Munich - St Michael's Church in Berg am Laim

(Local Name: Sankt Michael in Berg am Laim) Sankt Michael in Berg am Laim is among the most perfectly preserved Roccoco churches in Bavaria as well as the loveliest church in the eastern part of Munich. It was built by Johann Michael Fischer in 1738-58 for Archbishop Clemens August of Cologne, son of the Elector Maximilian Emanuel, who held the nearby castle of Berg am Laim. This former Court Church, which was served by a Brotherhood of St Michael, has been since 1913 the parish church of Baumkirchen ward.

The handsome facade, with its twin towers providing a strong vertical accent, was designed as the terminal feature of a street which was never built. The central section is flanked by double columns. Over the main doorway is a shallow niche containing a figure of St Michael (1911) which appears unduly small for its setting. The interior of the church is dominated by the large round-headed arches between the different sections. The rectangular central space is articulated by pilasters and columns and the corners are rounded off by niches. The beautiful ceiling paintings (episodes from the life of St Michael) are by Johann Baptist Zimmermann, the high altar and the altars in the central area by Johann Baptist Straub. The gilded figures on either side of the tabernacle are attributed to Ignaz Günther.