Haus der Kunst

HAUS DER KUNST: The massive triumphalist architecture of this Munich art museum seems like something out of a megalomaniac's daydream - and it is.

CHALLENGING: Signs for avant garde art on display outside the museum.

None other than Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had the blueprints for the museum drawn up shortly after he came to power in 1933.

Today it survives as one of the world's pre-eminent institutions of avant garde and modern art, just the kind of stuff that sent Hitler round the twist.
Exhibitions are always changing, so check out the website to see what's current.

Dark days

The 160m-long museum with its Doric colonnaded facade was finished in 1937. Though Hitler and his fascist mates preferred paintings of strong, blond heroes doing strong, blond deeds, surrealist and expressionist exhibitions were allowed. The works were generally to be spat upon before being burned or sold off overseas.

New beginnings

POSH: The entrance to P1 nightclub..

The museum came away from the bombing of Munich unscathed - the Allies wanted to use it after the war, when it became an officers' mess for the Americans called P1.
P1 lives on as a posh nightclub underneath the museum, infamous for its expensive drinks and celebrity pulling power.

The details

Location: Prinzregenten Strasse 1
Phone: 089 21 12 71 13
Website: www.hausderkunst.de
Open: Monday to Sunday 10am to 8pm,Thursday 10am to 10pm.
Directions: Take U-Bahn No. 3 or 6 to Universität and stroll north past the university.  

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