Bayerisches Nationalmuseum

Current exhibitions

About the museum

King Maximilian II of Bavaria founded the museum in 1855. Inspired by the Great Exhibition in London, he wanted to showcase the cultural achievements of Bavaria and its ruling family in a “national museum”; the core was formed by artworks from the residence and palaces of the Wittelsbachs. Its first home was the Maxburg, followed in 1867 by a dedicated building by Eduard Riedel on Maximilianstraße, which now houses the Museum Fünf Kontinente. Under director Jakob Heinrich von Hefner-Alteneck, the collection increasingly focused on the decorative arts.

As space soon ran out, a competition led to a new building by Gabriel von Seidl on the edge of the Englischer Garten, which Prince Regent Luitpold inaugurated in September 1900. The picturesque complex, with its tower, gardens and halls styled to match the exhibits, was considered one of the most original museum buildings of its time. After heavy bomb damage in World War II, the first rooms reopened as early as December 1945; the reconstruction in simplified form was largely complete by the 100th anniversary in 1955.

Donations and acquisitions continue to shape the collection today, for example the world-famous nativity scene collection, the clock collection, Art Nouveau holdings and the Bollert Collection of late medieval sculpture acquired in 2004. Modern applied art was spun off in 1947 as the separate Neue Sammlung, and from 1971 branch museums were added throughout Bavaria. The museum is currently renewing its permanent displays step by step, which is why individual galleries are temporarily closed.

Highlights

• Tilman Riemenschneider's Mary Magdalene from Münnerstadt
• Christ Child with Grapes by Michel Erhart
• Commedia dell'arte porcelain figures by Franz Anton Bustelli
• Ivory coin cabinet of Elector Maximilian I
• World-famous nativity scene collection (open seasonally)
• Historicist museum building by Gabriel von Seidl

Permanent exhibitions

• Schausammlung: Kunst und Kulturgeschichte von der Spätantike bis zum Jugendstil – Sculptures, paintings, furniture, goldsmiths' work, porcelain, textiles and arms tell the story of European cultural history with a Bavarian focus across three floors.
• Krippensammlung – Nativity scenes from Naples, Sicily, Munich, Bohemia and the Alpine region; the collection in the basement is open each year from late October to late February.

Founded

1855

Operated by

Freistaat Bayern

Director

Frank Matthias Kammel (Generaldirektor)

Visitors per year

approx. 146,000 (2015)

Admission & discounts

€1 on Sundays (also for reduced). The standard ticket covers the permanent exhibition, the Bollert Collection and the current studio and special exhibitions. Multimedia guide included in admission; on Sundays and with free admission €2 (under 18: €1). Annual pass €45 (only at the museum ticket desk). Free admission including with the München City Pass, the Bayerische Ehrenamtskarte (Bavarian volunteer card), an ICOM card and for members of the friends' association. Public guided tours included in admission.

Accessibility

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

Two free accessible parking spaces in the museum's own parking lot to the right of the main entrance; from there a ramp leads to the main staircase, bell with intercom. A large part of the exhibition space is wheelchair-accessible, but not the basement (nativity scenes, farmhouse parlors, stove-maker's pottery) or some rooms on the Middle Ages on the main floor; with a rollator, a complete tour is only possible if you can manage five steps. Accessible restrooms in the basement, lightweight folding stools available to borrow. Assistance dogs with identification and documentation allowed. Staff assistance by prior arrangement.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Multimedia guide tour “Drachenpfad” (Dragon Trail) for children, escape game “Der Fluch der Feder” (The Curse of the Feather) for ages 10 and up, family tours for children aged 6 and over (children €1). Programs for daycare centers and schools via the Museumspädagogisches Zentrum (MPZ). Free admission under 18.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop: not available
• Coat check
• Lockers

Café and Restaurant MUSEUM on site. Museum shop currently temporarily closed. Cloakroom in the foyer, lockers near the gatehouse (€1 or €2 deposit); large bags and backpacks must be locked away.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 200 guests.

Available for rent: the museum foyer with garden (250 m², 100 people seated, 150–200 standing, optionally with the staircase), the neo-Gothic Mars-Venus-Saal with the Kanonenhof courtyard (280 m², 180–200 people standing) and a seminar room in the Bollert Collection (44 m², with projector and Wi-Fi) for receptions, concerts, lectures, workshops and festive occasions. Further options through the Café and Restaurant MUSEUM.

Plan your visit