The list of monuments is a register kept by the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in which three types of monuments are entered: Architectural monuments, ground monuments and movable monuments.

Architectural monuments are to be included in the list of monuments for information purposes. The aim is to ensure that as many of Bavaria's architectural monuments as possible are accurately included in the list, which is why it is updated on an ongoing basis (see "Further links").

However, the protection regulations of the Monument Protection Act (DSchG) apply regardless of whether a building is on the list of monuments or not. There are therefore no direct legal consequences for monuments resulting from an entry in the list of monuments. Rather, the list serves primarily as an aid for the monument protection authorities, making it easier for them to check whether the protection regulations of the DSchG must be observed for a particular building. In addition, the list of monuments is an important information tool for interested citizens.

Based on the list of monuments, the monuments are mapped on the website of the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in the so-called "Bavarian Monument Atlas" (link see "Further links"). The monuments and ensembles are shown in their known extent, i.e. down to the level of a building or part of a building. Photos showing the exterior view of almost every listed monument can also be called up.

Ground monuments are also to be entered in the list for information purposes. Like the architectural monuments, the ground monuments are protected regardless of whether they are entered in the list of monuments or not.

Movable monuments are only entered in the list of monuments at the request of the entitled party or in particularly important cases. Special protection provisions of the DSchG apply to registered movable monuments. These provisions do not apply to movable monuments that are not entered in the list of monuments. In contrast to architectural and ground monuments, entry in the list of monuments is therefore a prerequisite for the application of the special protection provisions of the DSchG in the case of movable monuments.