Architecture in Munich

Asamkirche

Munich

Built by the Asam brothers 1733–46 as a private church — one of the purest examples of Southern German late Baroque, dripping gold and stucco.

Haidhausen French Quarter

Munich

Neighborhood named after French cities (Pariser, Bordeauxplatz), brick tenements and a big weekly market — creative Munich.

Lenbachhaus

Munich

Franz von Lenbach's former villa houses the world's largest Blaue Reiter collection — Kandinsky, Marc, Münter.

Munich City Museum

Munich

Collection of Munich city history from the Middle Ages to today — fashion, photo, the film museum and the Moriskentänzer cabinet.

Olympiaturm

Munich

1968 transmission tower with viewing platform and revolving restaurant — clear Alpine views on Föhn days.

Pinakothek der Moderne

Munich

Stephan Braun's 2002 glass rotunda with four collections under one roof: art, design, architecture, works on paper.

Schyrenbad

Munich

Munich's oldest outdoor pool complex, neoclassical 1930s architecture, large lawn, diving tower — a local favorite.

Theatinerkirche

Munich

1690 court church with a 71 m dome and twin-tower façade after Roman models — its yellow defines the skyline.

Theresienwiese

Munich

16 days of Oktoberfest a year, otherwise a park with the Bavaria statue, the Frühlingsfest and Tollwood — Munich's biggest festival ground.

Schleißheim Palace

Munich

Baroque three-palace complex with French garden, Great Hall and old gallery — Munich's mini-Versailles.

Allerheiligen Court Church

Munich

The Allerheiligen-Hofkirche is a neo-Romanesque court church completed in 1837, designed by Leo von Klenze for King Ludwig I inside the Munich Residenz. Klenze drew inspiration from early Christian basilicas and Byzantine models, giving the interior an unusual blend of austerity and splendour. Grand frescoes by Peter von Cornelius once decorated the walls — much was destroyed in World War II. After extensive restoration, the church is now part of the Residenz Museum and opens for concerts and special exhibitions.

Allerheiligenkirche am Kreuz

Munich

The Allerheiligenkirche am Kreuz — literally "All Saints Church at the Cross" — is one of Munich's oldest surviving churches. Founded in 1478 as the cemetery church of St. Peter's parish, it served the community around the famous "Old Peter" church for centuries. The narrow late-Gothic nave with its characteristic cross vault blends quietly into the surrounding streetscape, making it easy to walk past without noticing. Today it remains a subsidiary church of St. Peter and opens occasionally for services and small concerts.

Allianz Arena

Munich

Bayern Munich's home ground, 75,000 seats wrapped in ETFE cushions that glow red, white or blue at night.

Alte Allee (München)

Munich

Alte Pinakothek

Munich

One of the world's largest old-master collections: Dürer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Leonardo, Titian under one roof. Built in 1836 as the first public museum at this scale.

Alter Hof (Old Court)

Munich

The Alter Hof is Munich's oldest surviving seat of power, built as a ducal fortress in the late 12th century. From 1255 it served as the residence of the Dukes of Upper Bavaria and briefly functioned as an imperial palace under Ludwig the Bavarian. The sprawling complex — comprising several wings and courtyards — survived centuries of urban growth around it. Today it houses government offices alongside a small museum on Wittelsbach history, while the courtyard invites visitors to step into Munich's medieval core.

Alter Südfriedhof

Munich

Alte Utting

Munich

The Alte Utting is a former passenger ship that has been living a spectacular second life since 2016 — perched high atop a disused railway bridge in Munich's Sendling district. For decades it sailed the Ammersee as a regular ferry, before being lifted onto the bridge and transformed into a cultural hub. Today it houses a restaurant, a large outdoor terrace with panoramic city views, and regularly serves as a venue for concerts, parties and cultural events. The climb up to the bridge is worth it for the unusual perspective alone — ship, bridge and city skyline all in one.

Amalienburg

Munich

The Amalienburg is considered the finest of the four garden pavilions in Nymphenburg Palace Park and a masterpiece of European Rococo. Elector Karl Albrecht commissioned the small hunting lodge between 1734 and 1739 as a gift for his wife Maria Amalia — hence the name. Architect François de Cuvilliés created a jewel whose plain exterior gives no hint of the dazzling Hall of Mirrors within, a swirling fantasy of stucco, silver, and gold. Open to the public as part of the Bavarian Palace Administration, the Amalienburg remains one of the most visited treasures of the Nymphenburg grounds.

Antiquarium

Munich

The Antiquarium of the Munich Residenz is considered one of the finest surviving Renaissance halls north of the Alps. Duke Albrecht V commissioned the long vaulted room between 1568 and 1571 to house his growing collection of ancient busts, vases, and marble sculptures. Within decades, Duke Wilhelm V transformed the ground floor into a grand banqueting hall: hundreds of grotesque paintings, Bavarian landscape vedute, and mythological scenes now cover every surface in an overwhelming Mannerist programme. The hall became a setting for ducal celebrations and diplomatic receptions, a function it retained for centuries. Today it forms part of the Residenzmuseum tour, inviting visitors to step into the same overwhelming opulence that once dazzled the princes of Bavaria.

