Architecture of Munich
The New Town Hall's tower contains the Rathaus-Glockenspiel, an ornate clock with almost life-sized moving figures that show scenes from a medieval jousting tournament as well as a performance of the famous "Schäfflertanz" (roughly translated "Barrel-makers' dance".
Three gates of the demolished medieval fortification have survived to this day: the Isartor in the east, the Sendlinger Tor in the south and the Karlstor in the west of the inner city.
Nearby St. Peter the Gothic hall-church Heiliggeistkirche (The Church of the Holy Ghost) was converted to baroque style from 1724 onwards and looks down upon the Viktualienmarkt, the most popular market of Munich.
Also the late gothic churches of the churchyards of St. Peter and of the Frauenkirche, the Kreuzkirche close to the Sendlinger Tor and St. Salvator nearby the cathedral still exist.
[1] In order to realise his ambitious plans for the church and the adjoining college, Duke Wilhelm had 87 houses in the best location pulled down, ignoring the protests of the citizens.
At the east side of the river Isar three large neo-Gothic churches were constructed: The Maria-Hilf-Kirche in der Au, St.Johannis in Haidhausen and the Kreuzkirche in Giesing.
The Gothic Alte Hof, a medieval castle and first residence of the Wittelsbach dukes in Munich still exists in the inner city close to Marienplatz.
The large Residenz palace complex (begun in 1385) on the edge of Munich's Old Town ranks among Europe's most significant museums of interior decoration.
The four main parts are the Königsbau (near the Max-Joseph-Platz), the Alte Residenz (towards the Residenzstraße), the Festsaalbau (towards the Hofgarten) and the Byzantine Court Church of All Saints (Allerheiligen-Hofkirche).
Facing the Hofgarten on the east side is the Bavarian Staatskanzlei ("State Chancellery"), housed in the former Army Museum, with the addition of glass wings left and right of the original building.
The Maxburg, a renaissance palace north of Stachus, was destroyed in World War II, only a tower has been preserved and integrated into a modern building.
The Neue Landschaftsgebäude at Roßmarkt close to the Sendlinger Tor is a palatial building which was constructed in 1774 by François de Cuvilliés the Younger for the Bavarian Estates.
It is starting at Odeonsplatz on the northern fringe of the Old Town close to the Residenz, runs from east to west and passes the square Wittelsbacher Platz and the circular Karolinenplatz with its obelisk, and finally opens into the impressive Königsplatz, designed with the "Doric" Propylaea, the "Ionic" Glyptothek and the "Corinthian" State Museum of Classical Art, on its back side St. Boniface's Abbey was erected.
The northern part was then constructed since 1827 in line with a plan of Klenze's rival Friedrich von Gärtner, the appearance is strongly influenced by Italian Romanesque architecture.
The avenue was constructed from 1891 onwards as a prime address for the middle-class during the reign of Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria and is named Prinzregentenstraße in his honour.
The modern Gasteig center is situated on the opposite bank of the river, close to the Volksbad, a large public bath built in the art nouveau style.
Nymphenburg Palace, some 6 km north west of the city centre, was constructed from 1664 and is surrounded by an impressive park and is considered to be one of Europe's most beautiful royal residences.
The palace was commissioned by the prince-electoral couple Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy to the designs of the Italian architect Agostino Barelli after the birth of their son Max II Emanuel.
The first half of Max Emanuel's reign was still dominated by his parents' Italian court artists, like Enrico Zuccalli and Giovanni Antonio Viscardi.
With the appointment of Joseph Effner serving as chief architect of the court and the young François de Cuvilliés as his assistant, the French influence significantly increased and Max Emanuel's return in 1715 marked the origin of the era of Bavarian Rococo.
Within the park, a number of pavilions were built such as the Pagodenburg (1716–1719), the Badenburg (1719–1721) and the Amalienburg, a Rococo hunting lodge constructed in 1734–1739 by François de Cuvilliés.
