Maximilianeum

Maximilianeum sits enthroned high above the Isar at the eastern end of Maximilianstraße and has served as the seat of the Bavarian State Parliament since 1949. With its imposing colonnaded façade and elevated position, it ranks among Munich's most striking buildings, combining royal foundation history with modern Bavarian democracy.

History of Maximilianeum

The building was constructed between 1857 and 1874 under King Maximilian II, who created Maximilianstraße as one of Munich's four grand boulevards - alongside Ludwigstraße, Brienner Straße and Prinzregentenstraße. Chief architect Friedrich Bürklein deliberately positioned the building on a rise on the eastern bank of the Isar, so that it towers over the city in a sense and appears as the crowning terminus of the boulevard's sightline when viewed from Maximilianstraße. Originally, Maximilianeum was not intended as a government building but as the seat of a foundation established by King Max II to support especially gifted Bavarian students regardless of their economic background - the Maximilianeum Foundation, which still exists today and whose scholarship holders in part still reside within the building. Only after the Second World War, in 1949, did Maximilianeum become the seat of the newly established Bavarian State Parliament, the legislature of the Free State of Bavaria, and it additionally housed the Bavarian Senate until its abolition in 1999.

Architecture & Location

Maximilianeum's long façade, shaped by columns and arcades, combines elements of various historic architectural styles, from Romanesque to Byzantine influences, reflecting the eclectic architectural taste of King Maximilian II's era. Inside the building hang large-format historical paintings depicting significant scenes from world history, originally intended to serve the education of the scholarship holders. The elevated position on the Maximiliansanlagen grounds offers sweeping views across the Isar toward the city center, making the building one of Munich's most widely visible landmarks.

Visitor Tips & Getting There

Maximilianeum is reachable via the subway station of the same name (U4, U5) as well as on foot across the Maximiliansbrücke from the old town. As an active parliamentary building, interior visits are generally only possible as part of organized tours offered by the Bavarian State Parliament; corresponding dates and information are available on the parliament's website. The building can, however, be freely viewed from outside and from the surrounding Maximiliansanlagen grounds at any time.

Nearby Attractions

Along Maximilianstraße, a walk leads to the National Theatre and the Residenz in the heart of the old town, passing elegant boutiques and galleries. On the opposite bank of the Isar, the Maximiliansanlagen grounds invite a walk along the river, which pairs well with a visit to the nearby Angel of Peace.

The Maximilian Style

King Maximilian II was dissatisfied with the existing architectural styles of his era and, in the 1850s, launched a public architecture competition to develop a new, distinctive "Maximilian style" intended to fuse historical stylistic elements - from Gothic to Romanesque to Byzantine forms - into something new. Maximilianeum and the whole of Maximilianstraße are considered the most consistent built outcome of this competition, standing as a unique testament to a deliberately constructed, genuinely Bavarian architectural style that clearly distinguishes itself from the prevailing representational architecture of other German royal residence cities. The plenary chamber of the Bavarian State Parliament, where deputies meet today, is housed in a later-built extension attached to the historic main building, meeting the functional demands of modern parliamentary operations.

The Maximilianeum Foundation Today

The foundation established by King Maximilian II continues each year to support a small number of especially gifted Bavarian students regardless of their financial background, offering them free accommodation in the building's historic rooms while they study at Munich's universities. This stipend model, more than 160 years old, ranks among the most long-standing of its kind in Germany and ensures that student life continues at Maximilianeum alongside the parliament's political operations to this day - an unusual dual use that distinguishes the building from most other parliamentary seats worldwide and keeps its original founding idea alive, even though its political function dominates public awareness today.