RESIDENZ MUSEUM

The cultural high point of our visit to Munich was, without question, the 5-hours we spent at the Residenz Museum. For four centuries, up until 1918, the "Munich Residenz" was the seat of government and primary home of the Wittelsbach Dynasty.

It is amazing how curators are able to retain, or rather reinvent, its past glory. As in other European national historical sites, the key attractions (pardon me for using theme park language) like the Antiquarium, the Nibelungen Halls, the Throne Room and of course the Cuvillies Theatre are spotlessly preserved. Thankfully loud, flag waving tour guides jockeying for vantage positions are now replaced by individual voice tour gadgets, with which one can pace one self in serenity. The Residenz  gives one a taste of the height of Bavarian society under the influence of Electors. Regrettably many monuments were destroyed in the Second World War. While many have been reinstated since, it is still sad to see from old photographs how they came to an unceremonious end when the Allies regained control and started to target bomb Germany.