The Prinz Carl Palais is a building in neo classical style located in a park north of the Hofgarten in Munich. It is named after one of its owners, Prince Carl, the brother of King Ludwig I who lived here between 1825 and 1875.
The Prinz Carl Palais went by the names Palais Salabert and Palais Royal after previous owners of the building. It was commissioned by King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria as a residence for a retired priest, Abbe Pierre de Salabert. The Abbe was a former teacher of the King. It was built between 1804 and 1806. The king acquired the building after the death of the Abbe in 1807. Ludwig I who succeeded Maximilian I Joseph as King gave the palace to his brother Carl. It is served as the seat of the diplomatic mission of Austria Hungary after the death of Prince Carl and later as the residence of the Bavarian Prime Ministers. Today it serves as a venue for official receptions by the Bavarian State Governments.
The Neoclassical structure was designed by Karl von Fischer and the interiors were decorated by Jean-Baptiste Métevier and Anton Schwanthaler. The façade of building is regarded as one of the finest examples of classical proportion with a portico that has a high pediment standing before a series of Ionic pilasters. Visitors get a glimpse of the opulence of German palaces in the 19th century while viewing the Prinz Carl Palais.

The Theatine Church of St Cajetan is a Rococo structure that was the first Baroque style religious building in Munich. It was originally built for the order of Theatines from Italy. The Theatine church was commissioned in 1662, by the elector, Ferdinand and his consort, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy to give thanks for the birth of their long awaited son and heir Max Emanuel. It was designed by the Italian architect, Agostino Barelli on the lines of the Sant'Andrea della Valle Church in Rome. The church is clad almost entirely in white stucco giving it a bright, airy Mediterranean appearance. The design of the Theatine Church later influenced the architecture of many churches in Southern Germany. The original architect, Agostino Barelli was succeeded by another Italian, Enrico Zucalli, who designed the 71 meter high dome and two 70 meter high towers. The rococo façade was designed by François de Cuvilliers and his son in 1738.The interior stucco decorations were by the Italian sculptor Nicolo Petri and the statues were made by Germany’s Wolfgang Leutner. The great black altar was designed by Andreas Faistenberger. The crypt of the Theatine Church holds the graves of Max Emanuel and his parents and a small chapel within the church holds the graves of King Maximilian II and his consort.

The Palais Preysing was Munich’s first Rococo Style Palace. It served as the residence of the Counts of Preysing and is located opposite the Residenz Royal Palace.
The Palais Preysing was designed and built by architect, Joseph Heffner between 1723 and 1728 for Count Johann Maximilian of Preysing. The Preysing family built another palace nearby called the Palais Neuhaus-Preysing. Locals distinguished between the two residences by calling the older one, the Elder Palais Preysing. The Palace Preysing was almost destroyed by the bombardment during World War II. It was restored in the 1950s and houses high end shops and boutiques today.
The Palais Preysing has a richly decorated stucco façade. The interiors are also embellished with stucco decorations. A notable feature is a magnificent staircase flanked by female statues. Visitors are allowed to view the staircase. The little alley behind the Palais Preysing called the Viscardigasse that connects the Residezplatz with the Theatinerplatz is better known to locals as Drueckebergergasse. Hitler ordered that those who pass the beer hall near the Preysing Place called the Feldherrnhalle should give the Nazi salute in honor of Nazi sympathizers who were killed at the spot during a skirmish with the Bavarian Police called the Beer House Putsch. As a sign of resistance, locals used the Viscardigasse to avoid saluting. Drueckeberger, is a slang word in German for those who do not perform their duty.

The Residenz Royal Palace used to be the seat of government and the residence of Bavarian dukes from 1508 to 1918. The complex used to be a castle during the 13th Century and later expanded to house magnificent palaces and gardens. The spectacular architecture, grand décor and exhibits of historical furnishings makes it one of the most opulent and beautiful palaces in the world. The walls, windows and even the ceilings are decorated with Renaissance paintings and frescoes.

The Palais Holnstein is a large historic mansion commissioned by the Elector Charles Albert in 1733. It is regarded as the finest Rococo style building in Munch.
The architect François de Cuvilliés, a Belgian born Bavarian decorative designer who popularized the Rococo style of building design in Bavaria designed the Palais Holnstein between 1733 and 1737. The Elector Charles Albert had the building constructed as the residence for his mistress Baroness Sophie Caroline of Ingleheim and his illegitimate son through her, Count Franz Ludwig von Holnstein. He commissioned Johann Baptist Zimmermann, a well known painter and master stucco plasterer to decorate the interiors.
From 1821, the Palais Holnstein became the Archiepiscopal Palace. The Archbishops of Munich and Freising use the building as their residence. The best known resident of the palace is Cardinal Joseph Aloysius Ratzinger who lived here after he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising by Pope Paul VI between 1977 and 1982. Cardinal Ratzinger is now Pope Benedict XVI. He stayed at the palace again during his visit to Munich in September 2006 after becoming Pope. Visitors are not allowed to view the interiors because of the building’s function as the Archbishop’s residence but the magnificent Rococo façade is available for all to see.

