MUNICH RESIDENZ

Description

Essentials about the Munich Residenz in brief

The Munich Residenz (Munich Residence) is one of the main sights of the Bavarian capital. Located in the city center, the city palace was the residence of Bavarian dukes, electors and kings for over six centuries. The sprawling palace is the largest inner-city palace in Germany and today one of the most important spatial art museums in Europe. The Residenzmuseum, in which 130 showrooms of the Residenz can be visited, gives visitors an impressive impression of the former splendor of the ducal-royal living and representation rooms and is definitely worth a visit, not only for die-hard royalists.

The history and architecture of the Munich Residenz

General information

The history of the Munich Residenz is one of centuries of expansions, demolitions, new buildings and destruction by fires and bombs. Hardly a decade went by without construction somewhere on the grounds of the Residenz. The building complex of the Residenz, which today comprises three main wings and ten courtyards, is therefore a mixture of architectural styles from a wide variety of epochs, such as Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Classicism.

The Munich Residenz in the 14th and 15th Centuries

As early as 1385, the so-called “Neuveste”, a Gothic moated castle that served as a refuge for the dukes and their court, was located on the site of today’s Residenz. In the course of the 15th and 16th centuries, the Neuveste was extended and modified several times. Over time, the castle gradually lost its fortificatory character, which had become obsolete due to the increased emergence of cannons that could penetrate the walls.

Today, nothing remains of the Neuveste, except for a few foundation walls. In fact, around 1620 the demolition of all the buildings on the western side took place and after 1800 the last remains of the fortress were demolished. The Gothic vaults in the Ballsaalkeller (Ballroom Cellar) are the last remaining remains of the Neuveste and the oldest part of the present Residenz.

The Munich Residenz in the 16th Century

The history of the Munich Residenz as a modern palace begins with Duke Wilhelm IV, who had the Neuveste extended between 1530 and 1540 with the Rundstubenbau and also had the first court garden laid out. It was also Wilhelm IV who finally moved the Wittelsbach residence from the Alten Hof (Old Court) to the Residenz.

Wilhelm’s successor, Albrecht V, had a banqueting hall (St. George’s Hall) and an art chamber established in the Marstall building, where many Munich collections originated. Since there was not enough space there for the extensive sculpture collection, the Antiquarium was built on the first floor of a new building between 1568 and 1571. Today, the Antiquarium is the oldest surviving room in the Residenz and also the largest Renaissance hall north of the Alps. The floor above the Antiquarium housed the Court Library, which formed the core of the later Bavarian State Library.

At the end of the 16th century, a number of other buildings and wings were added to the Residenz. Thus, in 1580/81 the Witwenstock was built, between 1581 and 1586 the art-historically significant four-wing complex of the Mannerist Grottenhof, around 1590 the Schwarze Saal (Black Hall) and from 1590 the Erbprinzentrakt (Hereditary Prince Wing).

The Munich Residenz in the 17th Century

Under Duke Maximilian I, the Maximilian Residenz named after him was built on the west side. Maximilian also had the Brunnenhof (Fountain Courtyard) rebuilt and the large Wittelsbacherbrunnen (Wittelsbach Fountain) built in the center of the courtyard in 1610. In addition, the Hofkapelle (Court Chapel) and the Reiche Kapelle (Rich Chapel) were built during Maximilian’s reign, as well as the Kaiserhof (Imperial Court) with the Trier- und Steinzimmern (Trier and Stone Rooms), the Kaisersaal (Imperial Hall) and the Kaisertreppe (Imperial Staircase) as spacious guest quarters at the beginning of the 17th century. Under Maximilian, the buildings of the Residenz had become so extensive that they sufficed Maximilian’s successors until the early 19th century. They now concentrated mainly on the interior decoration of the Residenz.

At the time of the High Baroque, Electress Henriette Adelaide had her mother-in-law’s apartment extended between 1666 and 1669 to create an extremely splendid sequence of rooms. It now consisted of the Hall of the Guard (Hartschiersaal), two antechambers, the Audience Chamber (Goldener Saal), a large cabinet (Grottenzimmer), the bedroom, a small chapel and a cabinet (Herzkabinett). This sequence of rooms was supplemented by a gallery between Residenzgasse and the southern garden and a corridor-like library.

The Munich Residenz in the 18th Century

The Reichen Zimmer (Rich Rooms) with the Grüne Galerie (Green Gallery), the Spiegelkabinett (Mirror Cabinet) and the Paradeschlafzimmer (Parade Bedroom) are owed to the Elector and later Emperor Karl Albrecht. On the first floor, the Ahnengalerie (Ancestors’ Gallery) was built between 1726 and 1730 with its more than one hundred portraits of members of the House of Wittelsbach up to the last King of Bavaria, Ludwig III. Furthermore, Karl Albrecht had another magnificent cabinet built next to the Ahnengalerie for the storage of the house treasury, for which no special room had previously been available. Since the construction of the Alte Schatzkammer (Old Treasury) under Prince Regent Luitpold in 1897, this room has housed the Porzellankabinett (Porcelain Cabinet) to this day.

The most important new building under Karl Albrecht’s son, Elector Maximilian III Joseph, was the construction of the Altes Residenztheater (Old Residence Theater) from 1751 (also known as the Cuvilliés Theater), a rococo-style logentheater reserved exclusively for the court.

The Munich Residenz in the 19th Century

With the elevation of Bavaria to the status of a kingdom in 1806 and the major urban planning changes made to Munich at the beginning of the 19th century, the parts of the Residenz that had hitherto been less representative and not visible were exposed. This state of affairs, which was in part unworthy of a residence, prompted court architects during the reign of Maximilian III Joseph to draw up generous expansion plans, which were, however, not realized due to the empty state coffers.

