Since 1977 it has been housed in a mansion, known as the Hildebrandhaus, which was originally designed by the German sculptor Adolf von Hildebrand (1847–1921) for his large artistic family.

[1] The Monacensia in Hildebrandhaus is located in the Munich borough of Bogenhausen along the river Isar, not far from the Angel of Peace monument.

In the years between Hildebrand's death in 1921 and 1977 the mansion changed hands numerous times and served a number of very different purposes.

In the 1920s Hans Ludwig Held also laid the groundwork for collecting handwritten drafts and other original manuscripts from the leading writers of Munich and the region of Upper Bavaria.

Details of specific correspondence and manuscripts can be found at the online catalog of the Munich City Library[5] and through Germany's national database Kalliope Union Catalogue, a union catalog for collections of personal papers, manuscripts, and publishers' archives.

It is adjacent to permanent exhibition rooms devoted to the documentation of "Literary Munich in the Thomas Mann Years" and the "History of the Hildebrandhaus".

[10] In addition to its permanent exhibition, special thematic exhibitions and publicly accessible collections, the Monacensia also offers a literary programme with the city's Folk high school, and special tours in collaboration with the city's Centre for Museum's Pedagogy, in particular for school classes.

These include author readings, panel discussions, and scholarly lectures about research based on the library and archival holdings.