sightseeing & excursions in Munich
This tour gives a comprehensive survey of Munich. It crosses Königsplatz and passes the renowned art galleries Lenbachhaus, Old and New Pinakothek.
The guests visit the former artists’ quarter Schwabing and go along the impressive Ludwig and Prinzregenten street lined by magnificent buildings e.g. Theatiner Church, Hall of Generals (Feldherrenhalle), House of Arts, Bavarian National Museum, and the Angel of Peace.
The elegant Maximilian Street takes us back to the centre of town offering a view of the Bavarian Parliament, Deutsches Museum, Royal Palace and the Opera House. In the ancient part of town we point out the well-known Hofbräuhaus, the medieval town gates and the colorful open air market (Viktualienmarkt). Of course the guest will have the opportunity and take his favourite photos and buy some souvenirs.
Castle Neuschwanstein
Seven weeks after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, Neuschwanstein was opened to the public. The shy king had built the castle in order to withdraw from public life – now vast numbers of people came to view his private refuge.
Today Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe. Every year 1.3 million people visit "the castle of the fairy-tale king". In the summer around 6,000 visitors a day stream through rooms that were intended for a single inhabitant.
The setting of Neuschwanstein could not be more idyllic. However, movement in the foundation area has to be continuously monitored, and the sheer rock walls must be repeatedly secured. The harsh climate also has a detrimental effect on the limestone façades, which will have to be renovated section by section over the next few years.
Since 1990 the Free State of Bavaria has spent around 11.2 million euros on the renovation and maintenance of the castle and improvement of the visitor service.
The tours, in German and English, last approximately 35 minutes. During the tour you will have to climb 165 steps and descend 181. You can also view the castle with an audio guide. These tours also last around 25 minutes and are offered in Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Slovenian, Russian and Polish.
Castle Nymphenburg
To celebrate the birth of their son and heir, Elector Ferdinand Maria and his consort Henriette Adelaide of Savoy appointed architect Agostino Barelli to build them a summer residence west of Munich. The simple cube-shaped building, begun in 1664, was enlarged under Max Emanuel and Karl Albrecht from plans by Enrico Zuccalli and Joseph Effner.
"Gallery of Beauties"
The massive Great Hall ("Steinerner Saal") was decorated in the Rococo style by Johann Baptist Zimmermann and François Cuvilliés the Elder under Elector Max III Joseph. A famous feature of the palace is the "Gallery of Beauties", painted for King Ludwig I by Joseph Stieler.
The history of the palace and the park of Nymphenburg are inextricably linked, and cover a period of more than 300 years. From 1664, Electress Henriette Adelaide of Savoy had a summer palace built from plans by the Bologna architect Agostino Barelli, with a small ornamental garden on its west side. Henriette Adelaide's garden was completely swallowed up by the park that was created later on. In 1701 Max Emanuel began extending his mother's palace, and also the gardens, which were planned and produced by Charles Carbonet, a pupil of Versailles creator André Le Nôtre. He was probably responsible for the canal which was laid out from 1701 in the existing break in the trees in order to divert water into the garden from the River Würm two kilometres away.
The transformation of the palace and gardens into a famous baroque complex at the hands of Dominique Girard and the Bavarian court architect Joseph Effner did not however properly begin until 1715. It was now that the Nymphenburg canal system was completed and the garden was provided with a variety of water features and the necessary pumping machinery, and refinements were made to the design of the parterre, the hedge gardens and the extensive wooded park.
By the end of Max Emanuel's reign (1726), there was an axially symmetrical garden radiating out from the west side of the palace, which was dominated by the four sections of the "Large Parterre", laid out with ornamental flowerbeds close to the palace. In the centre where the paths intersected was the "Large Pool" with the Flora Fountain. The boskets on either side of the parterre contained a number of garden rooms equipped for the pastimes of the court society.
Around this garden area with its many design features was an extensive park created primarily from the existing woods. Two groups of six straight avenues cut across the park on either side of the canal, to which Effner added a cascade at the western end of the park. Each group radiated out from a central point with a pavilion, which in the northern group was the Pagodenburg and in the southern group the Badenburg, both built by Effner. Both buildings were surrounded by formal gardens with pools and hedges. In 1725/28 Effner also built the Magdalenenklause, in a secluded wooded section north of the bosket close to the palace. On the east side of the palace is the cour d'honneur, designed as a garden, which acquired its present form under Elector Karl Albrecht with the crescent of buildings ("Rondell") in front of the palace that was begun in 1728 and completed in 1758. In the course of the 18th century, further architectural features and a variety of statues were added to the park. In 1734/39 the Amalienburg was built by François Cuvilliés the Elder next to the southern bosket area. From 1769 the "Large Parterre" was decorated with the ornamental vases and statues of the gods that can still be seen today.
In the second half of the 18th century, the landscape garden developed in England became increasingly popular in Germany, and Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell was commissioned to transform the geometric baroque complex. He retained the sections along the central axis – the basic structure of the parterre and the central canal with the cascade – and replaced the original geometric axis and avenue system with natural design elements.
Through the introduction of so-called "ha-has" – where stretches of garden wall were sunk and thus rendered invisible – Sckell extended the park visually beyond its borders into the surrounding countryside. By 1799/1800 he had already laid out gardens between the Amalienburg and the Large Parterre for the children of the electoral couple.
Overall von Sckell succeeded in creating a classical landscape garden of outstanding quality, the particular attractions of which lie in the retention of striking features of the garden from previous, totally different style epochs. The basic structure of the park has remained virtually unchanged to the present day.