Jonathan Spira’s Munich
Jonathan Spira’s Munich – Page 2
The Alte Pinakothek is the city’s most important art museum and the neoclassical building houses thousands of paintings from the 14th to the 18th century, with ca. 900 on display at any given moment. 
Here the visitor will find significant works by Dürer, Rembrandt, Rubens (the Alte Pinakothek has more Rubens than any other museum), and Van Dyck. The Italians are well represented by da Vinci, Giotto, Raphael, and Titian, among others.
The Alte Pinakothek is one of three Pinakotheken (the others are the Neue Pinakothek, which exhibits 19th century works, and the Pinakothek der Moderne, which showcases 20th and 21st century art). The galleries are located in the Kunstareal, an art district that also includes the Glyptothek, the Staatliche Antikensammlung (both specializing in Greek and Roman Art), and the Lenbachhaus, among others.
The Deutsches Museum, 
located on the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) in the Isar River, is the largest science and technology museum in the world. Here one will find many firsts including the first automobile (Benz, 1886), the first diesel engine (1897), the first electric dynamo (Siemens, 1866), and the laboratory bench at which Fritz Straßmann and Otto Hahn split the first atom in 1938. Last year the museum added a new wing, the Zentrum Neue Technologien, devoted to pioneering nano- and bio-technology.
Children and adults will appreciate the thousands of buttons to be pushed, levers to be cranked, and gears to be turned. They will leave with an understanding of how countless things work.
Schloß Nymphenburg was the summer home of the imperial Wittelsbach family. While its exterior, which evolved over time since construction began in the 17th century, is subdued baroque, the interior reflects the taste and thinking of various rulers including the Gallery of Beauties commissioned by König Ludwig I., who commissioned three dozen paintings of the most beautiful women of the period, including the Schöne Münchenerin (pretty Munich girl) and a portrait of Lola Montez, a dancer whose relationship with the monarch caused a scandal that eventually factored into the Revolution of 1848. 
The Schloß is situated on the 200-hectare Nymphenburg Park, as are several pavilions. The Amalienburg, built as a hunting lodge for Kurfürstin (electress) Amalia in 1734, has a graceful but plain façade and a splendid rococo interior.
The Münchner Stadtmuseum (Munich Municipal Museum) is really multiple museums in one. Located downtown on St.-Jakobs-Platz, the museum features exhibits about local arts and traditions.
The photo museum on the second floor documents the history of photography starting with its invention in 1839. The musical instrument collection on the fourth floor is one of the world’s best.
For the record, there is a Zoologische Staatssammlung München, which houses the world’s largest collections of butterflies, ca. seven million. Its library and temporary exhibits are open to the public.
MUSIC
The Bayerische Staatsoper is one of the world’s great opera companies and it is known for mounting some of the most beautiful productions in Europe. Current productions include Aida, Carmen, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and Tosca. The Nationaltheater is also the home of the Bayerische Staatsballett.
The Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra) is the internationally renowned orchestra of the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Radio) and is one of three major orchestras in Munich [the others are the Münchner Philharmoniker (Munich Philharmonic) and the Bayerisches Staatsorchester (Bavarian State Orchestra)].
The Symphonieorchester’s goal for the 2010/2011 season is to present “fascinating music drawn from beyond the beaten repertoire paths while never losing sight of the need for widespread appeal.” It performs in the Philharmonie am Gasteig and the Herkulessaal in the Münchner Residenz.
The chief conductor is Mariss Jansons and guest soloists and conductors for the season include Andras Schiff, piano, Seiji Ozawa, conductor, Lang Lang, piano, Riccardo Muti, conductor, Esa Pekka-Salonen, conductor, Bernard Haitink, conductor, and Franz Welser-Möst, conductor,
IF YOU GO…
Alte Pinakothek
Barer Straße 27, Munich
Tel. +49 (89) 23-80-52-16
www.pinakothek.de
BMW Museum
Petuelring 130, Munich
Tel. +49 (89) 38 24 45 65
www.bmw-museum.de
BMW Welt
Am Olympiapark 1, Munich
Tel. +49 (180) 2 118822
www.bmw-welt.del
Deutsches Museum
Museumsinsel 1, Munich
tel. +49 (89) 21-791
www.deutsches-museum.de
Münchner Stadtmuseum
St. Jacobs-Platz 1, Munich
+49 (89) 233-22370
www.stadtmuseum-online.de
Schloß Nymphenburg
Schloß Nymphenburg 1, Munich
Tel. +49 (89) 179-080
www.schloesser.bayern.de
Zoologische Staatssammlung München
Münchhausenstraße 21, Munich
Tel. +49 (89) 8107 0
www.zsm.mwn.de
MUNICH HOTELS
The Charles Hotel, Munich, Germany
Kempinski Airport Hotel München
Kempinski Vier Jahreszeiten Munich
Mandarin Oriental, Munich, Germany
TOURS AND AIRPORT TRANSFER
Rolf Raffelsieper – BMW Pick-up Service
E-mail rolf.raffelsieper@yahoo.de
Tel. +49 171 825 1492
A VIRTUAL TOUR. MUNICH, GERMANY
Photographs by Jonathan B. Spira
BMW MUSEUM VIRTUAL TOUR (IN TWO PARTS)
Photographs by Jonathan B. Spira
–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.
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