I have been interested in sculpture since visiting the Kroller-Muller Museum and Sculpture Gardens in the Netherlands many years ago and being blown away by some wonderful works, including those by Henry Moore, sitting in the middle of a national park. Having since seen some of the best works by Michelangelo and other geniuses, I marvel at how these masterpieces can be created.

It was thus with some anticipation that I visited the Glyptothek. This is one of Munich's foremost museums, housing a large collection of sculptures. The landmark building is part of the oldest museum in the city and is fashioned after a Greek temple.

This wonderful building was the work of Leo von Klenze who built this complex in 1816-34 to house Ludwig 1’s collection of Roman and Greek sculptures. Klenze designed not only the building but also the arrangement of the exhibits within. Its severe, imposing Ionic portico projects from a wall containing six large sculptures in niches.

The Glyptothek contains sculptures dating from the archaic age (ca. 650 BC) to the Roman era. Among the most famous sculptures here are the "Barberini Faun" and the temple figures from Aegina. The Sleeping Satyr or Barberini Faun, is a marble copy of a bronze original, ca. 200 B.C. It is larger than life with a height of just over 7 ft.(2.15 m.) This statue was looted by the Romans during their conquests in Greece. It was found in the 17th century in the Mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian in Rome and was bought by the Barberini family and placed in their palace. The Barberinis probably sold the marble to Ludwig I of Bavaria during the 1700's when they sold much of their collection.

The Archaic period pediment sculptures depicting warriors in battle at the First and Second Battles of Troy were retrieved from the ruined Temple of Aphaia at Aegina and brought to Munich in 1811. The impressive bodies of the soldiers stir passions even today. They should not be missed.

I really enjoyed this museum and would have stayed longer but for the fact that there were two other museums on our list that day. Realistically, you could spend a few hours here very easily. Opening times are from 10am to 5pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Admission is €3 but only €1 on Sunday.

Tel: 2892 7503 for more information.

After visiting two of the Pinakotheken in the morning, we had enough of art for the day and headed for the subway station at Königsplatz. However, this being a Sunday, many Munich museums offer free admission, and I knew I was not going to make it to the subway station without at least taking a peak into the Glyptothek en route to see one of the most famous Greek statues in Germany.

Approaching Königsplatz along Brienner Straße from the Karolinenplatz, one enters what the Nazis intended to be the Acropolis Germaniae. The Nazi party hailed from Munich and had its early success here. After coming to power, Berlin was obviously the capital of the Third Reich, Nuremberg became the capital of the Nazi Party Rallies, and Munich was declared the capital of the movement. The area around Königsplatz was rich in neoclassical buildings from the 19th century and easily converted into what the Nazis thought appropriate for their forum. A plaque at the northeastern corner of the square (corner of Brienner and Arcis Streets if you left your compass at home) explains in German and English how the Nazis converted the area. Most of the Nazi additions were either destroyed during the war or pulled down shortly after – for real Third Reich architecture in Munich, visit the bombastic Haus der Kunst south of the English Gardens.

The square can serve as a basic course in classical architecture. The Propyläen gateway at the far end of the square was erected in the 1860s. It was inspired by the Acropolis and features Doric columns. At the south end, the Antikensammlungen (Collections of Antiquities) are housed in a 1840s building featuring Corinthian columns. It is the architectural counterpart of the Glyptothek, the Ionic colonnaded classical building of the 1820s on the north end of the square.

We made a brief stop in the Glyptothek, as it houses 1,000 years worth of Greek and Roman sculptures. It is one of the most important collections in Europe. Its most famous item is also one of the most famous Greek sculptures in Germany, the Barberinic Faun. It is in the second hall and is a large reclining male nude made around 220 BC. It was presumably originally on display in the Dionysus temple before the conquering Romans dragged it off to Italy.

(The Faun also is kind of featured in Mr Wonka’s Berlin journal – presumably Aphrodite streaked by?)

Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, closing at 8 pm on Tuesday and Thursday. Admission is €3, free on Sunday.