This article gives an overview about the architecture of Munich, Germany.
Main architectural examples + Main architectural sights of Munich Churches Palaces Secular buildings Peterskirche Frauenkirche Heiliggeistkirche Michaelskirche Paulskirche Theatinerkirche Trinity Church Abbey Church of St Anna Asamkirche St Michael in Berg am Laim Ludwigskirche Alte Hof Residenz Palais Preysing Palais Holnstein Prinz-Carl-Palais Nymphenburg Palace Amalienburg Fürstenried Palace Blutenburg Castle Schleissheim Palace Old Town Hall New Town Hall Justizpalast Maximilianeum Bavarian State Chancellery Odeon Bavarian State Library Academy of Fine Arts Old Technical Town Hall Hofbräuhaus + Museums Theatres & Monuments Avenues & Squares Glyptothek Alte Pinakothek Neue Pinakothek Pinakothek der Moderne Museum Brandhorst Bavarian National Museum Museum Five Continents Deutsches Museum BMW Museum BMW Welt Cuvilliés Theatre National Theatre Prinzregententheater Gärtnerplatz Theatre Isartor Ruhmeshalle with Bavaria statue Propylaea Feldherrnhalle Siegestor Angel of Peace Marienplatz Stachus Königsplatz Brienner Straße Odeonsplatz Ludwigstraße Max-Joseph-Platz Maximilianstraße Prinzregentenstraße Leopoldstraße + Stadiums High-rise buildings Parks Olympic Stadium Allianz Arena Grünwalder Stadion Olympiaturm Highlight Towers Hochhaus Uptown München Hypo-Haus BMW Headquarters Hofgarten Englischer Garten Nymphenburg Park Olympia Park Botanical garden Hellabrunn Zoo
Marienplatz and Stachus At the center of the city is the Marienplatz – a large open square named after the Mariensäule, a Marian column in its centre – with the Old and the New Town Hall. The New Town Hall's tower contains the Rathaus-Glockenspiel, an ornate clock with almost life-sized moving figures that show scenes from a medieval jousting tournament as well as a performance of the famous "Schäfflertanz" (roughly translated "Barrel-makers' dance". According to the (disproved) tradition, the "Schäffler" supposedly were the first to dance in the streets after the plague ended, thus encouraging the people to cheer up and go outdoors). The old Gothic arsenal building close to Marienplatz houses the Munich Stadtmuseum.
Three gates of the demolished medieval fortification have survived to this day: the Isartor in the east, the Sendlinger Tor in the south and the Karlstor in the west of the inner city. The Karlstor is the oldest building at Stachus, a grand square dominated by the Neo-Baroque Justizpalast (Palace of Justice). The nearby Lenbachplatz is dominated by the Bernheimer-Haus and the Wittelsbacherbrunnen. The adjacent tower is the only relic of the Maxburg, a Renaissance palace which was destroyed in World War II.
The architecture of the Gothic Munich was still strongly influenced by the citizenry and not much different from the other ducal cities such as Landshut, Ingolstadt and Straubing. When Bavaria was reunited in 1506 Munich became capital of the whole of Bavaria. The arts then became increasingly influenced by the court and Munich began to outperform the other cities of the duchy.
Houses of worship in the inner city
The Peterskirche close to Marienplatz is the oldest church of the inner city. It was first built during the Romanesque period, and was the focus of the early monastic settlement in Munich before the city's official foundation in 1158.
Nearby St. Peter the Gothic hall-church Heiliggeistkirche (The Church of the Holy Ghost) was converted to baroque style from 1724 onwards and looks down upon the Viktualienmarkt, the most popular market of Munich.
The Frauenkirche (Dom zu unserer Lieben Frau – Cathedral of Our Lady) is the most famous building in the city center and serves as cathedral for the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. The Frauenkirche was constructed from red brick in the late Gothic style within only 20 years from 1468. Also the late gothic churches of the churchyards of St. Peter and of the Frauenkirche, the Kreuzkirche close to the Sendlinger Tor and St. Salvator nearby the cathedral still exist. The former gothic Augustinerkirche next to the Frauenkirche today houses the German Hunting and Fishing Museum.
The nearby Michaelskirche is the largest renaissance church north of the Alps. The church was built by William V, Duke of Bavaria between 1583 and 1597 as a spiritual center for the Counter Reformation.Munich City of the Arts by Hans Nohbauer, p. 115 In order to realise his ambitious plans for the church and the adjoining college, Duke Wilhelm had 87 houses in the best location pulled down, ignoring the protests of the citizens.Munich City of the Arts by Hans Nohbauer, p. 26
The eldest Baroque church of the inner city is the Karmelitenkirche at Promenadeplatz, which was constructed shortly before the Italian baroque was introduced in Munich under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy. The Italian court architects such as Enrico Zuccalli and Giovanni Antonio Viscardi then controlled the architecture in Munich for several decades. The Theatinerkirche (1663–1690) is a basilica in Italianate high baroque which had a major influence on Southern German baroque architecture. Its dome dominates the Odeonsplatz. Other Italian baroque churches in the inner city which are worth a detour are the Bürgersaalkirche (1709) and the Dreifaltigkeitskirche (1711–1718).
St. Anna im Lehel by Johann Michael Fischer was the first Rococo church in Bavaria (1727–1733). The Damenstiftskirche St. Anna was built in 1733 by Johann Baptist Gunetzrhainer. The Asamkirche was endowed and built by the Brothers Asam from 1733, pioneering artists of the Rococo period.
