The Bayerisches Armeemuseum

In 1879, the Bavarian Minister of War, Joseph Ritter von Maillinger (1820-1901), requested King Ludwig II’s (1845-1886) permission to found a museum of his own to preserve older and valuable pieces from the army’s possession. The King granted his permission, and the establishment of the "königlich bayerisches Armeemuseum" (Royal Bavarian Army Museum) began in the Arsenal building on Munich’s Lothstraße that same year. The collections were housed in the large, light-filled halls on the upper floor. The centrepiece was Bavaria’s most valuable trophy, the still preserved tent of the Grand Vizier, seized by Elector Max II Emanuel (1662-1726) at the Battle of Mohács (1687).

In 1905, the museum moved to a new building at Munich’s Hofgarten, where the war archive and army library were also housed. The Grand Vizier’s tent now appeared opposite the spoils of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. The large, unobstructed domed hall on the upper floor served as the hall of honour.

With the dissolution of the Bavarian army in 1919, the Ministry of Culture took over the sponsorship of the museum and it was placed under the general management of the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum (Bavarian National Museum). The spoils from the Franco-Prussian War had to be returned – at the same time, the collection had grown enormously during the First World War. An important curator of this period was Hans Stöcklein (1874-1936, director from 1931). In 1937, a large department on the World War was opened; in 1938/40, the museum was subordinated to the Wehrmacht. Starting 1942, efforts were made to find other, safer storage locations for many of the museum’s collections. In fact, the building was severely damaged by bombing; the domed building is now part of the Bavarian State Chancellery. The continued care for the collections in the National Museum was the responsibility of the curator Alexander von Reitzenstein (1904-1986, curator from 1936, director 1965-1969).

After much discussion, the Bavarian cabinet took the decision in 1963 to open the army museum to the public again: the reopening took place in May 1972 at the Neues Schloss (New Castle) in Ingolstadt. In 1983/84, the Bayerische Armeebibliothek (Bavarian Army Library) was also returned to the museum. The second major building to open in 1994 was the Museum des Ersten Weltkriegs (First World War Museum) in Reduit Tilly, a 19th century fortress. In 2011, the Bayerisches Polizeimuseum (Bavarian Police Museum) was added in another fortress building, Turm Triva.

Today, the Bayerisches Armeemuseum (Bavarian Army Museum) is one of the great military history museums in Europe. The focus of the collections is on Bavaria in its European context in the period from the late Middle Ages to the present day. The collection has an almost systematic character for the period of the Kingdom of Bavaria from the war of 1870/71 to the end of the First World War. The Bayerisches Armeemuseum’s remit is to reflect critically and with historical accuracy on the violence in the military and war context in history as well as its effects on people, society and the state based on its collections.

• The objects of the "Bayerisches Armeemuseum" available on bavarikon

Exhibitions with the participation of the "Bayerisches Armeemuseum" available on bavarikon

• Oktoberfest – History, Background, Highlights