Bürgersaalkirche: Historical church with museum in the pedestrian zone

The Bürgersaal church at a glance

• The hall, built by Giovanni Antonio Viscardi around 1700, has only been used as a church since 1778; before that it served as a prayer and meeting hall for the Marian Congregation of Men.
• The two-story structure of the facade is followed inside by the division into upper and lower church.
• The upper church is a baroque hall with a modern ceiling painting, the lower church is a crypt.
• Since 2008, it has been home to the Father Rupert Mayer Museum, which commemorates the beatified Catholic resister against the Nazi regime.
• The Marian Men's Congregation holds services here

• Getting to the  Bürgersaalkirche from the main train station is easy with the U4 or U5, and also any of the S-bahn trains to Karlsplatz. A visit to the church is definitely worth a visit.

Ecclesiastical Museum: Focus on Father Rupert Mayer

The first ecclesiastical museum in Munich is dedicated to Father Rupert Mayer (1876-1945) and the Marian Congregation.  It was opened in 2008 on the occasion of Munich's 850th city anniversary in the Bürgersaal Church.

A life-size figure of the Jesuit priest, beatified in 1978, who was active in Catholic resistance during the Third Reich and was persecuted and interned by the Nazis, awaits visitors at the entrance to the exhibition. Mayer was president of the Munich Marian Men's Congregation for 24 years.

On display are many relics from Mayer's life, such as his Red Cross armband, which he wore as a medic in World War I, and his typewriter. In addition, the famous Augustinerkindl, one of the most important images of grace of the Baroque period, can also be viewed. The museum is open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., admission is free.