A declaration of love to the magical world of books

From the S-Bahn station, the route leads to the Obermenzing green corridor. Here there is a visual axis between Blutenburg Palace and Nymphenburg Castle. The path leads directly to Blutenburg Castle.

The name Blutenburg is associated with a tragic love story. Duke Albrecht III created a home for himself and his great love, Agnes Bernauer, by extending the former moated castle (1431-1440). He commissioned Jörg Ganghofer, the most famous master builder in Munich at the time. Splendid paintings were created by the equally famous contemporary painter Jan Polack. Albrecht III had married Bernauer, the daughter of a bather, quite out of character. This was against the wishes of his father, Duke Ernst of Bavaria, who then organised a dastardly attack on Agnes Bernauer, who was drowned in the Danube.

In the 17th century, the castle was remodelled in the Baroque style. From the middle of the 19th century, it was leased to a women's order for almost 100 years. In the 1970s, an association was founded to save Blutenburg Castle from final decay and had it renovated. Today, it houses the International Youth Library, which honours well-known children's book authors in the rooms with various literature museums.

The modernised interiors can be viewed during a visit to the library and the literary museums.

The entrance to the information stand and shop is located in the southern part of the inner courtyard, from where visitors can start their tour.

Children's author Jella Lepman founded the International Youth Library in 1949. As a Jew, the author had been forced to live in exile during the Nazi regime. She campaigned for peace and international understanding and saw children's and young adult literature as a medium for educating peace-loving people.

The collection is unique in the world and now comprises 670,000 books for children and young people in 250 languages, with the earliest editions dating back to 1650. The library also maintains three museums: the Michael Ende Museum, the James Krüss Tower and the Binette Schröder Cabinet. A research centre is currently being set up for Erich Kästner. In addition to books and illustrations, the museums also display personal objects and letters as well as other testimonies from the writers themselves. There are regular special exhibitions, e.g. on children's book illustrations.

The library and two of the three museums are freely accessible. The James Krüss Tower is only open to visitors as part of a guided tour. Guided tours should be booked one week before the visit.

The main entrance to the castle chapel is located on the northern side of the castle courtyard.

Built in 1488, the chapel's medieval structure has remained almost unchanged to this day.

Only the ridge turret was added in the Baroque period in 1676. There are medieval wall paintings on the outer walls, which have been panelled to protect them from environmental influences. Inside, even the stained glass windows are largely original. The altarpieces are by the contemporary painter Jan Polak. A special gem is the Blutenburg Madonna, a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary created by an unknown master in 1490. It is considered a particularly valuable work of art and attracted thieves to the church in the 1970s, who stole the Madonna figure and other sculptures. The case caused a furore at the time and the thieves were quickly caught - the art was saved and can be viewed undamaged in the chapel today.

Before heading back to Obermenzing S-Bahn station, it is worth visiting the Schlossschänke Blutenburg, which is located directly in the castle courtyard. In summer you can sit outside here, otherwise inside the historic walls with delicious regional dishes. The way back leads into the countryside again, this time along the Nymphenburg Canal. It is famous for its line of sight to Nymphenburg Palace.