Munich in the Baroque

Finally, the Thirty Years' War is over, and Bavaria is slowly recovering from those terrible years marked by fighting, occupation, plague, famine, and hardship. Now, something entirely new can rise from the ruins, a new style that expresses the regained joy of life in a variety of ways:

In music and dance, fashion, painting, and also in architecture – the Baroque era had begun! Initially, it was Italian influence, thanks to the young Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, that swept across the Alps, giving Munich a completely new face with its southern European architecture. The Theatine Church on Odeonsplatz, now almost sun-yellow, is a prime example. In the next generation, the absolutist rulers of the House of Wittelsbach looked to the France of the Sun King, who, with Versailles, also set standards for Nymphenburg Palace and its park. But it wasn't only outside the city that opulent gardens were created; even in the city center, people strolled in princely style, specifically in the Hofgarten, where today you can watch the boules players in a relaxed atmosphere during their evening competitions.

Naturally, a more or less influential nobleman wouldn't skimp on his wealth, but would display it and have the impressive facade of his new palace ornamented by renowned stucco artists. Thankfully, on our tour today, we can admire these not-so-cheap investments, for example, at the Preysing Palace or the Holnstein Palace, and delight in the flourishes, putti, and elaborate decorations. It didn't matter if the nobleman's offspring wasn't of noble birth but merely the product of an amorous liaison between the princely ruler and his mistress. The desire for representation remained unabated.

Above all, however, it was the Catholic Church that strove to demonstrate its power and influence through countless new construction and renovation projects, thus dissuading even the last doubters from austere Protestantism. At that time, the Baroque architectural style was an excellent marketing tool, conveying a vibrant and colorful image. And as you stumble from one church to the next in Munich, you can also marvel at how the initially heavy and rather colorless Italian style evolved into the light Baroque architecture so typical of Bavaria.

The Bavarian artists quickly learned the sophisticated techniques from their Italian and Flemish colleagues and matured into world-renowned architects, sculptors, and stucco artists. Most notably, of course, the Asam brothers, who created an impressive calling card for themselves with their private church and the adjoining house – naturally one of the highlights of our tour today.