Residence Museum - The Treasury

Public holidays in Bavaria are very quiet days. Only some restaurants and museums are open. All other stores close for the day. You become very good at advanced meal planning because there is nowhere to purchase that missing ingredient on a holiday (or a Sunday for that matter).

So on a recent holiday we decided to take a walk. We chose a street that is not on our usual route through town and discovered a building with lots of courtyards and beautiful architecture. It seems that we found the Residence Museum. 

The Munich Residence served as the seat of government and the residence of the Bavarian Dukes, Electors and Kings from 1508 to 1918. Although there are many other castles throughout Bavaria, the Residence is where the rulers kept their art collections and treasures.

The museum is viewed in three sections - The Residence Museum, The Treasury and the Cuvillies Theatre. We bought tickets to see all three and started with the Treasury.

The Treasury houses goldsmiths' work spanning several centuries from the Middle Ages to the neoclassical era. It also houses treasures made from ivory, rock, crystal and precious stones. There are also selections of tableware, insignia, weapons and religious art.

First on view were some of the royal crowns.

And that was just the beginning. There was a continuous array of incredible items. One necklace in particular had an interesting story. It is set with very large rubies and emeralds. During hard times, the emeralds were removed and replaced with glass substitutes. They did not mention anything about the rubies so I am assuming they are still the originals.

Here are some of the more photographable items.

Ladies, if you ever wanted a dressing table case, I have found one for you.

And for the gentlemen, a chess set.