MUNICH HOFGARTEN

Description

Essentials about the Munich Hofgarten in brief

If you need a little time out from the hustle and bustle of downtown Munich, you’ll find a wonderful oasis of peace and relaxation right behind Odeonsplatz: the Hofgarten (Court Garden). The many park benches in the garden, which belongs to the Munich Residenz next door, invite you to take a short break between accurately cut meadows, beautiful flower beds, shady trees and splashing fountains. The sounds of musicians who have taken up residence in the garden can often be heard here. Or you can enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of the courtyard garden with a café or aperitif on the terrace of the tradition-steeped café Tambosi.

The history and architecture of the Munich Hofgarten

The history of the Munich Hofgarten at its present location began in 1560 under Duke Albrecht of Bavaria with the creation of a new Renaissance garden with a (not preserved) pleasure house. In the years 1613-1617 Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, expanded the grounds to its present extent.

The main entrance to the Hofgarten is the Hofgartentor, located on the west side of the garden near Theatine Church. Incidentally, the gate, built in 1816, is the first structure designed by the famous Munich court architect Leo von Klenze. On two sides, the courtyard garden is bordered by arcades; in the northern ones, the Churfürstliche Galerie, built in 1780/81, is the German Theater Museum, while in the western ones frescoes tell episodes from the history of the Bavarian ruling house of Wittelsbach.

Towards the south the Hofgarten is closed by a facade of the banqueting hall building of the Munich Residenz. On the east side of the garden is the Bavarian State Chancellery, whose central structure is the preserved dome of the Bavarian Army Museum building, most of which was destroyed in World War II. Also at the eastern end of the Hofgarten is the Munich War Memorial.

In the center of the Hofgarten is the Diana Temple, a pavilion built in 1615 by Heinrich Schön the Elder. From the eight arches of the pavilion emanate the crossroads of the courtyard garden, which determine its structure. Characteristic are the four interior wall fountains decorated with shells.

After the Second World War, in which the courtyard garden was largely destroyed, a compromise was found between stylistic elements of an English landscape garden, which had been created here as a tree garden in the mid-19th century, and the original design of the 17th century.