Germany is a kaleidoscope of eras, politics and cultures. Part 3. Munich, the capital of the Bavarian land

12 January 2015 Travel time: with 25 June 2011 on 25 June 2011
Reputation: +4968.5
Add a Friend
Send message

Part 3. Munich - the capital of the Bavarian land

We continue our acquaintance with Germany. It so happened that I had the opportunity to travel all over Germany from south to north, from east to west, although I never set out to visit this country as a goal. It’s just that my travel routes developed in such a way that often the path lay in transit through it, because Germany is located in the very center of Europe. So my paths and roads brought me to Munich, which I do not regret at all, since this city is very interesting and there are many attractions in it. I propose to walk together through this city.


I'll start with a general description. Munich is a city on the Isar River in southern Germany, in the federal state of Bavaria, which is the capital of Bavaria and the administrative district of Upper Bavaria. The name of the city comes from the Old High German Munichen - "at the monks". The population of Munich is 1.5 million people and it is the third city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg.

The history of Munich dates back to the 8th century, when monks from the nearby Sheftlarn Monastery settled on Petra Hill. Today, on the site of the settlement, there is the Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church, popularly "Alter Peter" (Old Peter) - the oldest temple in Munich. Construction began in the 11th century on the site of an old wooden church on the Petersbergl hill. There is an observation platform in the tower at a height of 56 m , which can be reached by climbing 306 steps. When the weather is good, the panorama that opens up to visitors can reach up to 100 km. The church is distinguished by a combination of various architectural styles. The rich baroque interior contains the main altar, decorated with images of the four church fathers. The original dome The lantern-shaped church is one of the main attractions of Munich. During the war, the church was badly damaged.

Restoration work continues to this day.

The city was first mentioned in documents in 1158 under the name Villa Munichen, however, already in 1175 Munich was given the status of a city and city walls were erected.

We pass by a beautiful building - the Bavarian National Museum, which was created in 1855 by Maximilian II and is dedicated to the culture and folk art of Bavaria. It exhibits many works of religious art: sculptures, statues, tapestries, altars.

We drive up to Elisenstraß e and stop near the old Munich botanical garden - "Alter Botanischer Garten", founded in 1804-1814. After the "New Botanical Garden" in Nymphenburg appeared in Munich at the beginning of the 20th century, the old botanical garden turned into a cozy city park, a place of rest for residents and guests of Munich.

In the Bavarian capital, there are many pretty fountains of various sizes.


First we saw the most monumental of them, which bears the loud name of the Bavarian royal family of Wittelsbach - "Wittelsbachbrunnen". Sculptor Adolf von Hildebrand created an imposing fountain complex in the Italian Renaissance style on two levels. The two figures reflect the opposite essences of the water element. A young man on a sea horse with a fish tail lifts a piece of rock with his hands - this is the destructive wild power of mountain streams, from which the Munich city water supply is fed. On the left - an Amazon on a sea bull holds out a bowl of water to you - an allegorical image of a tamed water element. The fountain was erected on the occasion of a prosaic, but very significant for the inhabitants of Munich: the construction and commissioning of a water pipeline from the Mangfall river valley in 1883.

In the year of the opening of the Wittelsbachbrunnen fountain (1895), running drinking water was brought to every house and apartment in Munich - a serious achievement for that time.

Then our attention was drawn to the fountain of Neptune - "Neptunbrunnen" in the center of the old botanical garden. Created in 1937 by the architects Bieber and Wakerle, it reflects the aesthetic tastes of the National Socialist era quite well. The Lord of the Seas is more reminiscent of an advertising Aryan bursting with health than an ancient deity.

Opposite the botanical garden is Elisenstraß e with beautiful buildings. One of them is a red brick Northern Gothic building with two clock towers. This is the so-called "New Building of Justice" ("Neue Justitzgeboide"), in which the Constitutional Court of the Federal State of Bavaria operates.

Nearby is located the monumental Palace of Justice of Munich - "Justitzpalast", overlooking the Karplatz-Stachus square.

Built between 1891 and 1898 by the architect Thiersch in the late Renaissance style, this administrative building became one of the finest examples of secular architecture in Munich during the economic heyday of Germany in the second half of the 19th century. Four powerful facades of the building of the Palace of Justice are decorated with baroque elements: coats of arms, stucco, masks, ornaments, sculptural compositions. The inner courtyard is crowned with a transparent dome made of steel structures and glass, a real know-how at the end of the 19th century. Currently, the Bavarian Ministry of Justice and the Munich Court are located in the Justitzpalast. Looking at these two "judicial" buildings, which create an interesting architectural contrast, it is clear that in this region the judiciary is held in high esteem. We inspect the Justitzpalast from the Old Botanical Garden and from the side of Prillmeierstrasse.


