Stands out on the call about “Museum Road” related to Munich. The city’s museum circuit houses magnificent art galleries, both ancient and modern, with a bold, color-filled facade. Brandhorst, since 2009, has hosted hundreds of works and laid out the essentials of contemporary art, featuring artists such as Bruce Nauman, Joseph Beuys, Jannis Kounellis, Walter De Maria, Andy Warhol, and Cy Twombly. They sit alongside the Bavarian National Museum and Galerie am Lenbachhaus.
Beyond a quick tour of the major landmarks, visitors are encouraged to linger. Haus der Kunst, literally the House of Art, sits in the Englischer Garten corner. Its stone-gray facade, massive columns, and terraces conspicuously avoid modern updates. Built in 1937 to house official art under the Nazi regime, it now hosts some of the city’s most forward‑looking programs. The building’s history is shaping its current role as a platform for art and discourse that challenges the past while embracing bold contemporary practice.
Setting aside a rushed visit, a full day is well spent at Haus der Kunst. Without a permanent collection to anchor visitors day by day, the site invites exploration of temporary exhibitions, followed by long pauses to absorb what has just been seen. The atmosphere invites reflection and even playful immersion, with a contrast between the museum’s austere exterior and lively interior experiences that can extend into late hours at the adjacent bar and lounge areas.
Work by Ai Weiwei
Haus der Kunst has long been a fixture, but it rose to new prominence in 2009 when a prominent Chinese activist drew attention to it. Ai Weiwei wrapped the facade with 9,000 colorful backpacks to commemorate the thousands of children who died in the Sichuan earthquake, highlighting negligence and corruption. What appeared as a stark statement on the outside became a powerful reminder of the lives lost and the responsibility of a society to remember them.
The exhibition titled “I’m So Sorry” is among the museum’s most memorable shows in recent memory. The venue has continued to offer programming that centers activism in art, addressing climate change, colonial legacies, social exclusion, and feminist issues. Those visiting Munich before the end of 2023 or into early 2024 have the chance to see a major retrospective that marked a high point in the contemporary art scene.
Another option is a collection of twelve experiences included in the interview “Inside Other Places,” inviting visitors to remove their shoes to connect more deeply with the forest that surrounds them. Later, friends or strangers can gather on curved chairs scattered across the ground floor for conversation. The archive, opened in 2020, invites a review of the museum’s layered history, including the building’s origins in the Nazi era, its surrender after the Third Reich, and the transformations under Allied supervision. While renovations touched the interior, the exterior remains a clear echo of the past, with visible stains and textures telling a story over time.
Interior views and the surrounding spaces offer a glimpse into how the building’s memory informs its present role as a place for art and dialogue.
One more notable feature is Eisbachwelle, the icy wave of the Isar that flows through the heart of the English Garden. About 150 meters from Haus der Kunst, surfers can find a public, free ride on a wave that can reach up to a meter in height. It is a gathering space for hobbyists and enthusiasts who bring their boards and wait for their turn to ride the current. The scene is informal yet iconic, a symbol of Munich’s outdoor culture that sits alongside the museum’s refined exhibitions.
The comparison to fancy seaside breaks is tempting, but Eisbach offers something different. The water is cold and the experience is about balance, focus, and the joy of trying something new in the city’s urban fabric. There is no water park, no gimmick—only a legacy of a bridge, the Isar’s current, and a few carefully placed stones that have allowed generations to share this unusual activity. No bathrooms along the route, just a raw, authentic setting that makes the moment feel spontaneous.
The route ends at Die Goldene Bar, the Gold Bar. Accessible by a steep set of steps that circle Haus der Kunst toward the edge of the great city park, this spot is where a day can wind down. It offers a flexible schedule for a lighter meal, coffee with cake, or a late dinner. The bar opens around noon and remains open until midnight, with weekend nights stretching into the early hours.
The distinctive feature of the Gold Bar is its historic interior, the gold room from Nazi times, complemented by a terrace and an open-air bar. The space includes various rooms filled with historical paintings, making it a place to drink, dine, and reflect. In winter, indoor life dominates, while spring brings the outdoor lounge into action with music, performances, and spontaneous gatherings in the park.