RESIDENCE TREASURE
A treasure accumulated over the centuries by the various rulers of the House of Wittelsbach and displayed in the royal palace.
The exhibition of jewelry, silverware, crystal and ivory in the Munich Residenz Treasure is the result of centuries of avid collecting by Bavarian sovereigns. It is world-renowned, and today includes over 1,200 individual pieces. In his will of 1565, Duke Albert V stipulated that particularly valuable "hereditary and dynastic jewels" would be brought together to form an unsaleable treasure. Established in this way by the first great patron and art collector of the Wittelsbach family, the Treasury was enlarged by his son, Duke Wilhelm V, and his grandson, Elector Maximilian I. The Treasury reached its full extension in the early 19th century, with the addition of the royal insignia of the newly created Kingdom of Bavaria and several exceptional medieval works of art acquired following the confiscation of Church property in 1803. Alongside this secular treasure, the Munich residence also possessed precious liturgical instruments and relics. Like the secular treasure, it was maintained by the sovereigns and enlarged at the beginning of the 19th century with medieval goldsmith's and silversmith's objects confiscated from the Church. In 1731, the Wittelsbach ancestral treasure was installed in a specially created cabinet adjoining the Ancestral Gallery. In 1897, it was moved to a new room (the former treasury, now the museum cashier) and opened to the public. On June 21, 1958, the Treasury was once again opened to the public.
Did you know? This review was written by our professional authors.
Book the Best Activities with Get Your Guide
Members' reviews on RESIDENCE TREASURE
The ratings and reviews below reflect the subjective opinions of members and not the opinion of The Little Witty.