We start our acquaintance with the main sights from the Karplatz-Stachus square - one of the central squares of Munich, officially named after Elector Karl Theodor, and unofficially - Stachus - after the legendary pub Sankt-Eustachius. The square is very crowded. Large shops come to the square, almost all lines of public transport intersect here. The underground shopping center of Stachus, which is visited daily by 160.000 people, is the largest in Europe and for a long time was the largest in the world, and the Stachus fountain with its countless nozzles gives coolness to tourists and Munich residents in hot weather.

After sitting by the fountain, we move on and pass under the Karlstor gate - one of the three surviving city gates of Munich along with the Sendlingertor) and Isartor, which are an element of the second stage of the city fortress of the late XIII century.

On the fortress gates of Karlstor there are figures of boys-musicians.

From the Karlstor gate begins the pedestrian zone of old Munich - the Neuhauserstrasse street. Theoretically, a walk from the Karlstor gate to Marienplatz will not take more than 15 minutes, but in practice it can take several hours: Munich's central pedestrian zone is also its main shopping promenade, the "purchasing mile", as they say in Germany. In addition, Neuhauserstrasse is not only the path to the main sights of the city center, but it itself consists of beautiful buildings dating from different eras. Therefore, the architecture of Munich is very diverse. The street is decorated with various fountains, sometimes quite strange, like this "Bacchus Fountain".

Quite another thing is this charming fountain in the form of a bronze column with a bowl at the top, from which water falls beautifully, in waves. It was built in 1962 in honor of the composer Richard Strauss (1864-1949), a native of Munich.

The column depicts characters from the opera Salome, which made the composer famous.

Walking along the street, you can watch and listen to the performances of various musical groups.

Within the pedestrian zone between Marienplatz and Stachus there are several interesting churches. The first of them is the Church of St. Michael, built at the end of the 16th century. At one time it was one of the main strongholds of the Counter-Reformation. It is the first Renaissance church on the northern side of the Alps and an example of baroque temple architecture in southern Germany. The facade of the cathedral with a triangular shape of a sharp pediment resembles a medieval town hall. Wilhelm V, Maximilian I and Ludwig II are buried in the Wittelsbach Crypt.


At the entrance, visitors are greeted by a bronze statue of the patron saint of the temple - the Archangel Michael, who slays the dragon in the central golden niche.

We approach the Museum of Hunting and Fishing, at the entrance of which, on one side, there is a sculpture of a fish, on the other, a sculpture of a wild boar, beloved by tourists, which is obvious from its tusk and snout polished to a shine.

Frauenkirche is one of the most iconic places in Munich. The official name in German is Der Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau (Cathedral of the Holy Virgin) is the tallest cathedral in Munich. The cathedral was built from 1468 to 1525 and was originally designed for 2.000 parishioners, despite the fact that at that time the population of Munich was only 1.000 people. Now the Cathedral accommodates about 4.000 people sitting, thanks to the benches installed there in recent years. The cathedral has two towers, while the North Tower is 12 cm higher than the South Tower. Everyone can climb the observation deck and take a look at Munich and the Alps. The total height of the cathedral is about 100 m and, in accordance with a referendum held in 2004, it is forbidden to build buildings higher than the Frauenkirche in the city.

and where the toy museum is now located, and in the northern part is the New Town Hall of Munich in the neo-Gothic style. The Old Town Hall, most of which was destroyed during the Second World War, is the boundary of the oldest part of the city. Above the gate is the hall of the town hall, whose wooden oval ceiling with decorative girdles is the pearl of German late Gothic. It was the permanent seat of the "Moorish dancers, " 16 wooden figurines made in 1480 by Erasmus Grasser, of which, unfortunately, only 10 have survived (exhibited in the Munich City Museum). The Toy Museum is located in the Town Hall Tower, reconstructed in 1975.

Until the 19th century, grain and peasant markets were held on the square; in the Middle Ages, knightly tournaments were held on the square. The name of the square comes from the column of Mary (the patron saint of Bavaria), which was created in 1638.


The main attraction of the square is the New Town Hall, which was built in 1867-1909. The facade of the New Town Hall is decorated with figures of Bavarian princes, kings, characters of legends. Inside the town hall you can admire the beautiful stained glass windows.

