If you’re visiting the Starnberger See, why not combine a swim and sunbathe with a bit of culture? Nestled right behind by the Bernried ferry stop is the Museum of Fantasy.
Enchanted pools, pagodas and parklands greet visitors on entering the gates. Resembling a sea-vessel-cum-Olympic-village, it must surely be one of the most unlikely-looking museums far and wide. Designed by Günther Behnisch, whose firm also built Munich’s Olympic Stadium, the controversial glass and steel eye-opener is home to the Buchheim Art Collection.  The exhibition is the brainchild of painter and novelist Lothar Günther Buchheim, best known as author of Das Boot. Centred on the work of expressionists such as Kirchner, Heckel and Pechstein, exhibits are juxtaposed with all sorts of inspirational art forms ranging from Bavarian “folkart” to ethnic objects from Africa and the South Sea Islands.
The key to appreciating this exhibition is an understanding of the mind and vision of the artist Buchheim himself. The zany subject matter of his paintings and photographs is 100% visual so don’t expect to find many museum placards giving a brow-beating low-down on each exhibit. Buchheim describes himself as an “art demonstrator with a missionary fervor”. Be prepared to abandon your traditional perceptions of art and embrace this exhibition with all your senses. You can almost smell some of the paintings and cultic artifacts, which range from Japanese woodcuts, Chinese ink drawings, Indian shadow puppets, porcelain, ceramics, textiles, jewelry to a collection of 3,000 paperweights.
At the heart of the museum is a collection of paintings, watercolours, drawings and prints of a group of expressionists known as Die Brücke (The Bridge). The stark and highly emotional art - way ahead of its time - was deemed a protest against the official art of the Wilhelmine era. Shocking to many traditionalists of the time, this art form marks the beginning of Modernism in Germany. A current attraction in this section is the Kriegsmappe (War file), a collection of black-and-white paintings by the Otto Dix.
This is also a museum of humour though. Look out for a double-spouted teapot inscribed Tea for two and the almost larger-than-life models of three men and a dog. If proof were needed that some dogs really do resemble their owners then here it is!
No visit to this unconventional museum would be complete without stepping out onto the shipdeck-like observation platform standing twelve meters over the lake. On a clear day you can see across to the Alps. To get to the Museum of Fantasy, take S-Bahn S6 to Starnberg, and then a boat to Bernried. The 75-minute ferry trip leaves Starnberg at 08:35 and 10:35, and returns at 14:58 and 16:38. Alternatively, take the Deutsche Bahn train to Bernried and follow the footpath to the museum (a 20 minute walk).