Historic places in Munich

Historic places in Munich

1. DrinkMaxvorstadt

   Augustiner-Keller

   This brewery was first documented in 1328, within the Augustinian monastery next to Frauenkirche, where they nowadays run a restaurant. The monastery was dissolved in 1803 (no, not in the beer) and the business has mostly been in private ownership since, on various near-centre sites - they've not followed the modern trend of an edge-of-city industrial park. Their beers are popular in south Germany but little is exported, so tuck in here. Augustiner took over an existing beer garden here in 1862 and expanded it into a 5000-seater: this is open April-Oct, while the beer hall and restaurant are year-round. No brewery tours, they no longer use an ox-driven winch to hoist the beer barrels, and there are no more public hangings of army deserters, so you'll just have to gawp at your phone if conversation fails.

   Daily 11:00-23:00

2. SeeAltstadt

   Bayerisches Nationalmuseum

   Huge and fascinating museum of European history from the Middle Ages until early 20th century. There's armour, pottery, furniture, fashions, porcelain, beer mugs, the lot; plus Oct-April a display of nativity scenes. The Bollert medieval art collection is only open Th F 10:00-17:00.

   Tue Wed Fri-Sun 10:00-17:00, Thu 10:00-20:00·Adult €7, conc €6; Sunday €1; child free

3. SeeAltstadt

   Beer and Oktoberfest Museum

   History of the festival, in a townhouse of 1340. The "Himmelsleiter" is its characteristic early staircase, a straight flight with no corners.

   Tue-Sat 13:00-18:00·€4 adults, €2.50 concessions

4. DrinkLudwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt

   Blitz Club

   Techno club in the former historic congress hall of the Deutsches Museum. One of the main venues for techno in Munich with a regular international DJ lineup. It also offers a series of gay events called Cruise. Note that the club has a strict ban on photography and filming.

   Fri Sat 23:00-08:00

5. SeeSouth-West

   Blutenburg Castle

   Schloss Blutenburg

   This was built in 1438 as a hunting lodge for Albert III, Duke of Bavaria. It was on a river island between two arms of the River Würm, with the east arm dammed to create an ornamental lake - leisure rather than defence was always the intention here, and the ring wall, towers and gatehouse weren't designed against serious assault. It was embellished and extended by Albert's son Duke Sigismund, the stand-out being the chapel of 1488 in late Gothic style. Since 1983 the castle has housed the International Youth Library (Internationale Jugendbibliothek) so there is limited public access to the interior. You enter through the gatehouse into the courtyard. A stepped ramp or "ox piano" leads to the upper courtyard, with the Herrenhaus or mansion. The castle often hosts concerts and other cultural events and has a restaurant. Just outside is a modern sculpture park: notable works are the Spanish stone cross, the "plastic-granite" blocks, the Joseph Michael Neustifter memorial, and the memorial to the 7000 sent on the death march from Dachau just ahead of the Allied advance.

   Daily Apr-Sep 09:00-17:00, Oct-Mar 10:00-16:00·Free

6. SeeAltstadt

   Frauenkirche

   Church of Our Lady

   This huge church defines the Munich skyline with its twin onion-domed towers, a shade over 98 m tall - the money ran out for the planned spires. It's the Roman Catholic cathedral, but always known locally as Frauenkirche. It was built from 1469 to 1488 in brick because of a lack of suitable local stone; the towers were only completed in 1525, cleverly anticipating a law of 2004 that no structure within Altstadt may exceed 99 m in height. Although its style is Gothic, it's fairly simple outside and in, without the usual ornamentation of that style. Eleven kings or archdukes of Bavaria are interred here. The church was bombed in wartime and full restoration took until 1994. Its three naves are of equal height, creating a single hall soaring so high that you can't see the windows, and light floods in from no visible source. This is in legend is the feature that caused the devil to stamp in pique, leaving a black footprint (Teufelstritt) within a yellow flagstone just inside the entrance. You can climb the south tower.

   Daily 07:30-20:30, tower ascent 10:00-17:00·Free; tower ascent adult €7.50, child €5.50

7. SeeSouth-West

   Fürstenried Palace

   This was built from 1715 for Elector Maximilian II Emanuel as a hunting lodge and bling-mansion. It's nowadays an RC spiritual centre, so other visitors can only admire the exterior and gardens. One who did so was Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger (b 1927), who found his vocation for the priesthood confirmed here, and became Pope Benedict XVI.

8. SeeEast

   MVG Museum

   Museum of public transport in Munich housed in a former tram repair and assembly shed. They have 25 historic trams, buses and works vehicles on display, with signage in German and English. Another highlight is a U-Bahn driving simulator.

   Two Sundays a month 11:00-17:00·Adult €3, concession €2

9. SeeAltstadt

   Residenz

   Royal Palace and seat of government of the Wittelsbach dynasty, bombed in wartime but rebuilt. The two principal areas are the Treasury and the Museum (separate admission €9 each). The Treasury (Schatzkammer) has a huge collection of ecclesiastical and secular bling, such as the royal crowns, orb and sceptre. In the Museum, the Antiquarium is the barrel-vaulted banqueting hall. The Papal Rooms accommodated Pius VI on his visit to Munich and are Baroque. The Ancestral Gallery, Porcelain Cabinet and Ornate Rooms are Rococo. The neo-classical Königsbau, added in the 19th century, houses the Charlotte Rooms, the royal apartments and the Halls of Battles. There's an additional charge for the Cuvilliés Theatre.