In the central part of the town hall there is an 85-meter tower with bells and a puppet show. Every day at 11 a. m. , and from May to October at 12.17 p. m. , and at 21 p. m. , a stage with 32 almost human-sized figures of the wedding of Duke Wilhelm V with Renata of Lorraine is shown on the tower to the sound of bells, followed by a jousting tournament and the Shefler Dance. The dance "Shefler-danz" has been shown every 7 years since 1517, as a sign of the general joy of the Munich people about the retreat of the "black death". In the evenings (in summer at 21.30, in winter at 19.30) the night watchman and the angel of peace appear and bless the "Munich baby".

To the right of the tower is the Fischbrunnen fountain, which is a favorite meeting place for young people.

Until the beginning of our century, the well was the site of the "butcher's jump" ritual, to which all newly minted butchers were subjected.

Then we move on to Odeonsplatz, built in 1816 on the site of a medieval gate. It is here that you can see Bavarian architecture, Catholic churches, the street where all the most expensive shops are located. Several attractions of the city of Munich are located on the Odeonsplatz at once: The residence of the Bavarian rulers; the Odeon concert hall, which hosted chic musical concerts, balls and receptions; Leuchtenberg Palace, Theatinerkirche and Feldherrnhalle. A monument to King Ludwig I in the form of a horseman is erected on the square (it was thanks to Ludwig I that the world-famous Oktoberfest holiday appeared).


The Odeonsplatz square gained fame all over the world because of the tragic end of the NSDAP march across Munich on November 9.1923, which ended the "Beer putsch": trained police met the putschists marching towards the city center with fire. In the firefight that broke out, 16 Nazis were killed, several, including Goering, were wounded. Hitler was saved by the military training he acquired during the First World War. After coming to power at the place where the clash with the police took place, Hitler ordered to set up a special memorial post. All Germans, passing by this post, had to throw up their hands in a fascist salute. Those who did not want to do this chose a workaround. It was then marked with pure gold in the post-war years. This is the legend of the golden path in the center of Munich.

An architectural monument of the first half of the 19th century, the Feldherrnhalle (“Hall of the Generals”) was built by order of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. This building was supposed to serve as the beginning of the Ludwigstrasse street and is a hall with arcades 20 meters high, made in the style of the Florentine Loggia Lanzi. In the niche of the hall there are bronze monuments in honor of the Bavarian commanders Tili (field marshal of the army of the Catholic League in the 30-year war) and Wrede (commander of the Bavarian division in Napoleon's army, later generalissimo of the Bavarian troops). In front of the arcade there are two statues of a lion, looking at the residence to the left and the temple to the right. The mouth of the lion looking at the residence is open, and the mouth of the lion looking at the temple is closed, which indicates that one can object to the monarch, but one cannot argue with the Lord.

King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who ruled from 1825 to 1848, went down in history as a patron of poets, writers, artists, and actors. The king spent considerable funds on the purchase of works of art and on the maintenance of theaters. Numerous buildings in the Italian and Greek styles were built in Munich. The king dreamed of turning his capital into a city similar to Athens. played a huge role in the development of Munich. During the March Revolution of 1848, he abdicated in favor of his son Maximilian. After abdicating the throne, Ludwig I lived as a private citizen and died on February 29.1868 in Nice at the age of 81. He was buried in Munich in the Basilica of Saint Boniface. A monument to him was erected on Odeonsplatz during his lifetime in 1862.

The Theatinerkirche, located on the Odeonsplatz, can be considered the most beautiful architectural gem of Munich.


In terms of its importance, it is considered the third in the Bavarian capital (after Frauenkirche and Michaelskirche), but many tourists are impressed by Theatinerkirche much more than the main temple of the city - Frauenkirche, the oldest Alter Peter Church (Peterskirche) and the famous Church of St. Michael (Michaelskirche). The official name of Theatinerkirche is St. Cajetan's Church. It was built in honor of the birth of the heir to the Bavarian throne - Maximilian II Emanuel (the beginning of construction dates back to 1663 - a year after the birth of the heir).

On the southeast side of the Odeonsplatz near the Feldherrnhalle is the Munich residence of the Bavarian rulers. Currently, the palace complex occupies an entire block and is a huge museum, located in 130 halls of the palace, with a large number of works of art accumulated by the Wittelsbachs over many centuries.

Moreover, each room is decorated and unique in its own way.

