The black obelisk rising from the center of Karolinenplatz reaches twenty-nine meters into the air, a dark, slender spike contrasting with the surrounding greenery. Erected in eighteen thirty-three, this monument was commissioned by King…
Athens on the Isar
This walk traces King Ludwig I's ambitious vision to turn Munich into a German Athens, leading you from Karolinenplatz through the monumental neoclassical temples of Königsplatz.
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1. Obelisk von König Ludwig I
2. Alte Pinakothek
The Alte Pinakothek is distinguished by its long, low-slung facade featuring sections of exposed, unrendered brickwork that stand out against the surrounding masonry. Opened in eighteen thirty-six, this museum was commissioned by King…
3. Glyptothek
The Glyptothek stands out for its facade, which mimics the design of an ancient Greek temple. Commissioned by Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, later King Ludwig the First, the building was constructed between eighteen sixteen and eighteen…
4. Staatliche Antikensammlungen
The Staatliche Antikensammlungen is easily identified by its grand, neoclassical design featuring eight towering Corinthian columns across its front portico and a steep, wide staircase that leads up from the Königsplatz. This building was…
5. Propylaea
The Propylaea is a massive stone gateway on the western side of Königsplatz, distinguished by two powerful, block-like towers joined by a central archway. Completed by architect Leo von Klenze in eighteen sixty-two, the structure is…
6. Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke München
The Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke holds roughly two thousand plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculptures, making it one of the four largest collections of its kind in Germany. You can identify the building by its location within…
7. St. Boniface's Abbey
St. Boniface’s Abbey is defined by its long, rhythmic row of round arches along the exterior, a design modeled after the early Christian basilicas of Italy. King Ludwig the First commissioned the monastery in eighteen thirty-five to revive…