I love Egyptian history and art, so if I’m ever traveling to a city where there’s an Egyptian museum, I will most likely visit it. I’ve seen Egyptian collections at world class museums like the met, the British Museum and the Louvre, but the Egyptian Museum Munich, in my opinion, is my favourite museum space to exhibit Egyptian artifacts. Granted, they may not have the “big draws”, but the space is modern, and well laid out.
Did I mention it was subterranean and inspired by ancient Egyptian burial chambers too?
You enter through the entrance hall, which is reminiscent of an Egyptian temple gateway and following the metal lines on the floor, you descend into the lower tombs and crypts. Unlike other museums that display art in a chronological fashion, the Egyptian museum Munich’s galleries are all themed. (“the pharaoh”, “religion”, “realm of the dead”, “beyond belief”, “Egypt in rome” and “after the pharaohs”).
And fear not – it’s not all dark and claustrophobic. In fact, the Egyptian Museum Munich is comfortably spacious (even in the smaller rooms) and the descent into the catacombs will actually lead you to a light-filled sunken atrium.
Being a smaller museum is by no means a negative, especially when the architecture of the building is so stunning.
You got to love the Egyptian Museum Munich’s unique selling proposition too:
“Rather than presenting a baffling array of rooms stuffed to the brim with Egyptian artwork, all within an even larger complex, the Munich museum offers respite from sensory overload with a more compact exhibition. visitors can leave with a clearer understanding of the 5000 years of art and culture that make up Egypt’s fascinating history, and all within a more manageable time frame.”
It’s like Avis proudly marketing themselves with: “We’re number 2. We try harder.”
And it’s true. At the Met, the British Museum and the Louvre, it’s hard to take everything in. It can be overwhelming. when I took Sean for a day of museum’ing on his first trip to New York, by the end of the day, he said he was like a cartoon character with steam blowing out his ears; it was all too much.
The Egyptian Museum Munich is absolutely worth your time, especially if you appreciate architecture and aesthetics. The fact that some people may argue that it doesn’t have anything worthwhile to see is boo-hockey. There’s a lot of great Egyptian pieces displayed.
It’s the most modern of museums displaying the oldest of art.
View more photos of the exhibit on my Flickr album.
Hours:
Tues: 10am-8pm | Wed-Sun: 10am-6pm | Closed Mon
Address:
Gabelsbergerstraße 35
80333 München
GPS coordinates: 48.1470297, 11.5661895
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