In 1855, King Maximilian II inaugurated this shrine to the arts in Bavaria, with a collection so big that it had to location-hop until it found its home in this ornate building by Gabriel von Seidl, architect of the Lenbachhaus and parts of the Deutsches Museum. The vast collection includes sculpture, painting, folk art, ceramics, furniture, and textiles in addition to clocks and scientific instruments. It can be overwhelming if you try to see everything, so linger over items that interest you and stroll past the rest. The museum’s collection of early and medieval church art is particularly worthwhile—look for the Romanesque sculptures from Wessobrunn monastery, the original 1490 Gothic altar that once stood in Peterskirche, and an entire room of wood sculptures by the great German mastercarver Tilman Riemenschneider (1460–1531). The museum also contains a famous collection of Christmas Nativity cribs from Bavaria, Tyrol, and southern Italy. Some other highlights to search out: a collection of Bavarian beer steins (Humpen); Jakob Sandtner's models of Bavarian cities; a Renaissance ceremonial hammer used by the Pope to open the doors of St. Peter's, given in 1550 to the Augsburg cardinal; King Othon's coronation garb (1835), which was made for the Bavarian-born King of Greece but never worn; and a fascinating astronomical floor clock with a hilarious ensemble of cherubs and animals of the zodiac (look for the baby being pinched by Cancer’s claw).