Palais Almeida

Palais Almeida stands in Munich’s Brienner Straße, a grand classical building put up in 1824 by Jean Baptiste Métivier. It replaced the old Georgskirche and follows the French classical pattern with three storeys and nine window bays. The front is divided into three equal sections, each with three windows, while the ground floor is rusticated and the upper floors framed by pilasters. Four pilasters flank the central section, and two large niches beside the main door once held statues but now hold ornate candelabra. The palace was commissioned by Baroness Sophie von Bayrstorff, morganatic wife of Prince Karl of Bavaria, and later inherited by her daughter Sophie and her Portuguese husband Paolo Martins Visconde d’Almeida. In 1922 the Jewish art dealer Siegfried Lämmle opened his gallery here. After wartime damage the building was rebuilt in 1952–53 with a flatter roof but the same façade. Today it serves as offices and shops, and since 2013 its inner courtyard has been open to the public for events. Visitors walk past the rusticated ground floor and look up at the pilastered upper storeys and the central gable. The two façade niches beside the main door still hold tall candelabra. Inside the courtyard, now accessible, offers space for small concerts or receptions. The surrounding Brienner Straße links the palace to Munich’s royal avenues and nearby galleries.