We had been on the move quite a bit, so Saturday morning, Carol and Torie slept in. You gotta know when to drive them and when to tap on the brakes. We made it to Munich city center by 11 am, and headed straight for the Residenz, which had been the palace of Bavarian dukes, electors, and kings from 1508 to 1918.
Built beginning in 1385, the palace grew and grew. Much of it was destroyed during World War II, but it has been rebuilt in much of the original style, including artwork that was hidden for safekeeping and furniture. Even if the furniture isn't from the original palace, it dates back to those days.
The three Ludwigs are probably the most famous kings of Bavaria. When Ludwig III helped lead the peaceful transition from a monarchy to a parliamentary system right at the end of WWI, that ended 738 years of rule by the Wittelsbach family. Somewhere, there are some jealous American Presidents.
It's unclear from the several sources I checked just how much of the Residenz had been rebuilt (mostly by the 1980s), but it appears the three most stunning rooms were NOT damaged (if anyone has source material saying the opposite, I'm happy to revise this post).
The Italian Renaissance Grotto Courthyard, the Antiquarium banquet hall, and the Baroque Ancestral Gallery are all stunning. Three of the most beautiful rooms I've ever seen.
The redone imperial rooms are like those in any other palace -- clearly the monarchs of Europe had competitions among themselves to outdo each other -- a sort of "Palacing With The Stars" of its time. I took tons of pictures but tried not to overdo it below -- but I might have:
A sunny look at the clock
tower of the Rathaus.
Mary in Marianplatz.
On a building.
Art in a courtyard of the Residenz.
The Italian Renaissance Grotto
Mercury looks like the inspiration
for Frozone in The Incredibles, amirite?
The Antiquarium banquet hall is jaw-dropping.
Part of the ceiling of the Antiquarium.
Mind. Blown.
Clock tower.
Part of a tapestry. So I learned on this trip
not to take pictures of the full tapestry or
painting, but just to focus on a main part of it.
Seems like it works, no?
Part of another tapestry.
Close-up in a painting.
Typical palace door.
Part of the wall in the throne room.
Where's Harpo when you need him.
As LT would say, "Like a bunch of crazed dogs."
Just a random hallway.
The dragon is on the wrong
end of this battle.
The red room.
Above the throne.
Wall fresco telling the story of, well,
I'm not sure. If you know, let me know.
The Baroque Ancestral Gallery.
Gilded moldings in the Ancestral Galleries.
The pictures themselves are of dead
Bavarian royalty no one cares about.
Campaigning in the courtyard.
The foot belongs to Neptune.
I suppose the fish does as well.
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