Munich
The Hofgarten is the court garden of the Munich Residenz. It lies between the palace, Odeonsplatz and Hofgartenstraße, right in the city centre.
An Italian-style garden
The garden was created from 1613, together with the new buildings of the Residenz, for Duke Maximilian I. It lay outside the walls that then enclosed the city.
There were small round temples, covered walkways, fountains, espaliered plants, box-hedge patterns and fruit trees.
What to look at
The pavilion in the middle was built in 1615. The garden's paths start from its arches, straight and diagonal.
On top stands a copy of a large bronze statue, the Tellus Bavarica. It represents the riches of Bavaria and dates from around 1590. The duke had it moved here after 1616.
Water since the 1500s
The garden has been redesigned many times, following the taste of each era. After restoration work, the old paths were brought back.
In front of the north side of the Residenz there are flowerbeds as in 1853. The water for the fountains still comes from an old water-raising machine.
The original Tellus Bavarica is kept today inside the palace.
