19 Museums to Explore in Bavaria

Checkout places to visit in Bavaria

Bavaria has a unique culture, largely because of the state's former Catholic majority and conservative traditions. Bavarians have traditionally been proud of their culture, which includes a language, cuisine, architecture, and festivals. The state also has the second-largest economy among the German states by GDP.

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Museums to Explore in Bavaria

Albrecht Dürer's House

Home of German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer from 1509 to his death in 1528. It is now a museum dedicated to Dürer's life and work. The house was built around 1420. It has five stories; the bottom two have sandstone walls, while the upper stories are timber-framed; the entire structure is topped by a half-hip roof.

Alte Pinakothek

An art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pinakothek refers to the time period covered by the collection—from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century.

Bavarian National Museum

One of the most important museums of decorative arts in Europe and one of the largest art museums in Germany. Founded by King Maximilian II of Bavaria in 1855. It houses a large collection of European artifacts from the late antiquity until the early 20th century with particular strengths in the medieval through early modern periods. The collection has been divided into two main groups: the art historical collection and the folklore collection.

The museum contains engines and turbines, aircraft, motorcycles, and vehicles in a plethora of possible variations. In addition to actual models, there are futuristic-looking, even conceptual studies from the past 20 years displayed here.

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site

First of the Nazi concentration camps opened in 1933, intended to hold political prisoners. After its opening by Heinrich Himmler, its purpose was enlarged to include forced labor, and, eventually, the imprisonment of Jews, German and Austrian criminals, and foreign nationals from countries that Germany occupied or invaded. There were 32,000 documented deaths at the camp and thousands that are undocumented.

Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum

Museum featuring historical and present-day transport and mobility in the three exhibition halls.

Dokumentationszentrum Obersalzberg

A museum in the Obersalzberg resort, providing historical information on the use of the mountainside retreat by Nazi leaders, especially Hitler who regularly vacationed in this area beginning in 1928.

Fortress Marienberg

A prominent landmark on the left bank of the Main river in Würzburg. The mighty Fortress is a symbol of Würzburg and served as a home of the local prince-bishops for nearly five centuries. The fortress is located on a prominent spur of the 266-metre-high (873 ft) Marienberg which rises about 100 metres over the Main river on the opposite side of the city of Würzburg. Vineyards cover the slopes around the fortress.

World's oldest social housing complex still in use. Founded in 1516 by Jakob Fugger the Younger(a merchant, mining entrepreneur, and banker) as a place where the needy citizens of Augsburg could be housed. The rent was and is still one Rhenish guilder per year (equivalent to 0.88 euros), as well as three daily prayers for the current owners of the Fuggerei.

Germanisches Nationalmuseum

Germany's largest museum of cultural history, it houses a large collection of items relating to German culture and art extending from prehistoric times through to the present day. Out of its total holding of some 1.3 million objects, approximately 25,000 are exhibited.

Commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I to house his collection of Greek and Roman sculptures. It is Munich's oldest public museum and contains sculptures dating from the archaic age (c. 650 BC) to the Roman era (c. 550 AD).

One of four main gates of the medieval city wall, served as a fortification for the defence. It houses a humorous museum which is dedicated to the comedian and actor Karl Valentin.

Munich Residenz

The former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria. It is the largest city palace in Germany and is open to visitors for its architecture, room decorations, and displays from the former royal collections. The complex of buildings contains ten courtyards and displays 130 rooms.

Nazi Party Rally Grounds

Six Nazi party rallies were held there between 1933 and 1938 with up to 150,000 people attending the ralies. After 1945 the city of Nuremberg redesigned the area into a park. All buildings from the NS era were demolished. Only the half-round of the terraces of the main grandstand is recognizable.

Nymphenburg Palace

Combined with the adjacent Nymphenburg Palace Park, it constitutes one of the premier royal palaces of Europe. Its frontal width of 632 m (2,073 ft) (north-south axis) even surpasses Versailles Palace in France. It served as the main summer residence for the former rulers of Bavaria of the House of Wittelsbach. Nymphenburg is open to the public but also continues to be a home and chancery for the head of the House of Wittelsbach.

Located in the Olympic Park, Munich, it has an overall height of 291 m (955 ft) and a weight of 52,500 tons. At a height of 190 m (620 ft) there is an observation platform as well as a small rock and roll museum housing various memorabilia. At a height of 182 m (597 ft) there is a revolving restaurant, which seats 230 people.

Pinakothek der Moderne

A modern art museum, situated in central Munich's Kunstareal. It is one of the world's largest museums for modern and contemporary art. The Museum is divided into Art, Architecture, Design, and Works on Paper.

Salt Mine Berchtesgaden

Oldest active salt mine in Germany. Visitors can checkout a portion of this mine, the track length of the visitor mine is about 1400 meters.

Map of Museums to Explore in Bavaria