Schloßmuseum Murnau

About the museum

The core of the museum is a medieval residential tower of the former Murnau castle, which acquired its present appearance through additions in the 16th century. For more than four centuries the castle was the official and residential seat of the stewards (Pfleger) of the Ettal Monastery, who administered justice there on the monastery's behalf.

After the secularization of 1803, the complex was used as a residential and school building until 1980. In 1991 and 1992 the market municipality converted the castle into a museum, which is still run by the municipality; in 1995 it received the Bavarian Museum Prize.

The focus of the collection is the period from 1908, when Gabriele Münter, Wassily Kandinsky, Marianne von Werefkin and Alexej Jawlensky painted in Murnau and found their way to Expressionism here. The house has more than 80 works by Münter and shows works by the Neue Künstlervereinigung München and Der Blaue Reiter.

Further sections are devoted to reverse glass painting (including the Dammert and Gartner collections), 19th-century landscape painting, the nature of the Murnau Moor, local history, and the writer Ödön von Horváth, who lived in Murnau from 1923 to 1933.

Highlights

• More than 80 works by Gabriele Münter from all creative periods
• Neue Künstlervereinigung München and Der Blaue Reiter (including Kandinsky, Marc, Jawlensky)
• International reverse glass painting with the Dammert and Gartner collections
• The only permanent documentation on Ödön von Horváth
• Medieval residential tower with historic sliding windows

Permanent exhibitions

• Gabriele Münter, Neue Künstlervereinigung München und Der Blaue Reiter – More than 80 works by Münter from six decades, and works by Kandinsky, Marc, Jawlensky, Werefkin and other artists of the Expressionist era.
• Hinterglaskunst – Reverse glass paintings from the Staffelsee region and from many countries in Europe and Asia, along with modern works from Klee to Gerhard Richter.
• Ödön von Horváth – Documentation of the life and work of the writer, who lived in Murnau from 1923 to 1933.

Operated by

Markt Murnau am Staffelsee

Admission & discounts

Only one discount can be applied. Free admission with the Königscard.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• 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

The museum describes itself as wheelchair-accessible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Search-game booklets for the exhibitions (€1) and puzzle cards for children, family tours on request, holiday courses and Advent workshops, and the Open Studio on the first Saturday of every month (14:00–17:00, €7 per person or €15 per family). Children's birthday parties from age 5 with a maximum of 10 children.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies parallel to the pedestrian zone between Untermarkt and Obermarkt; from the town hall, turn into Schloßbergstraße. Murnau is about 65 km south of Munich.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Café and restaurant Schlossgarten inside the building, with a sunny terrace and a view of the mountains.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Event room in the former armory of the castle for conferences, lectures and concerts. Inquiries via the real estate management of the market municipality of Murnau (phone 08841 476-187).

Plan your visit