Munich Sights: Museums and Galleries

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Skeleton on a bicycle, Deutsches Museum

• BMW Museum www.bmw-museum.com — For a BMW enthusiast, this museum is a must see on your itinerary.

• Museum Brandhorst www.museum-brandhorst.de — Most recent addition to Munich's museum district; a collection of modern and contemporary art (paintings, sculptures and installations) by Udo and Anette Brandhorst.

• City Museum of Munich www.stadtmuseum-online.de — Offers a fascinating insight into the diverse history of Munich. Houses eye-opening displays of war torn Munich as well as an excellent musical instruments museum and puppetry museum (both of which stand as exemplary collections on their own!). Seasonal exhibitions are also usually worthwhile.

• Deutsches Museum www.deutsches-museum.de, located in Haidhausen. The Deutsches Museum is quite probably the largest technical museum in the world. It has a hands-on, interactive section for natural science, engineering, construction, etc. as well as an impressive collection of full-scale aerospace vehicles. Plan lots of time if you want to try and see everything, even the full eight open hours of the day is barely enough to even get around to all the exhibits, much less spend a significant amount of time in them. There is also a major transportation exhibition branch located near Theresienhöhe (above the Oktoberfest grounds), and another one housing the extensive airplane collection in Oberschleißheim near Schloss Schleißheim.

• German Theatre Museum — Founded around 100 years old, the German Theatre Museum is full of memorabilia and offers an insight into the development of German Theatre.

• Glyptothek www.antike-am-koenigsplatz.mwn.de/glyptothek/index.html — Antique Grecian sculpture collection housed in an impressive classical Greek building. Certainly worth a visit in the center of the museum district.

• Haus der Kunst www.hausderkunst.de — An exhibition hall that flaunts its National Socialist architectural design, presents ever-changing graphic arts exhibitions.

• Lenbach House www.lenbachhaus.de — A gallery exhibiting numerous works of the Blauer Reiter school of German expressionist art (Kandinsky, Macke, Mark). Highly recommended.

• National Museum of Egyptian Art www.aegyptisches-museum-muenchen.de — In the Royal Residence.

• National Bavarian Museum www.bayerisches-nationalmuseum.de/Engl/b.htm — One of the most important cultural history museums in Europe, housing a large collection of European artifacts from the Middle Ages until early 20th century. There's a wide range of important antiques here, from medieval armor to pottery, from furniture to porcelain, and seasonally displaying the world's largest collection of nativity scene sets.

• Jewish Museum www.juedisches-museum-muenchen.de — Newly opened museum at St. Jakobsplatz with one permanent exhibition which illuminates aspects of Jewish history and culture in Munich, and a range of changing exhibitions.

The Villa Stuck, showcasing a private collection of Jugendstil art.

• Pinakotheken www.pinakotheken.de — These are three very impressive art museums. The Alte Pinakothek features 15-18th century religious paintings, the Neue Pinakothek 19-20th century Impressionist and Expressionist art and the Pinakothek der Moderne has 20th century paintings, modern art, design and architecture sections.

• Schack Gallery www.schack-galerie.de — A private collection of 19th Century art.

• The Treasury in the Munich Residenz www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/mu_schk.htm — A stunning collection of Bavarian Royal jewels, furniture and art.

• Villa Stuck www.villastuck.de — A collection of Jugendstil art primarily by Franz von Stuck. Interesting seasonal exhibitions as well, all located in a well maintained historical mansion once owned by the artist including period furniture.