The Palais Porcia is a large mansion located near the Residenz Royal Palace in Munich. It is the city’s oldest surviving Baroque style building.
The Palais Porcia was built in 1693 by the Fugger family of Counts. They were a wealthy family of bankers and generals from Augsburg in Bavaria. It was designed in Italian Baroque style by the Swiss architect, Enrico Zuccalli and was the first structure in Munich built in the style of Baroque Palaces of Italy. The Palais Porcia was purchased in 1710 by the scion of another Bavarian wealthy family, the Count Torring. The elector Charles Albert bought Palais Porcia in 1731 for his mistress, Countess Topor-Morawitzka. In 1736, he commissioned François de Cuvilles to redesign the interiors in Rococo style. The building gets its name from the husband of Countess Topor-Morawitzka, Prince Porcia. Jean Baptist Métivier integrated a concert hall in the palace in 1819. He was commissioned to do the task by ‘Museum’, a cultural organization that had at the time purchased the building.
From 1932, the Palais Porcia became the headquarters of a prominent Bavaria based German Bank, the Bayerische Vereinsbank. The building was severely damaged by the World War II bombings but was renovated and restored after the war by the bank between 1950 and 1952.

The Justizpalast is the old courthouse of the city of Munich. It is the finest example of late 19th century German architecture combining Baroque and Renaissance styles.
The Justizpalast was designed by the architect, Friedrich von Thiersch and built between the years 1890 and 1897. This was a time when Germany and Austria saw an economic upswing and the structure has an extensive glass dome covering an area of 67 meters to reflect the prosperity of the times. It was found to be too small for the law courts and in 1905 Friedrich von Thiersch designed the nearby Neue Justizpalast. The gothic style structure was built between 1906 and 1908. It was damaged during World War II and lost the original interior ornamentation.
The Neue Justizpalast today, houses the Bavarian Constitutional Court and the Higher Regional Court. The most visited part of the building is Room 253. It was here that the People’s Court conducted a sham trial presided by the notorious pro Nazi Judge, Roland Freisler and condemned members of the non violent anti Nazi group, ‘The White Rose’ to death. The sentence was pronounced against Hans Scholl, his sister Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst at noon on 22nd February 1943 and they were beheaded four hours later. There is a permanent exhibit about the trial in the room and a memorial to the students who died opposing the ruling regime and standing up for their principles.

St. Michael's Church is a large Renaissance church built in early baroque style. The façade of the church has imposing bronze statues of the Bavarian Wittelsbach dynasty. At the entrance is a statue of Archangel Michael depicting him fighting for faith and for the destruction of evil. The church crypt contains the tombs of members of the German Royal family members. Destroyed during the Second World War, the church was restored in 1946-48 with the stucco-work being restored as recently as 1983.

The New Town Hall was built in the 19th century at a time when the city of Munich enjoyed great economic prosperity. The Old Town Hall was found to be too small to function as the office of the local government and a new building was constructed nearby.
The site for the New Town hall was chosen near the Old Town Hall on Marienplatz in Munich. Twelve buildings were demolished to make space for the new structure. It was designed by young architect, Georg Hauberrisser who was 24 years old at the time. The building was constructed between 1867 and 1908.
The New Town Hall building has a Gothic Revivalist architectural style. It has 400 rooms and covers an area of over 9000 square meters. It faces the Marienplatz and there is a small garden at the back called the Marienhof. The Ratskeller restaurant occupies the basement and the first floor has a balcony from where visitors can view events like football matches and concerts taking place on Marienplatz. The 85 meter main tower is accessible using elevators. One of the main attractions of the New Town Hall is the mechanical Glockenspiel or Carillon with two levels. The upper level has dolls reenacting the wedding of Duke William V and Renate of Lorraine and the lower level has dolls performing the Schäfferltanz, a dance arranged as a celebration to mark the end of a plague epidemic. The Glockenspiel show takes place every day at 11am, 12pm and 5pm.

Alte Hof (Old Court) used to be the former imperial residence for the Bavarian Royal Family. Archaeological excavations have revealed that a castle used to exist there in the 12th Century. The palace has five wings, of which two Gothic wings have been preserved. The other three wings have been redeveloped and now houses offices and luxury apartments. The castle also houses the "Tourist Information Center for Bavarian Castles".

The Old Town Hall was the seat of the Municipality of Munich until the construction of the Neues Rathaus in 1874. It stands on the eastern side of Marienplatz and was left untouched unlike many other buildings that were demolished to make way for the New Town Hall.
The Old Town Hall was built between 1470 and 1480 based on a design by architect, Jörg von Halsbach. The renowned architect also designed the Frauenkirche in Munich. It had a late Gothic style at the time of its construction. It was remodeled several times and was altered to a neo gothic style between the years 1861 and 1864. Two tunnels were built through the building to make way for traffic between 1877 and 1934. It was the venue of the famous speech of Joseph Goebbels that led to the attack on German Jews called Kristallnacht and marked the beginning of the Holocaust. The Altes Rathaus was severely damaged during the World War II bombings and was extensively restored based on its 15th century design.
The Altes Rathaus, today, hosts the offices of the city council, some administrative offices and a Toy Museum set in four rooms in its tower. There is a souvenir and gift shop on the first floor that sells unique souvenir items in particular replicas of the wooden sculptures called The Morris Dancers by Munich sculptor, Erasmus Grasser.