The Residenz. 🏛️
It is the largest city palace in Germany. It has 10 courtyards and 130 rooms. It is not just a home; it is a statement of absolute power.
The Antiquarium
The oldest room (1568). A 66-meter long barrel-vaulted hall covered in Renaissance frescoes. It was built to house the Duke's antique sculpture collection. It is breathtaking.
The Treasury
The Schatzkammer. It holds the Crown of Bavaria and the prayer book of Emperor Charles the Bald (860 AD). It is a dark vault filled with blinding gold.
Schloss Nymphenburg. 🦢
When the Residenz felt too cramped, the royals moved west to Nymphenburg. The palace frontage is wider than Versailles.
The Swans
The central canal is famous for its aggressive swans. They are beautiful but mean. Admire them from a distance; do not try to pet them.
Birth of a King
King Ludwig II (the "Mad King" who built Neuschwanstein) was born here in the Queen's bedroom. You can see the actual bed.
The Park
The gardens are vast (200 hectares). Hidden in the woods are smaller "pleasure palaces," including a fake ruin and a bathing house.
Schönheitengalerie
King Ludwig I
Gallery of Beauties. 👩
Located inside Nymphenburg. King Ludwig I commissioned 36 portraits of the most beautiful women in Munich.
The Democratic Eye:
The King didn't care about rank. He included princesses alongside Helene Sedlmayr (a shoemaker's daughter) and Lola Montez (an Irish dancer whose affair with the King caused a revolution). It is a unique snapshot of 19th-century beauty standards.
Cuvilliés Theatre. 🎭
Tucked away inside the Residenz complex. It is the most beautiful Rococo theatre in Germany.
Red & Gold
It is a jewelry box of red velvet and carved gold leaf. Mozart's opera *Idomeneo* premiered right here in 1781.
The Survival
During WWII, the intricate wooden carvings were dismantled and hidden in the countryside. The building was destroyed by bombs, but the interior survived and was reassembled like a puzzle.