Even under his successor Karl Theodor, only the Churfürstliche Galerie (Elector Gallery), built in 1780/1781, was erected on the north side of the Hofgarten. King Max I Joseph again contented himself with modest refurnishing of chambers. Furthermore, he had the Königliche Hof- und Nationaltheater (Royal Court and National Theater) and the later Max-Joseph-Platz built next to the residence. From 1817 onwards, the new Marstall was built opposite the east side of the Residenz, housing the royal riding school, the coach houses and stables, and the administration offices.

The complex reached its present size between 1825 and 1842 under King Ludwig I, with the wings of the Königsbau (King’s Building) and the Festsaalbau (Ballroom Building) built in the classicist style, as well as the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche (All Saints Court Church). The Königsbau was built between 1826 and 1835 as a two-story south wing with a green sandstone facade up to 30 meters high on Max-Joseph-Platz. The Palazzo Pitti and the Palazzo Rucellai in Florence served as models. Today, the first floor houses the Treasury and the Nibelungensäle (Nibelungen Rooms), which were designed as showrooms open to the public. On the second floor were the living quarters of Ludwig I. On the second floor were the so-called Festgemächer (Banqueting Rooms), which were intended for small court festivities.

In the years 1832 to 1842, the Festsaalbau (Festival Hall Building), also in the style of the Italian Renaissance, was finally built on the north side at the Hofgarten in order to remove the last remnants of the Neuveste, which had only been provisionally repaired after the fire of 1750. In the Festsaalbau, a spacious sequence of rooms was created, which included the Thronsaal (Throne Room) in the center, the Kaisersäle (Imperial Halls), the Ballsaal (Ballroom) and the Schlachtensaal (Battle Hall) in the northeast pavilion. These rooms were intended solely for acts of state and court festivities and were accessible via a grand staircase, which is also no longer preserved today.

Max II. Joseph only had the king’s apartment remodeled to suit his needs and had a winter garden built on a connecting wing to the National Theater. Ludwig II had many changes made to the residence that are no longer preserved today. He redesigned his prince’s apartment in the attic of the Fastsaalbau, had rooms prepared for his fiancée, had the Nibelungensäle completed, restored all the apartments of the Residenz and built a huge winter garden with an artificial lake.

The Munich Residenz in the 20th Century

During the air raids on Munich in World War II, the Residenz was heavily destroyed, especially in 1944. Of 23,500 square meters of roof area, only 50 square meters remained intact. In the decades following the war, the Residenz was largely reconstructed, largely thanks to the fact that almost all of the furniture and much of the wall and ceiling paneling had been removed before the first bombing raids. Otherwise, reconstruction in its present form would have been unthinkable.

Irretrievably lost during the war, however, were the frescoes of the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche, the once magnificent furnishings of the Päpstliches Zimmer (Papal Room), the ceiling of the Goldener Saal (Golden Hall), the living quarters of Ludwig II, and the remaining neoclassical halls in the Festsaalbau, including the magnificent grand staircase opposite the Marstall. In addition, the Großer Thronsaal (Great Throne Hall) was sacrificed after the war for the construction of a concert hall (New Hercules Hall).

After the war, the Neues Residenztheater (New Residence Theater) was built in place of the Cuvilliés Theater, which was rebuilt in the Apothekenstock of the Residenz further to the north. The east side of the Residenz between the Marstall and the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche was also built up. By 1985, the two 17th century ceremonial rooms lost since 1799, the Kaisersaal and the Vierschimmelsaal, had been rebuilt. To this day, work is still being done on the Residenz.

Today, the festive halls of the Residenz are used for receptions and concerts. In addition, the Residenz Museum, other museums and government offices are located in the Residenz. In addition, the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and the German Academy of Science and Engineering have their headquarters in the Munich Residenz.

The Residenzmuseum

The Residenzmuseum is the name given to the showrooms of the Munich Residenz. In around 130 residential, ceremonial and collection rooms, visitors can gain an impression of the premises of the Residenz. The ceremonial rooms, state rooms or court chapels of the Bavarian rulers provide an insight into historical room ensembles from different eras and display important exhibits from the Wittelsbach collections, for example miniatures, paintings, antique sculptures, bronze sculptures, tapestries, furniture, clocks, candlesticks, chandeliers, porcelain, silver and relics.

In addition to the Antiquarium, the Alten Hofkapelle (Old Court Chapel) and the numerous state rooms, the so-called Kaiserzimmer (Imperial Rooms), the Reichen Zimmer (Rich Rooms) and the representative living quarters of Ludwig I, the Porzallankammern (Porcelain Chambers), which include exhibits from all over Europe as well as an important collection from East Asia, and the Miniaturenkabinett (Miniatures Cabinet) with 129 miniature paintings are particularly noteworthy. The miniature collection with other exhibits is one of the most internationally sophisticated collections of its kind and includes a wide range of miniatures from the 16th to the 19th century. There is also a Reliquary Chamber and the Silver Chamber. With around 4,000 pieces still in existence today, the Silver Chamber in the Residenz is one of the most extensive princely silver collections still preserved in Europe. The exhibition in the St. Georgsrittersaal (St. George Knights’ Hall) uses central pictorial documents to commemorate the vanished winter gardens of the Bavarian kings Max II and Ludwig II.

The Schatzkammer (Treasury) in the Königsbau and the Münzsammlung (Coin Collection) can be visited separately. The Bronzesäle (Bronze Rooms) around the Vierschäftesaal are accessible separately. With the bronze sculptures from the late 16th and early 17th centuries exhibited on the first floor of the west wing of the Festsaalbau, the Residenzmuseum presents one of the richest collections of European bronze art from the Mannerist and early Baroque periods.