Münchner Stadtmuseum

This guide to the Munchner Stadtmuseum follows sixteen grotesque wooden dancing figures that sculptor Erasmus Grasser carved in 1480 for the old town hall's ballroom ceiling, meant to flatter Duke Albrecht the Fourth's claim to rule Bavaria. It traces the 1931 decision to move the originals into this museum, the Gothic-era Zeughaus arsenal raised around 1500, replacing them with copies before the town hall was later gutted by bombs. Look for the ten dancers still on display, each twisted mid-leap in gold and red paint.