Maximilianstraße (Munich)

The Maximilianstraße in Munich is one of the city's four royal avenues next to the Brienner Straße, the Ludwigstraße and the Prinzregentenstraße. It starts at Max-Joseph-Platz, where the Residenz and the National Theatre are situated, and runs east-west. Planned and begun in 1850 by King Maximilian II of Bavaria, the street takes his name. The lead architect was Friedrich Bürklein. Today, Maximilianstraße has the distinction of the highest retail rents in Germany.

With this project, the king also aimed to "invent" a new architectural style which would combine the best features of historical models combined with then modern building technology. The avenue is framed by mostly neo-Gothic buildings influenced by the English Perpendicular style. The opening in the middle of the Maximilianstraße for the new circular road Altstadtring after World War II nowadays disturbs the appearance.

Opposite to the National Theatre the north facade of the Old Mint Yard got its neogothic decoration when the Maximilianstraße was built to fit it with the concept of this royal avenue. The new buildings house, among others, in the western portion of the street the Schauspielhaus (built by Max Littmann, 1901) and in the eastern portion several state buildings like the building of the district government of Upper Bavaria (Friedrich Bürklein, 1856–1864), the Museum Fünf Kontinente (Museum of Ethnology, built by Eduard Riedel, 1858–1865) and the building of the Wilhelmsgymnasium (built by Carl Leimbach, 1875–1877).

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