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The Academy of Fine Arts was built between 1808 and 1886 in the Italian Neo-Renaissance style. The list of students around 1900 is a who’s who of modern art – Kandinsky, Klee, Kubin, Marc.

Northeast of the Alter Hof lies the Münzhof (1567), the former royal stables of the Bavarian rulers. This stunning Renaissance courtyard with arcades rising across three stories held the stables and coach houses, as well as the library and treasure chamber of Albrecht V. In the 19th century, the complex was converted into the state mint, hence the name Alte Münze, or Old Mint. Coins were minted here as recently as 1983.

Built within the city walls between 1253 and 1255, the former residence of the Wittelsbach dynasty lies northeast of Marienplatz. Preserved in its original form, the west wing features a gatehouse embellished with the family’s coat of arms. A bay window, known as the Affenturm, or Monkey Tower, is another original element. According to legend, a court monkey abducted young Ludwig IV, the future emperor of Germany, and climbed to the top of the tower with the boy before returning him safely to ground level.

Bavaria’s oldest pilgrimage site, Altötting lies on a hill near the right bank of the Inn River. A small, octagonal chapel with a central aisle, the Holy Chapel dates from 750. It was subsequently expanded by a nave. In the interior, a silver tabernacle set into a shell-lined niche on the eastern end contains the votive image of “Our Dear Lady of Altötting” – a revered Black Madonna (c. 1300) carved from linden wood. Another feature of interest is the panorama re-creating the view from Golgotha in Jerusalem at the time of the Crucifixion, which is located in a domed structure east of the town centre. This is a monumental depiction of the Passion of Christ, with life-life figures in the foreground representing the stations of the cross.

Munich owes its Royal Square, or Königsplatz, to Ludwig I and the vision of architect Leo von Klenze. The Propyläen (Doric) and the Glyptothek (Ionic), housing a magnificent sculpture collection, and the Antikensamm-lung (Corinthian), a collection of antiquities, were all built between 1816 and 1862 (see Glyptothek and Staatliche Antikensammlungen). Directly behind the Propyläen lies the Lenbachhaus (see Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus); and one block farther down, the Paläontologisches Museum. On the east side, the Königsplatz merges with the Karolinenplatz. The obelisk at its centre is a memorial to Bavarian soldiers who died in Napoleon’s Russian campaign. During the Nazi era, Königsplatz was used for rallies and parades. Another relic of that era is today’s Academy of Music and Theatre, then the so-called Führer-Bau, in which the infamous Munich Agreement was ratified in 1938. Today, this magnificent square is used for open-air events in summer.

Cosmas Damien (1687–1739) and Egid Quirin (1692–1750) Asam were the chief proponents of Bavarian Rococo.

The Au monastery, founded by the Augustine Canons in the 12th century, occupies an idyllic spot on a bend in the Inn River. It was reconstructed after a fire in the 18th century. The former library, decorated with frescoes, is a highlight of the complex, which is now also home to a restaurant with an attractive beer garden.

In the past, several small creeks ran through Munich, many of which were later filled in with concrete. One of the surviving creeks is the Auer Mühlbach, which is most visible east of the Isar. Just south of Ludwigsbrücke, this creek has formed a small island that is home to a restored ensemble of historic houses. Karl Valentin’s birthplace is nearby at Zeppelinstraße 41. The building is not open to the public.

The Bavarian State library is the second-largest municipal library in Germany, with more than 6 million volumes, 70,000 manuscripts, and valuable handwritten documents and prints. It has as its nucleus the 16th-century collections of Albrecht V and Wilhelm V. Today’s building is the work of F von Gärtner (1832–43) in the style of Italian Renaissance palaces.

Burghausen experienced its heyday in the Middle Ages when it was a centre of the salt trade and, occasionally, the Wittelsbachs’ second seat of government. The enormous castle, one of Germany’s largest, is fascinating. Built in 1255, it was added to and became a fortress at the end of the 15th century. Other highlights include the Gothic Jakobskirche, the 16th-century town hall, and the 18th-century Schutzengelskirche, all on the market square.