The Murnau Travel Guide

Patrick Harding

If traveling to Schwangau/Neuschwanstein from Munich, Murnau is a nice half way point to grab a little lunch and a nice beer. (Try Griesbräu zu Murnau.)

Mona Engelking

Murnau is a great town! It has a super brewery!

Castle Museum of Art (Schloßmuseum Murnau)

Painting on glass at the Schlossmuseum, Murnau am Staffelsee
[ source: Wikipedia ]

The castle has been home to the museum since July 1993, and in 1995, it was awarded the Bavarian Museum Prize. The exhibitions focus on the art in the Murnau area with outstanding relevance to the early 20th century due to the creative period of Kandinsky, Münter and other artists of the Blue Rider at around 1910 in Murnau. The work of Gabriele Münter is represented until her death in 1962 The museum is home of the world‘s largest Münter-collection on display. Great importance is attached to the life and work of the author and dramatist Ödön von Horváth, who spent his most relevant years, between 1923 and 1933, in Murnau; the museum is the first and only museum to honor Horváth‘s work with a permanent exhibition (Art & Culture) With exhibits providing information on the evolution of the landscape, the settlement history, the development of Murnau and of the reverse painting on glass of the region and other European and Asian countries, the permanent exhibition displays informative and varied insights into the history of art and culture of this region.

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 5pm, closed December 24 and 31.

Admission: 4.50 € Adults, 2 € Children ages 7-15.

Münter-Haus

Münter-Haus, Murnau am Staffelsee
[ source: Wikipedia ]

The Münter-House, known locally as the Russians' House, with its staircase painted by Wassily Kandinsky and the decorated furniture, bears witness to the important infuences of Bavarian folk art on the artistic development of its residents. Gabriele Münter lived there with Wassily Kandinsky until 1914 and then later with Johannes Eichner until her death in 1962 A large part of Kandinsky's early work survived the Third Reich and the World War in the cellar of the house and constitutes today the major holding of the Municipal Gallery in the Lenbachhaus München.

After extensive renovation work, the house was returned to its original state between 1909 and 1914 and has been open to the public since July 1999

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 2pm - 5pm.

Glentleiten Open Air Museum

Glentleiten Open Air Museum near Murnau am Staffelsee
[ source: Wikipedia ]

The Glentleiten Open Air Museum is situated in the charming landscape of the foothills of the Alps. We invite you to a varied walk through the extensive museum grounds, with its woods, pasturage and historical gardens. Some 60 buildings – farms, mills, Alpine buildings, workshops and much more – have been reconstructed here. Complete with their entire furnishings, they convey a living picture of Upper Bavaria's past and how it has been influenced by the farming community.

Hours: Open March 19 - November 11, Tuesdays to Sundays: 9am - 6pm. Open on Mondays June, July, August, September and on public holidays.

Admission: 5 € Adults, 2 € Children 6-15 years, free under 6 years. Family card 10 €.

Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus

Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus, Murnau am Staffelsee
[ source: Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus website ]

The first documentary evidence of this church goes back to approx. 1300. In 1717, the cornerstone ceremony was held for a new building, which was consecrated in 1734 The building is ascribed to the architect Enrico Zuccalli, the stucco to Johann Baptist Zimmermann The Rococo high altar holds in its center the formerly highly honored miraculous image of the Virgin Mary.

Murnau (official home page)