With the 19th-century architectural revival styles many new Catholic churches were constructed also in Munich. Since Middle Franconia whose population is predominantly of Protestant origin was annexed by Bavaria the first Protestant churches St Mathaeus, St. Martin and St. Lukas in Munich were erected in this period as well. Among the Neo-Romanesque churches are St. Anna im Lehel, St. Maximilian and St. Benno in Neuhausen. At the east side of the river Isar three large neo-Gothic churches were constructed: The Maria-Hilf-Kirche in der Au, St.Johannis in Haidhausen and the Kreuzkirche in Giesing. The largest neo-Gothic church is St.Paul at Theresienwiese. Among the Neo-Renaissance churches is St.Ursula in Schwabing and the largest neo-baroque churches are St.Margaret in Sendling and St.Joseph in Schwabing.
On 9 November 2006 the new Ohel Jakob synagogue was opened on Sankt-Jakobs-Platz, 68 years after the massive Kristallnacht pogrom .
A new mosque is planned not far from the city center on a vacant lot. An Islamic prayer house still exists in the vicinity but the plans for a bigger and more representative building face to face with a Catholic church are discussed controversially.
Palaces in the inner city
The Gothic Alte Hof, a medieval castle and first residence of the Wittelsbach dukes in Munich still exists in the inner city close to Marienplatz. The Renaissance Mint Yard with its neoclassical façade is situated between the old castle and the Residenz. The Old Academy next to St. Michael also dates from the renaissance era.
The large Residenz palace complex (begun in 1385) on the edge of Munich's Old Town ranks among Europe's most significant museums of interior decoration. Having undergone several extensions, it contains also the treasury and the splendid Rococo Cuvilliés Theatre. The complex of buildings contains ten courtyards and the museum displays 130 rooms. The four main parts are the Königsbau (near the Max-Joseph-Platz), the Alte Residenz (towards the Residenzstraße), the Festsaalbau (towards the Hofgarten) and the Byzantine Court Church of All Saints (Allerheiligen-Hofkirche). Opposite to the church the building for the Marstall (Royal Stables) was erected. Facing the Hofgarten on the east side is the Bavarian Staatskanzlei ("State Chancellery"), housed in the former Army Museum, with the addition of glass wings left and right of the original building. The repurposed building was completed in 1993.
Among the baroque and neoclassical mansions which still exist in Munich are the Palais Porcia, the Palais Törring-Jettenbach with its loggia, the Palais Preysing, the Palais Holnstein (the residence of the Archbishop of Munich and Freising), the Palais Leuchtenberg (the former residence of Eugène de Beauharnais) and the Prinz-Carl-Palais, the official residence of Bavaria's state premier (or Ministerpräsident). All mansions are situated close to the Residenz.
The Maxburg, a renaissance palace north of Stachus, was destroyed in World War II, only a tower has been preserved and integrated into a modern building. The Neue Landschaftsgebäude at Roßmarkt close to the Sendlinger Tor is a palatial building which was constructed in 1774 by François de Cuvilliés the Younger for the Bavarian Estates.
Royal avenues, museums and theatres
Next door to the Residenz the neo-classical opera, the Nationaltheater was erected. On its left hand side the modern Residenz Theatre was constructed in the building that had housed the Cuvilliés Theatre before World War II.
Four grand royal avenues of the 19th century with magnificent official buildings connect Munich's inner city with the suburbs: The neoclassical Brienner Straße was constructed in line with a draft of Karl von Fischer and Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell under the reign of Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria from 1812 onwards. It is starting at Odeonsplatz on the northern fringe of the Old Town close to the Residenz, runs from east to west and passes the square Wittelsbacher Platz and the circular Karolinenplatz with its obelisk, and finally opens into the impressive Königsplatz, designed with the "Doric" Propylaea, the "Ionic" Glyptothek and the "Corinthian" State Museum of Classical Art, on its back side St. Boniface's Abbey was erected. In the most western part between Königsplatz and Stiglmeierplatz the Munich modern Volkstheater (roughly translated as "People's Theatre") was founded in 1983. The area around Königsplatz is home to the Kunstareal, Munich's gallery and museum quarter. It consists also of the three "Pinakotheken" galleries (Alte Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek and Pinakothek der Moderne), the Lenbachhaus, the Museum Brandhorst and the Staatliche Sammlung für Ägyptische Kunst. The Alte Pinakothek and the Lenbachhaus are buildings in Neo-Renaissance style, which suffered damage during World War II, for the other museums modern buildings were created.
The Ludwigstraße was constructed from 1816. The southern part of the avenue was constructed in Italian renaissance style by Leo von Klenze from 1816 onwards. The northern part was then constructed since 1827 in line with a plan of Klenze's rival Friedrich von Gärtner, the appearance is strongly influenced by Italian Romanesque architecture. Same as the Brienner Straße the avenue of King Ludwig I begins at Odeonsplatz but runs from south to north, it leads from the Feldherrnhalle in the south to the victory gate Siegestor in the north, skirting LMU Munich, the St. Louis church, the Bavarian State Library and numerous state ministries and palaces. Behind the Siegestor the avenue is called Leopoldstraße, which is the main boulevard of Schwabing. Nearby the gate the Neo-Renaissance building of the Academy of Fine Arts Munich is situated.