Bayerisches Armeemuseum

Current exhibitions

About the museum

King Ludwig II founded the Bayerisches Armeemuseum (Bavarian Army Museum) in Munich in 1879 to bring together military collections scattered across the kingdom. After beginning in the army's arsenal, it later moved into its own domed building on the Hofgarten, whose surviving central section is now part of the Bavarian State Chancellery. The building was badly damaged in World War II, and the rescued holdings were then housed for decades in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum.

The museum finally made a fresh start in Ingolstadt: since 1972 it has displayed its collection in the Neues Schloss, a ducal residence completed around 1500 with massive defensive walls, complemented by the adjacent arsenal.

In 1994 a second site was added: the Reduit Tilly, a neoclassical fortress building in the Klenzepark on the south bank of the Danube, devoted entirely to World War I. In 2011 the Bayerisches Polizeimuseum (Bavarian Police Museum) followed in the neighboring Turm Triva tower.

The holdings range from armor, edged weapons and firearms to uniforms, flags and paintings, as well as an extensive collection of tin figures. One of the best-known pieces is an ornate Ottoman tent captured by Bavarian troops in 1687.

Highlights

• Ottoman Grand Vizier's tent from the Great Turkish War
• Treasury in the late Gothic Neues Schloss
• Extensive collection of tin figures
• Permanent exhibition on World War I in the Reduit Tilly
• Warfare from 1600 to 1815 and the era 1870–1914

Permanent exhibitions

• Formen des Krieges 1600–1815 – A tour through battles, sieges and everyday soldiering from the Thirty Years' War to the end of the Napoleonic era.
• Krieg und Frieden 1870–1914 – The exhibition covers the Franco-Prussian War and its consequences for Bavaria up to the eve of World War I.
• Museum des Ersten Weltkriegs – In the Reduit Tilly, the causes, course and consequences of World War I are shown on the front lines and the home front, along with the turbulent years from 1918 to 1923.

Founded

1879

Operated by

Freistaat Bayern

Director

Ansgar Reiß

Admission & discounts

Prices are per site for the Neues Schloss or the Reduit Tilly; the police museum in the Turm Triva costs €4 (reduced €3.50). On Sundays, admission to one site costs €1. Free admission for, among others, ICOM members and holders of the Bayerische Ehrenamtskarte (Bavarian volunteer card).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Neues Schloss: elevator to all floors, ramps inside, accessible restroom in the basement; accessible parking spaces at Paradeplatz (approx. 150 m) and vehicle access via Roßmühlstraße for holders of an ID marked aG/Bl (severe walking impairment/blind). Reduit Tilly: wheelchair-accessible with ramps and elevators, accessible restrooms on the first and second floors.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Tours for children on request, e.g. the hand-puppet tour "Theophil Triva, das Blaulicht und der Verkehr" for preschool and elementary school children. Children and young people up to 18 free.

Getting there & parking

Turm Triva: buses to under the Schillerbrücke.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Online shop with tickets and publications. Dogs are not allowed in the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit