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- What to Expect in a Munich Beerhall Experience -
If there's two places you have to see in Munich because you only have a day or less, it would be a beerhall (no explanations needed and will be featured in a blog entry of its own) and the Munich Residenz.
- What to Expect in a Munich Beerhall Experience -
If there's two places you have to see in Munich because you only have a day or less, it would be a beerhall (no explanations needed and will be featured in a blog entry of its own) and the Munich Residenz.
The Munich Residenz is the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs in Munich's city center. It is the largest city palace in Germany and is open to visitors for its architecture and room decorations, and displays from the former royal collections.
Going to the Residenz is like going to Versailles in Paris without the crowd. You'll get to see similar room decorations and architecture. While you'll miss the grandeur of the gardens, the royalty of the fountain show, and the vastness of space, this will be compensated by an access to royal collections. To give a better idea of what I'm talking about, here are what you can expect to see (click the image to enlarge):
Antiquarium - Commissioned by Duke Albrecht V from 1568 to 1571 for his collection of antique sculptures
Treasury - Showcases the jewels, goldsmith's work, enamels, crystal objects and ivories collections of Bavarian rulers
Bavarian royal insignia
Travelling set of Empress Marie Louise of France (silver-gilt, gold, mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell and other materials; width of case 56 cm); Martin Guillaume Biennais and workshop, Paris, 1812
Statuette of St George (gold, enamel, silver-gilt, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, opals, agate, chalcedony, rock crystal and other precious stones, pearls; height 50 cm)
Baroque Ancestral Gallery - Over 100 portraits of members of the Wittelsbach family are let into the carved gilt panelling of the gallery.
Palace Rooms
Court Church of All Saints - Inspired by King Ludwig I's visit to Palermo in 1823, when he was Crown Prince. After attending Midnight Mass in the palace chapel there, which is built in a mixture of Norman and Byzantine styles, he was allegedly so moved that he exclaimed: "That's the kind of court chapel I want!"
Courts
This was a very quick tour of the Munich Residenz because I only had half a day in Munich's city centre. The Residenz has a lot more to offer and I wished I had more time to savor the opulence of this palace. I promise to go back... can you blame me?
Most of the information here was taken from: http://www.residenz-muenchen.de
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