palace, formerly the summer residence outside Munich of the Wittelsbachs, the former ruling family of Bavaria. The late Baroque structure was begun in 1664 by the Prince Elector Maximilian II Emanuel. It was enlarged and annexes were built through the reign of Maximilian III Joseph (1745–77).

The renowned gardens were designed in 1701 by Carbonet, a pupil of Le Nôtre, who had laid out the gardens of Versailles for Louis XIV. Distributed throughout the garden are many late Baroque garden pavilions of note, including the Pagodenburg (1716–19), the Badenburg (1718–21), and the Amalienburg (1734–39), whose interior by François de Cuvilliés the Elder is one of the masterpieces of Rococo decoration.