|
Munich
in germany is often described as “world
city with a heart”, or even better as “world
village”.The
incomparable charm of munich lies in its small-town
flair though beiing a world city, a feeling of
holiday and “Gemutlichkeit”.Munich’s
landmark are the two towers of the Church of Our
Lady, and not the modern building as the BMW-building
or the Olympia-tower. Munich is cosmopolitan, but
with a provincial character. It has an unique flair
that is necessary to discover when visiting the
city.
General
information
Munich
has 1,3 mio inhabitants
and is the capital of Bavaria. Here is also the
seat of the bavarian government. The town is
located in Upper Bavaria , just a stone’s
throw from the bavarian alps. Garmisch
Partenkirchen
is just 120 km away.
Excellent transport links lead
to munich. There are 8 motorways, 2 ICE and 4
IC rail connections and of course the international
munich airport “Franz-Josef-Strauss”.
It offers 2,000 european
and 200 intercontinental flights to munich per
week.Interesting are also the facts of cultural
life:-17 castles and palaces,
46 museums,
56 theatres, -7
world-famous public orchestras, 5,000 restaurants, 44,000
hotel beds
-and – last
but not least the Octoberfest.
 A
few historical facts
In
1158 duke Henry the Lion established a settlement called “ze
de Munichen” (close to the monks), because
it was situated near a monastery. During the middle
age Munich was ruled by the Wittelsbach dynasty
and grew to a centre of trade.
1632 the Swedish
king Gustav Adolph invaded the town, and soon after
the plague, which reduced the city’s
population by a third, to around 9,000.
Under Ludwig
1st (1825-1848) Munich grew into a flourishing
university city and centre of science and art.
Under the regency of Ludwig much of the impressing
architecture in Munich was realized. The Ludwigstrasse
and the imposing Königsplatz demonstrated
then and now his kingdom’s wealth.
In 1864
Ludwig 2nd, better known as the “Mad King” took
over the throne. He is the most famous king in
Bavaria, his portrait can be found on many souvenirs.
He created some of the main attractions
in Bavaria,
attracting hundredthousands of visitors every year.
These are the fantastic castles and palaces Neuschwanstein,
Linderhof and finally Herrenchiemsee on an island
in lake Chiemsee in the south of Upper Bavaria.
Ludwig
loved French culture and architecture and was a protegé to
Richard Wagner, the famous german composer. But Ludwig
was not a happy king. The people didn’t
appreciate him, because he spent huge sums in his
castles and the arts. In 1886 he was forced to
give up the regency and short after, on June 13th
he drowned in lake Starnberg under mysterious circumstances.
Until today it is not exactly clear what happened.
Ludwig
2nd was the last king of Bavaria and gave us a
few of the most beautiful castles in Germany.
Munich
Map
Map
Munich Salzburg Vienna
Sights
The best way to discover Munich’s
sights and flair is a walk through the Old
Town. Many of the famous sights can be found in the
historical centre between Karlstor and Isartor.
 The Marienplatz
is the heart of the Old Town with the world-famous
carillon. At 11 am and noon the figures move around
in the tower of the Town Hall, the most photographed
motive in the town.Along the Theatinerstrasse you
find the elegant shopping mile with designer boutiques
and stylish cafés and restaurants. At the
Odeonsplatz the yellow Theatinerkirche attracts
your attention. It’s a fine
example for bavarian Baroque churches built in
1662.One of the “musts” to visit in
Munich is the Residenz Palace. It was the Wittelsbachs’ home
since 1385 and shows a huge complex of buildings
in various styles, from Renaissance to neo-Classicism.
The Maximilianstrasse is the most exclusive street,
offering expensive and valuable goods. The luxury
Kempinski hotel “Vier Jahreszeiten” is
located there since 1857. At the end of Maximilianstrasse
the Nationaltheater with its classical columns
appears. Another world-famous attraction is the
Hofbrauhaus, known as an earthy inn for locals
and foreigners with typical bavarian specialities.
This
leads to that thing that makes munich really known
worldwide: the octoberfest.
Every year on the last
weekend in September the octoberfest starts with
a parade of the octoberfest landlords, many people
in traditional costumes participate this colourful
ceremony. In the huge beer hall tents people enjoy
a special brewed beer and a “Brotzeit” ,
that means pretzels, white sausages or radish.
Outside the tents it’s
a large fair with roller-coasters, shooting
galleries and many other attractions.People
from all over the world don’t
want to miss this big party. It’s a
part of bavarian and especially Munich lifestyle.
Traditional
customs, world famous monuments of art, modern
life, excellent food specialities and much more – you
see, there are many reasons to visit munich
!
|
