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Fine Jugenstil villas can be seen in the Munich subur b of Schwabing, as well as in Straubing (Ostbayern). The Nazis loved things stark, pompous, and monumental. Munich converted their Acropolis Germaniae back to the original classical Königplatz, but the Haus der Kunst is clearly to Third Reich taste. The best-known and largest Third R eich constructions are the Nazi Party Rallying Ground in Nürnberg, designed by Albert Speer. He also did the train station in Berchtesgaden, a major Nazi leaders’ holiday retreat.

During the Second World War, numerous Bavarian cities were bombed in air raids, with Munich, Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Nürnberg, and Würzburg particularly hard-hit. In contrast, Regensburg and Passau escaped the war with very limited damage. Following the war, Bavaria was mostly occupied by American troops. The occupation lasted until 1955, although the US maintained several bases in Bavaria. In 1949, Bavaria became a free state in the Federal Republic of Germany (or West Germany up to 1990). Post-war Bavarian politics have been dominated by the center-right Christian Socialist Union (CSU), which has governed post-war Bavaria for all but three years during the 1950s.

Oberfranken). Ottobeuren – Michael Fischer’s Rococo masterpiece. (Unterallgäu). Asamkirche – the Asam brothers’ private church. Only 12 pews but enough decorations to fill a cathedral. (Munich). The Basilica St Michael in Altenstadt near Schongau is the purest example of unaltered R oman esqu e i n B avar i a. (Oberbayern). The Michaelskirche in the largRegensburg Cathedral est Renaissance church north of the Alps. Its lovely, mostly white interior already shows some elements of the Baroque and inspired the churches that followed.