English Garden, Munich Englischer Garten

Prince-Carl-Palais in Munich, now used by the Bavarian state government for receptions etc., was built by Karl von Fischer in 1804-06. It takes its name from Prince Carl, brother of Ludwig I, who occupied it from 1825 to 1875.The facade, a model of classical proportion, is articulated by a series of colossal Ionic pilasters before which stands a portico with a high pediment.The palace was originally sited in a park to the north of the Hofgarten. At the end of the 19th C. it acquired a new function in Munich's townscape as the western terminal point of Prinzregentenstrasse.

This most curious of museums houses seven unusual collections all assembled by the lawyer Manfred Klauda, in addition to which it also mounts special exhibitions on unusual themes.One section is devoted to Sissy, the Empress Elisabeth of Austria; the life-size wax likeness (from the Tussaud workshop) is dressed in Sissy's own clothes. Also on view is a four-poster bed which the Empress slept in.The Chamber Pot Museum boasts more than 2,000 potties, many of which once graced the most aristocratic houses of Europe (Bismarck's among others). The earliest is some 2,000 years old and came from Syria. One of the highlights is the Bourdalou Collection of the type of pot used by high society ladies in the 18th and 19th C.The lock collection consists of numerous padlocks, some up to 2,000 years old, used to secure all kinds of possession from treasure chests to pillories and chastity belts.Corkscrew collectionMore than 1,000 exhibits illustrating the 300-year-old history of the humble corkscrew.Pedal Car MuseumThe Pedal Car Museum features over 100 of these scaled-down vehicles, manufactured for children from the late 19th C. onwards. Among them are versions of some famous real-life marques such as Auto Union, Bugatti and Mercedes.Easter Bunny MuseumThe Easter Bunny Museum is dedicated to the egg-producing rabbit which has been a principal character in traditional Easter celebrations for at least 300 years.

Prinzregentenstrasse was the last of Munich's great 19th century streets to be constructed (1891-1912). It is named after the Prince Regent Luitpold, who ruled Bavaria during the incapacity of Ludwig II and the insanity of King Otto. The street was laid out in accordance with the town-planning principles of the day, designed to secure a picturesque effect - with houses set back from the street, curves and sudden widenings so as to achieve variety and surprise. The Prinzregentenstrasse is in sharp contrast to the Ludwigstrasse, the dead straightness of which was considered dull by turn-of-the-century tastes.Along Prinzregentenstrasse are a number of very fine buildings, such as the Haus der Kunst, the official residence of the Bavarian prime minister (No. 7), the Schackgalerie (No. 9), the Nationalmuseum (No. 3) and the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs (No. 28).The road crosses Luitpoldbrücke to the Friedensengel which it makes an island. Climbing the Isar embankment and passing Stuck Villa, it reaches its culmination in Prinzregentenplatz, dominated by the Prinzregententheater.

The Neue Sammlung, otherwise known as the Staatliches Museum für angewandte Kunst (State Museum of Applied Arts), occupies the west wing of the Nationalmuseum in Munich. Founded in 1925 it was the inspiration of the arts and crafts movement which came into being in 1907. The museum is dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of objects of any period "formative of taste and displaying excellence in design".With about 35,000 items, most of them hand crafted, the Munich Neue Sammlung is rightly considered one of the most important collections of its kind. As well as woodwork, glass, ceramics and porcelain, textiles, wickerwork, all sorts of everyday objects, furniture, lamps and metalwork, there are also sections on photography, commercial art and book making.The comprehensive and ever-expanding poster collection has few rivals.The Industrial Design section is also particularly worth seeing.Due to lack of space only part of the collection is on display at any one time.

The Chinese Tower in the English Garden in Munich was constructed by J. Frey in 1789-91 as an outlook tower and bandstand. Burned down in 1944, the pagoda was rebuilt in 1951. The building to the south of the Chinese Tower, now housing a cafe-restaurant, and the Rumfordhaus (135m/150yd north), a former officers' mess, both designed by J. B. Lechner, were erected in 1790.In fine weather in particular crowds of visitors from every corner of the globe congregate at the foot of the Chinese Tower, where a brass band creates a permanent Oktoberfest atmosphere. Horse-drawn cabs are available to take people round the gardens.

From the Monopteros in the Munich English Garden, a Classical-style temple (1837-38) by Leo von Klenze, built on an artificial hill, there is a very fine view of the older part of the city. (The Monopteros tends to be a haunt of Munich's less fortunate inhabitants, particularly when the weather is good.)

The Seehaus (Lake House) on the shores of the Kleinhesseloher Lake, built by Gabriel von Seidl in 1883, was demolished in 1970, having fallen into a state of disrepair; in its place is a spacious new building with a restaurant.

The handsome Aumeisterhaus (Huntsman's Lodge) at the north end of the English Garden was designed by Deiglmayr and built in 1810-11.