Indian Chief Travel Guides

Königsplatz

The area known as Königsplatz was destined to become the Acropolis Germaniae under the Nazis, but clever redesigning after the war left it with a less bombastic and still Classical appearance. Few visitors would associate the buildings here with the Nazi era, in stark contrast to what happened with the Party Rallying grounds in Nürnberg. The area houses several impressive museums to complement the nearby Pinakotheken.

At the north of the square is the Greek temple-like Glyptothek, Königsplatz 3. This Ionic columned building was erected in 1816-30 to house one of Europe’s largest collections of antique sculpture.

On the south side of the square, with a Corinthian colonnade, is the Antikensammlungen (Antiquities Collection), Königsplatz 1, 089-598-359, www.antikensammlungen.de. It has an impressive array of Greek ceramics, Etruscan art, small sculptures, bronzes, and jewelry.

The Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau (Municipal Gallery), Luisenstraße 33, is in a Florentine-style villa constructed in the late 19th century for the artist Lenbach. Alarge part of the collection is by local painters or of regional subjects. However, the Avant-Garde Blaue Reiter collection is internationally famous, with many works by Kadinsky, Marc, Kubin, Klee, and Jawlensky. The attached Kunstbau is actually a former subway platform and is used to house temporary exhibitions.