Munich Residenz, Munich

Munich Residenz, Munich

Step into the life of royalty at the Munich Residenz, which displays furniture and houseware of the royal family of yore.

Step into the life of royalty at the Munich Residenz, which displays furniture and houseware of the royal family of yore. The Residenz originated as a small moated castle in 1385, and was gradually expanded by the Wittelsbach rulers who used it as their residence and seat of government until 1918. The Schatzkammer (Wittelsbachs' Treasury) within the Residenz has one of the best collections of ecclesiastical treasures in Europe, not to mention the royal insignia of Bavaria (crowns, orb, scepter, etc.). The collection covers the late Graeco-Roman period and the Middle Ages with exhibits such as the Ciborium of King Arnulf and the Cross of Queen Gisela, the late Gothic and Renaissance periods with the statuette of St George, and the Baroque and neoclassical eras. On display are priceless objects of rock crystal, gems and ivory, as well as religious art, orders and insignia, tableware and toilet sets designed by Nuremberg and Augsburg goldsmiths and exotic craftwork. The Antiquarium (Hall of Antiquities) has the largest secular Renaissance room north of the Alps, and the Ahnengalerie (Ancestral Portrait Gallery) has a Wittelsbach family portrait collection. There is also a series of magnificent Rococo rooms (Ornate Rooms) by Francois Cuvilliés the Elder. Other highlights of the Residenz include the early 17^th century rooms including the Reiche Kapelle (Ornate Chapel), Steinzimmer (Stone Rooms) and Trierzimmer (Treve Rooms) and the neo-Classical Royal Palace by Leo von Klenze. Also on display are collections of table silver, reliquaries, paraments, bronzes and porcelain from Europe and Eastern Asia.

The Rococo court theatre, Cuvillies Theatre, was where opulent productions of Baroque operas were performed. Although the original building was destroyed in World War II bombings, the tiers of boxes had been stored safely outside Munich and reincorporated in the rebuilt theare on the Apothekenstock (Apothecary Block) of the Residenz on the Brunnenhof (Fountain Courtyard).

The Munich Court Garden is a Renaissance Garden with a central pavilion crowned by a bronze copy of the Tellus Bavarica by Hubert Gerhard.