The Art District

A guide to the museums and attractions

of the Art District in Munich

THE CLASSICS: A Trojan horse in the middle of Munich's Art District.

Munich’s artistic treasures rival Paris or London – no kidding.

The greatest concentration of museums and art galleries is in the Kunstareal in the Maxvorstadt, just north of the Main Train Station.

King Ludwig I first ticked the public’s artistic senses here.

He envisaged the area as a “forum of art”, building Greek temple style museums on Königsplatz and two art galleries, the Pinakotheks, nearby.

A third, the Pinakothek der Moderne, was added in 2002 to pick up where Ludwig left off.

Another highlight is the Lenbachhaus Art Gallery,
in a brilliant mustard-yellow villa featuring artists from the edgy Blaue Reiter group which stirred up sensibilities from 1911 to 1914.




Top attractions in the Art District

Neue Pinakothek☺☺☺☺☺
	"A world-class collection" This is my favorite of Munich’s three big art galleries (Pinokotheks). Inside is a collection of masterfull European paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries, many collected by King Ludwig I. (Read more)

Pinakothek der Moderne☺☺☺☺
	"What's new" This is where the fresh, the edgy, the controversial and the downright confusing artworks come to play. The Pinakothek der Moderne (built in 2002) is the newest and brashest of Munich’s three big art galleries. (Read more)

Königsplatz (King’s Square) and Propyläen☺☺☺☺
	"The square with many faces" Tribute to Athens, Nazi parade ground, massive car park, summer concert turf. Munich’s grand Königsplatz has played many roles. Stepping onto this huge, grassy square I can’t hep but feel just a wee bit too small. (Read more)

Antikensammlungen (State Antiques Collection)☺☺☺
	"We never change" Going into museums like this gives me a sense of solidarity. Browsing its treasures, like a fourth century Roman goblet made of network glass, makes me think the ancients weren’t that different from us after all. (Read more)

Glyptothek ☺☺☺
	"Treasures from the ancients" “What we do in life will echo throughout eternity!” This quote doesn’t apply to everyone perhaps, but Russell Crowe’s character Maximus could have had Munich’s Glyphothek in mind when he shouted those words at the start of Gladiator.(Read more)

Staatliche Graphische Sammlung (Bavarian Collection of Graphic Arts)☺☺
	"Defty drawings" This old Nazi-era administration building houses drawings by masters including Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. They’re part of 400 000-piece collection of printed and handmade drawings going back half a millennium.(Read more)

Alte Pinakothek ☺☺
	"The story begins..." Munich's Alte Pinakothek is the oldest of Munich's three big art galleries and has one of the world's great collections of works from the European Old Masters. (Read more)

Karolinenplatz (Caroline’s Square)☺
	"A circle-shaped "square" You’ll know you’re in the right place if you see a massive, Egyptian-style obelisk directly in the middle. This is Caroline's Square, a broad, circular “square” surrounded by grand houses and filled with flowers in the summer. (Read more)

Amerikahaus ☺
	"U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" The USA’s cultural link to Munich, this centre dishes out a full program for US visitors and expats wanting to stay connected with life across the Atlantic. (Read more)

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