Kunst­areal

What is the Kunstareal?

The term is younger than the thing itself. Since 2009 the museums, universities, galleries and cultural institutions of the Maxvorstadt have cooperated under the brand “Kunstareal München”; the Free State and the city sealed their partnership by agreement in 2018, and since 2020 there has been a dedicated office (Brienner Straße 21). The whole is also carried by the Förderkreis Kunstareal, founded in 2010 by the Stiftung Pinakothek der Moderne as an alliance of 13 friends’ associations — its patron is Duke Franz of Bavaria.

How big the quarter is depends on whom you ask. kunstareal.de advertises “500 × 500 metres” between Königsplatz and Museum Brandhorst; the city counts around 66 hectares between Heßstraße, Türkenstraße, Karlstraße and Richard-Wagner-Straße. According to the office, they contain 18 museums and exhibition venues, over 20 galleries and six universities — more than 50 institutions. The house formula: art × culture × knowledge = experience³.

Attendance is growing: in 2025 the Alte Pinakothek recorded a record 498,000 visitors, the Pinakothek der Moderne 307,500, the Brandhorst around 159,000 and the Lenbachhaus about 290,000. Since 2016 the 21 black-and-white steles by designer Nitzan Cohen have shown the way from house to house.

Festival, anniversary, future

Kunstareal-Fest

Every two years since 2013, most recently on 27–29 June 2025 under the motto “Freiheit” (freedom): over 30 institutions, more than 40 venues, free admission to all museums and a programme of tours, concerts and workshops. The info point is Pavillon 333 between the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Türkentor. The next festival is announced for 2–4 July 2027.

200 years

On 7 April 1826, Raphael’s birthday, Ludwig I laid the foundation stone of the Alte Pinakothek — the event from which the Kunstareal counts its two hundred years in 2026. The Free State celebrated with a state reception in the Alte Pinakothek, the museum with anniversary exhibitions from Altdorfer to Rubens, the quarter with a new chronicle and a poster competition (deadline 21 September 2026).

Open Kunstareal

The biggest building site is the space between the buildings. In the “Open Kunstareal” ideas competition the jury unanimously recommended the “Kunstgarten” design by Paris-based Atelier Roberta in 2024 — connected green open spaces, more trees, year-round seating, less asphalt; over 13,000 citizens had voted online. The feasibility phase has been running since 2025, with detailed planning and public participation to follow in 2026. In parallel the Neue Pinakothek has been under full renovation since 2019 (Hild und K / Caruso St John); reopening is expected at the end of 2029 at the earliest, and Theresienstraße stays restricted until about 2027/28.

Practical

Get there by U2 to Königsplatz or Theresienstraße, tram 27/28 or bus 100 (stop Pinakotheken); there is no parking. On Sundays admission to the state museums is one euro — Alte Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne, Brandhorst, Glyptothek, Antikensammlungen, Egyptian Museum — and under-18s always enter free. Free of charge at all times: the NS Documentation Centre, the Museum of Casts, the Palaeontological and Geological Museums and all galleries. Most museums close on Mondays; the Alte Pinakothek stays open until 8 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Glyptothek on Thursdays.