Munich
Day 4a – Glyptothek & Staatliche Antikensammlung
We decided to stop by the Glyptothek and Staatliche Antikensammlung on our way to the Englischer Garten. It was the second stop of many that day; only a mile into our journey. Prior to that, of course we stopped at Augustiner Klosterwirt for a quick 1/2 liter of beer.
Bicycle Traffic
A huge contrast to the USA; at least where we live, is the incredible amount of bicycle traffic. It was odd to see a bunch of bicyclist stacked up at a traffic light or large numbers of bicycles parked everywhere you looked; sometimes in masses and sometimes just laying in the middle of the sidewalk. Sometime you saw bikes that seem to have been partly run over.
You really need to pay attention when walking around. If you hear a bicycle bell you best get out-of-the-way. The bicycle lanes are next to the sidewalks; not partitioned off as part of the roadway like they are here in Minnesota. For the most part, the smooth surface was the bike path and the cobble stone was the walk way. We heard a few interesting phrases shouted in Germany by bicyclist – the meaning was quite clear even though we didn’t understand much of the language . The variety of types of bicycles was interesting as well. I began counting the number of red scooters I met and quickly gave up – they were everywhere.
Glyptothek
The Glyptothek was commissioned by the Crown Prince (later King) Ludwig I of Bavaria alongside other projects, such as the neighboring Königsplatz and the building which houses the State Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities, as a monument to ancient Greece. He envisioned a “German Athens”, in which the ancient Greek culture would be remembered; he had this built in front of the gates of Munich. The Glyptothek is Munich’s oldest public museum. – wikipedia
The exterior of the building looks the part – German Athens.
The Laocoon and His Sons statue just outside the door is an interesting combination of white marble and pigments by Fabio Viale
Here are some other photos from inside. There is so much here to see here; if in Munich, this is very interesting to see.
Staatliche Antikensammlung
The neo-classical building at Königsplatz with Corinthian columns was established in 1848 as counterpart to the opposite Glyptothek and commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I. The architect was Georg Friedrich Ziebland. Already from 1869 to 1872 the building housed the royal antiquarium before the Munich Secession resided here from 1898 to 1912. From 1919 the building contained the New State Gallery. The museum building was severely damaged by bombing in World War II but was reconstructed and reopened to the public in the late 1960s to display the State Collection of Antiques. – wikipedia
Here are a few photos of some on the pieces on display. Most items are behind glass witch makes photographing them tough. You really have to see this place in person to truly appreciate the art and the totality of the collection.
EXTRA
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