Next to the Munich residence of the Bavarian rulers on the north side of the Odeonsplatz is the Hofgarten park. In the center of the Hofgarten is a pavilion called "The Temple of Diana", built in 1615. From each of the eight arches of the pavilion, paths diverge along the Hofgarten, which determined its structure. The roof of the Temple of Diana is decorated with a copy of the "Bavarian Tellus" - a bronze statue by Hubert Gerhard of 1623. The original statue is located in the Imperial Hall of the Munich Residenz Palace. During World War II, the Hofgarten was destroyed. The restored Hofgarten is a stylistic compromise between the English landscape park, which appeared here on the basis of the mid-19th century fruit park, and the original design of the 17th century park.

Concerts are held in the pavilion, in the evenings, in the summer (May-September) on Wednesday and Sunday in the Temple of Diana they dance salsa, on Friday Argentine tango, during the day street musicians entertain visitors to the park. The building is decorated from the inside with four wall fountains decorated with sea shells, mentioned in Andre Gide's "Foods of the Earth".

The tour of Munich was drawing to a close. We were pretty tired and hungry, and we could not leave the capital of Bavaria without tasting the famous beer. The choice fell on the Hofbrä uhaus (German: "Court Brewery") - a world-famous large beer garden with a beer garden, located in Munich on Platzl, not far from the central square of Marienplatz.


On September 27.1589, the Bavarian Duke Wilhelm V the Pious founded a brewery on the territory of the Old Court, the residence of the Munich rulers of that time. This court brewery

Hofbrä uhaus, originally brewed only heavy dark beer from dark Munich malt. It existed until 1808 and was located just a few steps from the current Hofbrä uhaus brewery. To date, only a document has survived, testifying to the foundation of the old institution. Wilhelm's son and heir, Maximilian I did not like this variety, preferring softer wheat beer. In 1602, the Duke forbade all private breweries from preparing Weissbier, giving his court brewery a monopoly. In 1607, the second brewery, Hofbrä uhaus am Platzl, was founded, where wheat beer was produced, thus starting the history of the current Hofbrä uhaus. In 1828, by decree of King Ludwig I, a public pub and tavern opened right in the Hofbrä uhaus.

On October 1.1844, the king again demonstrated his concern for the people by lowering the price of beer: from now on, a liter mug of Hofbrä u beer instead of 6.5 kreuzers cost only 5, so that, as Ludwig I said, “the working class and soldiers could afford a healthy and affordable drink". To protect against counterfeiting, in 1879 the brand "HB" (Hofbr? u) becomes a registered trademark, the director of the brewery secured the exclusive right to use it for the firm "Royal Court beer house in Munich". At the end of the 19th century, there was not enough space for guests. On September 2.1896, the demolition of the southern building of the old brewery and the administrative building began, in place of which a new pub and a separate restaurant appeared. The opening of the new building complex of the Hofbrä uhaus restaurant took place on September 22.1897, and since that date it has been leading its modern history.

During the Second World War, during the strategic bombing of the aircraft of the US Army and the RAF, the building was destroyed, with the exception of a small part of the ground floor and cellars, thanks to which several hundred valuable old beer mugs were saved. The building was completely restored after the destruction of World War II only in 1958. In general, the history of the Hofbrä uhaus is extremely diverse, you can get acquainted with its interesting moments by visiting a free exhibition in the gallery of the historic main hall.


It should be noted that this place is associated with the leader of the world proletariat, Lenin. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov lived in Munich for about 2 years at the beginning of the 20th century. Here he first used the pseudonym Lenin, here he organized the issue of the Iskra newspaper. And the leader of the world revolution paid tribute to Bavarian beer.

When, after serving the term of his exile, his wife came to him, he also addicted her to hiking in Munich pubs, including the Hofbrä uhaus. Krupskaya recalled how she and Ilyich joked, pointing to the NV marking on beer mugs, which means “Narodnaya Volya”. In her diary, an entry in German has been preserved: “We especially readily recall the Hofbrä uhaus, where excellent beer erases all class differences. ”

Speaking about the history of this institution, it is impossible not to mention that on February 24.1920, at 7:30 am, the first large public meeting of the German Workers' Party began in the Main Hall of the Hofbrä uhaus, which was attended by more than 2.000 people. At this meeting, which lasted four hours, Adolf Hitler announced the 25 Point Program, which became the official program of the Nazi Party, and proposed that the organization be renamed the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

This date is considered the date of the formation of the NSDAP and for 11 years every year, starting in 1933, after the National Socialists came to power, it was celebrated in the Hofbrä uhaus. On February 24.1941, at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Nazi Party at the Hofbrä uhaus, Hitler announced a plan to make heavy use of submarines in combat.

