Residenzmuseum

Description

The Residenz in Munich houses the Residenzmuseum and thus serves as a central place for the presentation of Bavarian court culture and interior architecture. The museum is located in the historic complex of the Münchner Residenz; entrance and access to the exhibition lead through the Königsbau and the Königsbauhof to the Grüne Galerie with its striking two-storey façade dating from the early 18th century.

The history of the collection goes back to the 19th century, when interested visitors could already view the royal rooms under certain conditions. After the end of the monarchy the palaces passed into state ownership, and from 1920 the Residenz was gradually opened to the public. Before the Second World War the Residenzmuseum comprised a large number of numbered display rooms; parts of the furnishings were moved into storage before the hostilities, and after the destructions in 1944/45 they were brought back in and restored. Reconstruction of the Residenz after 1945 was organized by the relevant palaces administration and took several decades until full restoration was achieved.

Today the Residenz is one of Bavaria’s most important cultural-historical sites. In more than 130 display rooms domestic and ceremonial rooms from roughly 300 years are presented; in addition there are extensive collections, for example the porcelain and silver collections, relics and paraments. Outstanding rooms include the Antiquarium as a magnificent Renaissance hall, the Miniaturenkabinett with an internationally significant collection of miniature paintings from the 16th to the 19th century, the Porzellankammern with pieces from Europe and East Asia, and the Silberkammer with several thousand items related to courtly dining. Other important stops are the Alten Hofkapelle, the Reichen Zimmer with their opulent furniture and tapestries, the Grottenhof with its shell-adorned hall, and the separately accessible Cuvilliés-Theater. The neo-Byzantine Allerheiligen‑Hofkirche can be viewed on the tour or accessed via the east portal.

The Residenzmuseum thus brings together outstanding ensembles of rooms, artisanal and artistic works, and extensive collections on the history of Bavarian representation of rule. Visitor numbers were nearly 400,000 in 2019; in 2020 they fell sharply as a result of the pandemic.