Apfelallee

Munich

August-Exter-Straße

Munich

Basilica of St. Boniface

Munich

The Basilica of St. Boniface stands in the heart of Munich's arts quarter and doubles as the church of a living Benedictine abbey. King Ludwig I commissioned architect Georg Friedrich Ziebland to design the building, which rose between 1835 and 1850 in neo-Byzantine style — a deliberate echo of early Christian basilicas in Rome. The church is dedicated to St. Boniface, the "Apostle of the Germans", the 8th-century missionary who spread Christianity across Germanic lands. Ludwig I himself is buried in the right aisle, making it both a royal mausoleum and a working monastery church. Today the abbey remains an active community of the Bavarian Benedictine Congregation; masses are open to the public, and the cloister offers a rare pocket of calm amid the busy museum district.

Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts

Munich

The Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1948 and describes itself as the highest custodian of art in the Free State of Bavaria. It brings together eminent figures from literature, the visual arts, music and the performing arts — membership is considered one of the most prestigious cultural honours in Bavaria. The Academy is based at Max-Joseph-Platz in Munich's historic Residenz quarter and awards its own prizes, organises public readings, concerts and symposia. Founded in the immediate postwar years, it was conceived from the outset as a counterweight to state cultural policy — a place where free artistic thinking is nurtured. Today it numbers around 300 members from the German-speaking world and beyond.

Bavarian National Museum

Munich

The Bavarian National Museum on Munich's Prinzregentenstraße is one of Europe's most important museums of decorative arts. Across some 13,000 m² of exhibition space, it presents art and cultural-history collections from the early Middle Ages to the 20th century: European sculpture, textiles, ceramics and glasswork. It is especially known for its folklore department in the basement, home to one of the world's largest nativity scene collections. The building itself, founded in 1855 and opened in its current form in 1900, is a grand historicist structure whose façades cycle through styles from Romanesque to Renaissance.

Bavarian State Chancellery

Munich

The Bavarian State Chancellery is the nerve centre of the Bavarian state government and official residence of the Minister-President. The striking building on the Hofgarten was created by converting the former Army Museum — a neoclassical 19th-century structure extended in the 1990s with a modern glass dome. The dome now dominates the ensemble and is clearly visible from the court garden. The building embodies the continuity of Bavarian statehood: cabinet decisions are prepared here, state receptions are held, and coordination with federal authorities is managed. While not a museum venue, its façade forms an essential part of the architectural walk around the Munich Residenz and Hofgarten.

Bavarian State Library

Munich

The Bavarian State Library is one of the most important research libraries in the world and serves as the cultural memory of the Free State of Bavaria. Founded in 1558 by Duke Albrecht V, it now holds around 39 million items, including one of the world's finest manuscript collections — medieval codices, ancient papyri, and early printed books. The monumental neo-Renaissance building on Ludwigstraße, completed in 1843 to designs by Friedrich von Gärtner, is itself a landmark: the entrance hall, lined with marble staircases and statues of Greek scholars, sets the intellectual tone immediately. Today, the library not only serves researchers but also opens its treasures to the general public through rotating exhibitions.

Bavaria Statue

Munich

The Bavaria is the towering bronze figure on Munich's Theresienwiese and the feminine symbol of the Free State of Bavaria. Standing 18.5 metres tall and weighing around 87 tonnes, she ranks among the largest bronze castings of the 19th century anywhere in the world. Ludwig Schwanthaler designed the figure, and it was cast in 1850 by Ferdinand von Miller at the royal bronze foundry — an engineering feat achieved in five sections assembled on site. The Bavaria stands with a lion at her side and an oak wreath in her raised hand. Inside, a spiral staircase leads up to the head, which offers a sweeping panorama across Munich. Behind her stands the Hall of Fame (Ruhmeshalle) with busts of celebrated Bavarians. Today she is one of the city's most recognisable landmarks and the focal point of the Oktoberfest grounds.

Bayerische Alpen

Munich

Benno Column

Munich

The Benno Column stands on a small square southeast of the parish church of St. Benno in the Maxvorstadt district, honouring St. Benno, patron saint of Munich. The monument was unveiled in 1910 — the overall design by Munich architect German Bestelmeyer, the figurative work by sculptor Georg Albertshofer, cast by Ferdinand von Miller. The slender column with its sacred figure is a typical example of ecclesiastical monument-making during the Wilhelmine era in Bavaria. It marks the entrance area to the St. Benno parish, a lively congregation in the heart of Munich's university quarter. For most passers-by it is a quiet piece of street furniture — look more closely and you find craftsmanship and a slice of Munich's devotional history.