and numerous other treasures like precious tableware and toiletries are magnificently presented.
Among the exhibits are Emperor
Charles the Bald's prayer-book from around
860, the
altar-ciborium of Emperor
Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia ( – 8 December 899) was the duke of Carinthia who overthrew his uncle Emperor Charles the Fat to become the Carolingian king of East Francia from 887, the disputed king of Italy from 894, and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor, ...
from around 890, the crown of the Empress
Cunigunde, reliquary of the True Cross which belonged to the Emperor
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
, a cross which belonged to Queen
Gisela, all from around 1000, the
Reliquary Crown of Henry II from around 1270, an
English Queen's crown from around 1370 (the oldest surviving crown of England that came to the palatinate line of the house of Wittelsbach as the dowry of
Blanche of England, the daughter of
King Henry IV of England
Henry IV ( – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. Henry was the son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (a son of King Edward III), and Blanche of Lancaster.
Henry was involved in the 1388 ...
), the famous Statuette of St George (Munich, ca. 1599), the insignia and orders of the Bavarian monarchs, including
crowns and insignia of the Emperor
Charles VII (1742), the
Crown of Bavaria
The Crown of the King of Bavaria is a part of the Bavarian Crown Jewels.
In 1806 Napoleon raised Bavaria to monarchy, kingdom status, Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, Maximilian I ordered the crown and the regalia which can be seen today in the ...
(1807), ceremonial swords and ruby jewellery which belonged to Queen
Therese, as well as a precious set of matching dishes served the French Empress
Marie Louise
Marie Louise or Marie-Louise is a French feminine given name, compound given name. In other languages, it may take one of several alternate forms:
* Maria Luiza (Bulgarian, Portuguese)
* Maria Luisa (Italian, Spanish)
* Maria Luise (German)
* Mari ...
during her journeys. Non-European art and craftwork, including Chinese porcelain, ivories from Ceylon and captured Turkish daggers are also on display.
The coin collection
The Residenz houses the Bavarian state coin collection, the . It was found by Duke Albert V. By the accession of Elector Palatine
Charles Theodore (1777–1799), the Palatine and the Electoral Bavarian collection were combined. During the Napoleonic era many monastic coin collections came into the care of the Bavarian state. Crown Prince Ludwig, later King Ludwig I, had much enthusiasm for Ancient Greek coins and spent a lot of time examining the collection. In the first three decades of the 20th century, the collection was extended to house the Renaissance coins, medals and insignia. In 1963, the current exhibition rooms were opened in the Munich Residenz. With more than 300,000 coins, medals and banknotes from the ancient world to the present time, it is one of the world's leading collections.
Hofgarten
The
Hofgarten (Court Garden) is located at the northern side of the Residenz opposite to the Festsaalbau. It was laid out under King Maximilian I. In the middle of the park in French style is a circular temple built in 1615, crowned by a statue of Bavaria created in 1594 by Hubert Gerhard. The western Hofgarten arcades with the gate (''Hofgartentor'') were executed by Klenze. The northern wing includes the former electoral gallery building which was built by court architect
Karl Albert von Lespilliez in 1780/81, today home of a theatre museum (Deutsches Theatermueum).
The remnants of some renaissance arcades in the north east of the park were integrated into the
Bavarian State Chancellery in 1992. The people of Munich love to denounce it as the 'Straussoleum', named after a former state Premier who commissioned it, or even 'Munich White House', in reference to the long and hard fights that prevented the state government from erecting three giant wings instead of one. These wings it was claimed would have destroyed the overall impression of the court gardens. Its middle section with the a reconstructed dome are the only surviving sections of the former Bavarian Army Museum, constructed between 1900 and 1905 and almost completely destroyed during the bombing raids of World War II. The museum is now located in the Neues Schloss (New Palace) in Ingolstadt, around 80 kilometres north of Munich.
Tourism
The Munich Residence and its museums have received more than 300,000 visitors per year, similar to the
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace (, Palace of the Nymphs) is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. The Nymphenburg served as the main summer residence for the List of rulers of Bavaria, ...
and ahead of
Schleissheim Palace
The Schleißheim Palace () comprises three individual palaces in a grand Baroque park in the village of Oberschleißheim, a suburb of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The palace was a summer residence of the Bavarian rulers of the House of Wittelsbac ...
, but clearly behind the castles of King Ludwig II, especially
Neuschwanstein
Neuschwanstein Castle (, ; ) is a 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill of the foothills of the Alps in the very south of Germany, near the border with Austria. It is located in the Swabia region of Bavaria, in the municipality of ...
.
Images
File:Residenz, München.jpg, Kaiserhof, or Emperor's Courtyard
File:Residenz4, München.jpg, Kaiserhof
File:Kabinettsgarten-München-Residenz.jpg, ''Kabinettsgarten'' of the Residenz, next to the Court Church of All Saints
File:Residenz2, München.jpg, Grottenhof, a courtyard
File:Munchen-Residenz.jpg, Grottenhof
File:Residenz3, München.jpg, Corridor
File:Schlafzimmer, Residenz München.jpg, Bedroom of the Bavarian Elector
File:Kaiserstiege, Residenz München.jpg, Kaisertreppe, or Emperor's stairs
File:Schatzkammer3, Residenz München.jpg, Pearl-parure
A parure () is a set of various items of matching jewelry, which rose to popularity in early 19th-century Europe.
Terminology
A parure typically consists of a combination of a matching necklace, earrings, brooch, bracelet and often a diadem or t ...
of the Queen, Treasury
File:Münchner_Residenz_-_Schatzkammer_062.jpg, Some orders, Treasury
File:Hofgarten München im Frühling.jpg, Diana's temple in the Hofgarten
File:München Marstall.jpg, The Marstall (Royal Stables)
File:Peter Candid - Alexander the Great.jpg, Alexander the Great, ceiling decoration by Peter Candid
References
External links
Munich Residenzwebsite
{{Authority control
1835 establishments in Bavaria
Houses completed in 1835
Buildings and structures in Munich
Palaces in Bavaria
Royal residences in Bavaria
Historic house museums in Germany
Renaissance architecture in Munich
Renaissance architecture in Germany
Museums in Munich
Neoclassical architecture in Munich
Tourist attractions in Munich
Registered historic buildings and monuments in Bavaria
Ludwig I of Bavaria