Renovation of the Rococo Asamkirche
Facial Treatment Munich’s Sendlingerstrasse is a shopper’s paradise. Laura Ashley, The Body Shop, Sport Scheck, Kare, shoe stores and novelty retailers line the street. What most tourists have sailed by until now, however, is the ornate Rococo Asamkirche (Asam Church) wedged somewhere between Pizza Hut and a shop that sells crêche sets. The early 18th-century church, rendered inconspicuous by years of erosion caused by acid rain and pigeon droppings, recently underwent a 6-million-mark face-lift — one that has made the house of worship as beautiful on the outside as its sparkling interior. Though project coordinators and landmark conservationists cannot agree as to the historical accuracy of the renovation — original paint layers do not exist for comparison — most feel the church is well-served by its new front. “We assume this is how the first façade could have looked,” says Georg Resenberg, of the Archbishop’s building committee. For those who haven’t yet stumbled upon the formerly hidden treasure, now is your chance to find it. <<< lv