Probing Munich’s Past, Part I

History is not my strong suit. I can learn speeches, song lyrics, and lines from movies, but lists of dates and treaties and names? Nope.

Part of the problem is that I need more personal interaction with all that data—some way to feel connected to it. 

If the History Channel had been around when I was growing up, that would have helped. Transforming facts into stories gives them staying power with me.

European history, in particular, is tough. It covers millennia of nobility and monarchs (with their repeating names!), not to mention the alliances, wars, and strategic marriages. 

Then there are the shifting national borders, and countries that have been passed back and forth like a real-life game of Risk.

When I'm sightseeing, my mind starts to wander with these myriad details.

In Hamburg, the story was a bit more straightforward. Important port and center of commerce, independent status, city history shaped by water, wealth, and worldwide trade.

At first glance, Munich looked to be more complicated because of its royal connections and accompanying intrigue. Since our river cruise last year and my explorations to date, however, I’ve been seeing some of the same names and events pop up.

So, I thought I should take a step back for a big-picture view of Bavaria’s past, and see if I find remnants of it in Munich today. But that doesn’t mean this is going to be a distillation of how the House of Wittelsbach ruled Bavaria as dukes, prince-electors, and kings. * 

This recent foray was mostly an excuse for one of my favorite sightseeing pastimes…palaces! Luckily, the Wittelsbach clan had two in Munich: the Residenz in what is now the city center, and a summer home, the Nymphenburger Schloss, approximately 7 km to the northwest.

Residenz

The residence evolved from a castle that was first built in 1385, into an impressive palace complex that was added to and remodeled by generations of Wittelsbach rulers. It was heavily damaged in WWII, but many of the furnishings survived, and it has been carefully reconstructed. 

Of all the palaces I've visited, this one offered (by far) the largest number of rooms to walk through. It's the largest city palace in Germany, and took me nearly three hours to see, even though I skipped much of the audio guide detail.

View of the front entrance to the Munich Residenz. As facades go it's not terribly impressive, but it's a different story inside.

This picture doesn't do justice to the beauty of the Antiquarium and its paintings.
The niches in the walls display a collection of antique statues.

This is a portrait gallery of the Wittelsbach rulers. Halfway down the corridor
is a floor-to-ceiling painted graphic of their family tree.

Music room

King's bedroom

King's audience chamber

The Treasury is contained in the palace (separate tour), and includes the jewels, crowns, swords,
stone and gem carvings, and exotic decor collected by the Wittelsbach family.

Nymphenburg

Completed in the late 1600s, the Nymphenburg palace and grounds were expanded to their current dimensions in the mid-1700s. The palace complex also includes a porcelain museum and carriage museum (separate tours). 

As lovely as the palace is, the grounds were the highlight for me, with approximately 445 acres of landscaped lawns, forest groves, waterways, and four park "pavilions" (separate tours) which are the equivalent of small estate homes.

View of the main wing and entrance of the Nymphenburg palace.

A view of the palace's Great Hall.

The Marstallmuseum is housed in the old stables and
includes carriages, sleighs, and elaborate riding harnesses.

This figure in the Porcelain Museum
summed up the feel of my palace visits.

View from the back of the palace to the start of the park-like grounds.

The grotto in the Magdalenklause pavilion. The building was deliberately built to look like an ancient ruin.

The entry room of the Pagodenburg pavilion. The decor on both levels is Asian-themed.

A hallway in the Amalienburg pavilion. This pavilion was considered a "hunting lodge."

The swimming pool in the Badenburg pavilion. 

Piecing It Together

What great insights did I gain from my visits? Well, I've heard several people say that folks in Munich can be snooty (even some Munich natives have said this). I haven't encountered this yet, but having visited these palaces, I can see where it may have started. 😉

In all seriousness, Munich has been dubbed the land of "Laptops and Lederhosen." There is a fervent commitment to tradition and a paradoxical embrace of technology. 

In a lot of ways, the energy in Munich reminds me of what I felt when we first moved to Silicon Valley in fall 2000. You had the feeling that anything could happen, and anyone could be a part of making it happen. 

Finding the balance between the past and the present seems to be Munich's strength; it's what gives this city Old World charm and New World currency. And in the land of fairy tales and castles, that kind of magic certainly makes sense.



*Ok, well, a tiny bit of relevant distillation/oversimplification. The Wittelsbach dynasty ruled Bavaria from 1180 until the German Revolution in 1918. The family succeeded Henry the Lion, who founded Munich. (Henry’s cousin, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick “Barbarossa” I, conspired with other German princes to remove Henry from power, stripping him of his lands in Bavaria, Saxony, and northern and eastern Germany). Munich became the primary home/base of power for the Wittelsbach family starting in the mid-1200s.