Munich Residenz

The Residenz is the city palace of the Wittelsbach family, the former ruling family of Bavaria. Originally built in the late Fourteenth Century. Expanded and remodeled many times, and including a theater and ten courtyards, the building that stands today mostly come from the time of Ludwig I of Bavaria, being remodeled at his orders between 1825-1835.

The complex is vast. You can visit a series of royal apartments, including both public and private rooms. There's an antiquities hall, a huge collection of porcelain, the theater mentioned above, a church, the treasury, and a hall that houses the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Much of the complex was destroyed during World War II, and while a good deal of it was reconstructed by the 1980s, parts were lost and not replaced, and work is still ongoing.

We didn't see all of that, of course. We saw the main halls including the Stone Hall, and Antiquity Hall, the royal rooms, the porcelain collection and the Treasury, both of which are getting their own posts, along with more on the FB page if you're interested in dishes, jewels, and overdone rooms. The amount of detail in the rooms is amazing.

Unfortunately, the power when out in most of the complex when we were only partway through, and we decided to call it a day. And unfortunately, it was raining again. Badly.

I would definitely recommend a visit, especially if you like Rococo and Baroque art. The Treasury is definitely worth a look. Unfortunately, due to the weather, we didn't get to see the gardens. Maybe another time.Read more