The Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, founded in 1855 by King Maximilian II., ranks among the most important museums of art and cultural history in Europe. The core of the collections consists of the art treasures that were acquired over centuries by the ruling House of Wittelsbach. The building was erected in a revival style after a design of Gabriel von Seidl and features unique historical interieurs. Up to today it remains one of the most important examples of museum architecture from the late 19th century. A tour around the museum, displaying diverse objects and genres of art, guides the visitor through all periods of Western Art, ranging from Late Antiquity to Art Nouveau. A new Audio Guide system makes orientation even easier. Apart from masterpieces of sculpture and painting, the collections also include precious objects made from ivory, gold and silver, in addition to tapestries, furniture, arms and exquisite porcelain. The world-famous collection of crèches holds more than 60 illusionistically conceived nativity scenes with a great variety of figures, created between 1700 and 1850 in Naples, Sicily and the Alpine regions.