Bavaria Index

Munich

Munich Residenz

Fussen

Linderhof

Hohenschwangau

Neuschwanstein

Bavaria

On a particularly wet & blustery day, we were glad to be indoors exploring the massive & rambling Residenz.

The Residenz originated in the 14th century as a moated castle & was enlarged by each successive generation of the Wittelsbach rulers as the Bavarian seat of government. It consists of a large number of state halls, rooms, courtyards and galleries with the odd chapel & theatre thrown in for good measure. Really a day is not enough to do it all justice.

Each part of the complex was stunning in its own right. Being built over the centuries, there is no coherence to the archtectural forms or decoration. Most European styles and motifs over the last 600 years were represented in one hall or another. I have never visted any such large royal complex of buildings with so much variety.

Unfortunately a lot of the buildings were bombed and destroyed in WWII (by us....) and have had to be recreated.