   Daily Apr-15 Oct 09:00-18:00, 16 Oct-Mar 10:00-16:00·Combi adult €14, conc €12

10. SeeNorth

    Schloss Nymphenburg

    What began as a modest 17th century pavilion grew and grew into a vast Baroque palace, bigger than Versailles, which was no accident. You view some 20 ornate rooms: one striking feature is the paintings of the many female friends of King Ludwig I. (See Sligo for one infamous paramour, the lurid Lola Montez.) Some areas are closed in winter, hence the reduced admission: the Royal Chapel, the Porcelain Museum and the Marstallmuseum (carriages and sleighs in the former royal stables). Museum of Man and Nature is also within the Schloss but separately ticketed, see below. The extensive gardens are free.

    Daily Apr-mid Oct 09:00-18:00; mid Oct-Mar 10:00-16:00·Apr-mid Oct adult €15, conc €13; mid Oct-Mar adult €12, conc €10

11. SeeNorth

    Schloss Schleißheim

    Humonguous complex of three palaces. The Old Palace at the west end was a mansion built up into a palace only to be promptly scrapped and rebuilt by 1623. It was bombed in World War II, rebuilt from 1970, and now houses religious art and an exhibition on the former Prussia now in Poland. The New Palace just east was built 1700-26 for Elector Max Emanuel, a sumptuous Baroque confection packed with art work: Großer Saal, Viktoriensaal and the Große Galerie are its highlights. The Lustheim Palace was built in the 1680s (between the Old and New construction) as a villa or hunting lodge: it's 1.3 km east down the landscaped vista, and big spenders can ride a gondola down the linking canal. A grand semi-circular enclosing colonnade soon fell to bits. Today the Lustheim displays Meissen ceramics. The parklands are equally vast. Last but not least, there's a 980-seat beer garden, Schlosswirtschaft Oberschleißheim, in the palace grounds.

    Tue-Sun Apr-Sept 09:00-18:00, Oct-Mar 10:00-16:00·Adult €10, conc €8, under-18 free, cash only

12. SeeMaxvorstadt

    St Benno's

    This neo-Romanesque church was completed in 1895, one of a trio commissioned for the expanding district of Maxvorstadt. It was bombed in wartime but rebuilt to the original design. Outside, St Benno himself teeters on a column, and the statue of a fish with a key in its mouth recalls his days as 11th century Bishop of Meissen. He kept siding with the wrong king and the wrong pope, and when ousted hurled the cathedral keys into the Elbe. But later they turned up in his fish supper, whereupon regal order, apostolic succession and church access were serenely restored.

    Daily 08:00-19:00·Free

13. SeeAltstadt Not mapped

    Alpine Museum

    A small museum displaying the history of alpine exploration in the Bavarian Alps. It remains closed in 2022.

    Closed

14. DrinkAltstadt Not mapped

    Andechser am Dom

    Small brew-pub serving beer from Andechs Klosterbrauerei, an easy day-trip from the city. Excellent beer and views of the cathedral, decent food.

    Daily 10:00-00:00

15. EatLudwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt Not mapped

    Deutsche Eiche

    This hotel restaurant caters to non-residents and gets great reviews. Look for the row of flags, including an LGBT flag to mark the hotel's history in the gay community, and usually a platter of raw mushrooms outside the main entrance. Sometimes they display a poisonous mushroom saying that it's for the mother-in-law, that's how inclusive they are.

    Daily 07:00-01:00

16. SeeNorth Not mapped

    Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleißheim

    The palace grounds were used as an airfield in wartime, and this is now the aviation branch of Deutsches Museum.

    Daily 09:00-17:00·Adult €8

17. SeeSouth-West Not mapped

    Hiob Monastery

    This is Russian Orthodox. You can look in at the church and attend services.

18. SeeNorth Not mapped

    Museum of Man and Nature

    Museum Mensch und Natur

    Natural History museum on the north flank of the Schloss but separately managed and ticketed. Signage is only in German.

    Tue-Fri 09:00-17:00, Sat Sun 10:00-18:00·Adult €3.50, conc €2.50, under 18s free

19. SeeAltstadt Not mapped

    Neues Rathaus

    New Town Hall

    This was built in phases from 1867 to 1909. It's still a busy city chambers, with access only on business, but you can ride the lift to the observation deck of the tower. For most visitors the ornate neo-Gothic exterior is experience enough. At 11:00, 12:00 and 17:00 the Glockenspiel cranks into life: medieval minstrels parade, knights joust (the knight in Bavarian blue always wins) and Morris dancers pirouette to the sound of the bells. They all freeze en tableaux to the tune of "I don't have a wooden heart" (Elvis Presley, 1960) which alas they do.

    Daily 10:00-18:00·Tower €6

20. BuyNorth Not mapped

    Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory

    Offers beautifully handcrafted and very pricey porcelain. The factory was founded in the early 1700s to create porcelain for the Royal family. You can look around for as long as they think you might buy something, otherwise they might tactfully but firmly redirect you to the porcelain museum within the palace.

    Mon-Fri 10:00-18:30, Sat 10:00-16:00

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Munich (CC BY-SA 4.0).