We return to today's Hofbrä uhaus and enter one of its halls - Schwemme - the main hall on the ground floor, in the center of which there is a podium for the Hofbrä uhaus orchestra, which plays Bavarian music for guests every day. Among the visitors are many locals in traditional Bavarian clothing.

Yes, and the waiters in national clothes, so everything here is saturated with national color - the "German spirit". 120 tables in this room are reserved for patrons. In the same hall there are safes for personal beer mugs of regular visitors.

I ordered and ate with great appetite a special dish - a golden-brown pork knuckle in its own juice, with two potato dumplings (11.5 euros), of course, a glass of dark beer (3.85 euros).


In summer, it is good to sit in the beer garden, where almost 400 people can be accommodated under the open sky and under the crowns of old chestnut trees, surrounded by a brick wall.

Munich is world famous for its BMW car factory. Next door to the headquarters of the BMW Group, dubbed "Four Cylinders" by the people of Munich, the BMW Museum was built in 1973 and re-opened on June 21.2008 after an expansion. About 120 original exhibits showcase more than 100 years of BMW brand history along a central route or so-called “road” that takes 40.000 visitors a year through 25 separate exhibition areas.

Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to visit the museum, but on the streets of Munich we saw a lot of "cool" moving vehicles, however, they are unlikely to be related to the well-known global automotive giant.

Another place that I recommend visiting is the Nymphenburg Palace, located on the western border of Munich - one of the largest palaces in Europe, surrounded by a vast park. The construction of Nymphenburg began in 1664 by decree of Elector Ferdinand as a gift to his wife for the birth of an heir. The magnificent palaces - both the main one and the smaller ones (Amalienburg, Badenburg, Pagodenburg) - and the huge park are undoubtedly worthy of attention. The main attractions of the palace are the Great Hall in the Rococo style, the room where the future King Ludwig II was born, the Gallery of Beauties with portraits of the most beautiful women in Europe and the Lacquer Room with black and red lacquered Chinese panels.

I can't help but agree with Ms. Merkel, because Munich is not only the birthplace of the BMW car and the site of the Oktoberfest beer festival. In the capital of Bavaria, there is always something to do, something to admire and enjoy - magnificent architectural ensembles, museums, fountains, the famous art gallery in the Alte Pinakothek and much more, which we were not able to visit and see in one day.

Translated automatically from Russian. View original
To add or remove photos in a story, go to album of this story
Петерскирхе
Баварский национальный музей
Фонтан «Виттельсбахбруннен»
Фонтан «Нептунбруннен»
Новое здание правосудия
Вид Юстицпаласт из Старого ботанического сада
Вид Юстицпаласт со стороны Прильмайерштрассе
Площадь Карплац-Штахус
Крепостные ворота Карлстор
Фигурки мальчиков-музыкантов на воротах Карлстор
Дом на улице Нойхаузерштрассе
Дом со скульптурой на улице Нойхаузерштрассе
Фонтан Бахуса
Фонтан в честь композитора Рихарда Штрауса
Выступление музыкантов на Нойхаузерштрассе
Церковь святого Михаила
Бронзовая статуя покровителя храма - архангела Михаила
Скульптура кабана у входа в Музей охоты и рыболовства
Фрауэнкирхе
Внутри Фрауэнкирхе
Кенотаф императора Священной Римской Империи Людвига IV
«След дьявола»
Фонтан «Беннобрюннляйн»
Ратушная башня на Мариенплац
Колонна Мариина Мариенплац
Новая ратуша на Мариенплац
85-метровая башня Новой ратуши с кукольным представлением
Фонтан Фишбруннен
Площадь Одеонсплац
Золотая дорожка возле Одеонсплатц
 Фельдхеррнхалле («Зал полководцев»)
Памятник королю Баварии Людвигу I
Церковь Театинеркирхе на Одеонсплатц
Мюнхенская резиденция баварских правителей
Павильон «Храм Дианы» в центре Хофгартена
Настенный фонтан в павильоне «Храм Дианы»
Здание Хофбройхауса
В Хофбройхаусе
Парадный зал в Хофбройхаусе
Оркестр Хофбройхауса
Посетители Хофбройхауса в традиционной баварской одежде
Официантка в Хофбройхаусе
Главный зал на первом этаже
Мой обед в Хофбройхаусе
В пивном саду в Хофбройхаусе
Дворец Нимфенбург
Каналы Нимфенбурга
Similar stories
Comments (3) leave a comment
Show other comments …
avatar