Munich Museum of Egyptian Art — Attraction in Munich

There sadly wasn’t much we could actually do during my birthday, but fortunately that day at least some museums allowed visitors again, and we decided to check out the Museum of Egyptian Art in Munich!

It’s located in the Munich art area, and to reach it you best exit at the U-Bahn station ‘Koenigsplatz’, and then follow the sign towards the museum. Once you’re up at the Koenigsplatz itself, walk away from the propylaeum, passing the ‘Glyptotek’ on the left and the State Collections of Antiquitieson your right. Once you reach the crossroads, cross the road on the left side and then walk left. After passing the school for music and theatre, you then reach the Museum of Egyptian Art. The entrance is really interesting and I totally love the design. Once you’re inside, you’ll find the reception to the right. If you head on through, there’s usually a small café, the toilets and lockers for your bags, as you’re not allowed to take them with you. They then scanned our tickets and we headed inside. Sadly I wasn’t allowed to film, which wasn’t stated anywhere on the homepage, sadly. Either I just didn’t find it, or it really is not there, which they should definitely change and add. The official homepage states that “Rather than presenting a baffling array of rooms stuffed to the brim with Egyptian artwork, all within an even larger complex, the Munich museum offers respite from sensory overload with a more compact exhibition” – and that’s something you notice right away. The overall design is really clean and simple with the artefacts on display. There’s a line on the floor which you should follow, leading you around the museum. There is also a member of staff in almost every room, and maybe it’s due to the museum being so empty right now, but sometimes I really felt watched in an almost uncomfortable kind. They offer multimedia content as well, and the design is really creative and it teaches you a lot. The museum is wheelchair accessible and standard tickets for adults cost 8,80€.

It is a really interesting collection and I’m glad I finally had the chance to visit...

The collection on display is great and it is located in a beautiful, modern building with nice ambient lighting. It helps create a chill place where you can explore Egyptian history, culture and art at your own pace. It feels like you're walking through actual tombs.

The only reason for dropping one star is the audio guide. My advice would be to not use it. First of all, it's a bulky and rather heavy tablet that you have to wear around your neck. Secondly, it's really not that useful. The concept behind it is great and quite ambitious. The tablet automatically tracks where you are in the museum and will show you what you can interact with. However, the actual information you get from the audio guide is 9 out of 10 times very minimal. More often than not it will show a 'similar object' or show it 'in its original context'. When you're expecting substantial information about the item you're looking at, it feels a bit like a letdown. And there are several times where the audio guide indicates that there is something to interact with and then there is nothing. Or the information does not match the item you chose. Finally, the movement tracking is quite inaccurate and there were multiple times where the tablet was just bouncing between two adjacent rooms. In theory, the guide could be great, but in practice it actually distracts and even detracts from the entire experience. So, just explore yourself. It's much...

What an amazing experience! I wish I could give it more than five stars. I worked in games and high tech for 25+ years and I have never seen a more wonderful interactive use of technology in a museum before. It seem less blended the past with the present. I could have spent three days there reading all the information available. What I did absorb engendered new thoughts and perspectives on the Egyptians as well as other people, places, and times in history all the way to the present day. I learned a lot about textiles, writing, the similarities in the morphing of religions, and the politics of rulers and citizens throughout history. I saw, mostly, how a fear of foreigners and desire to subjugate those who are "not like us" has been a constant theme from Ancient Egypt to the present. The nicest and most helpful security guards were the last two I encountered and I wasn't rushed out the door as the museum was closing. Enjoy your visit and share...