The Glyptothek building is part of the oldest museum in Munich and is fashioned after a Greek temple. Aside from the most important collection of Greek and Roman antiques and sculptures in Germany, the Glyptothek also houses impressive historical portraits.
King Ludwig I ordered the construction of the Glyptothek by Philhellene Leo von Klenze in 1815 and used his own private finances to obtain pieces for the collections. With the help of Johann Georg von Dillis and Johann Martin von Wagner, he procured some important works of art, such as the statue of the Medusa Rondanini. The museum was damaged in the Second World War but was later re-opened in 1972.