München 
In 1999, as we drove through Southern Germany on our honeymoon, we stopped for three days in München (or in english - Munich). I had visited here back in 1989 with a friend of mine, but this was Debbie's first trip here. Although München is a bustling international city, it is affectionately regarded by many Münchners (that's what they're called) as the largest village in Germany. These "Münchners" do not look like what you typically might think. One gets the image of men in leather pants and feathered hats drinking large steins of beer, singing beer drinking songs while holding generously proportioned blond Fräuleins. Though you might still see these types in your local beerhall, they are the exception, not the rule.
München is the capital of the Free State of Bavaria. München is also the best loved of all German cities and sees more than three million visitors a year. It's a popular city because of the relaxed atmosphere. Many inhabitants enjoy sitting in the city's numerous beer gardens enjoying their favorite beverage (which you can probably guess). Of course, Oktoberfest draws thousands of visitors from around the world every fall. As you can imagine, it's a beer lovers paradise. Somehow, Beer-hating Debbie survived her stay here. However, there is more to München than just beer. We spent three days here enjoying the cultural and historical sights. Of course, I did manage to have a few beers myself. A number of movies have been filmed here, one of the more famous ones, "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," was filmed almost entirely in München.
Debbie and I stayed in the Hotel Torbräu in the Old Town section of the city. Built in 1490, the Torbräu is considered to be the oldest hotel in Munich. It's at Tal 41 near the "Isartor" and only two blocks from the München. The rooms were modern and comfortable. When we were there, they didn't have air-conditioning, but have since added them.
München, being an old medieval city was once surrounded by a wall. There were five fortified gates to enter the city. As the city expanded, the wall was mostly torn down in the 19th century. Three of these gates are all that remains of these walls. One of three, the Isartor (Isar Gate) can be found at the end of what is called the 'Tal' (valley). The street in which are hotel is on, Im Tal, is called as such because in the past the road from the Alten Rathaus, next to the Marienplatz, towards the Isartor went downhill. The gate tower was built in 1337 and was the main thoroughfare towards the Isar, the main river flowing through München. The facade of the Isartor is ornamented with a painting depicting the Battle fought by Ludwig the Bavarian (future Emperor Ludwig I) in 1322 at Ampfing.
München or Munich started out as a 9th century town built on the banks of the Isar River near a Benedictine abbey. The monks, or in German "Mönch", gave it's name to the town. In Old High German it is "Muniche." So the town has taken as it's emblem a little monk or "Münchner Kindl" (shown at right).
In 1156, Emperor Frederick Barbarosa of the Holy Roman Empire (1125- 90) gave a part of Bavaria to Heinrich der Löwe (Henry the Lion), the Duke of Saxony (1129-95.) To make money, Duke Henry had trade routes moved to München and thus started the town to becoming an important city. On June 14, 1158 the emperor officially granted the settlement of München the right to hold a market, thus making it a true city.
In 1180, the Duke was kicked out of Bavaria (he had run afoul of the emperor) and was replaced by the Palantine Count Otto von Wittelsbach. This started the rise of the Wittelsbach dynasty which would rule Bavaria until 1918. In 1225, the dukes moved their government to München and made it also their main residence. In 1314, one of the dukes, Ludwig der Bayer (the Bavarian) became King of Germany and then (1328) the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. At this time, München rivaled Augsburg and Nuremberg as trade centers. During the rule of Albrecht IV "the Wise" the city enjoys a high point of Gothic culture. Their idea was to make München the second Paris, including: museums, libraries, universities and parks.
In 1623, Duke Maximilian I, during the Thirty Years' War, made München the bastion of Catholicism. During the war, in 1632, München is occupied by Protestant Swedish troops commanded by Gustavus Adolplhus. Two years later, the plague would kill 7,000 residents (a third of it's population). In 1705, during the War of Spanish Succession, the city is occupied by Austrian troops who remain until 1714. During that time, the Austrians brutally put down a peasant uprising. During the French Revolution in 1800, French troops occupy München.
Bavaria and München would reach it's height during the enlightened rulers of the 19th century. Max Joseph (1799-1825) helped to defeat Napoleon and became King Maximilian I of Bavaria. In 1810, the city started the tradition of Oktoberfest. München continued to grow as the capital of Bavaria. Maximilian's son, King Ludwig I (1825-1848) created many beautiful buildings in an attempt to make München the most beautiful capital in Europe. It becomes known as "Athens on the Isar" as the population of the city reaches 100,000. A scandal forced Ludwig to abdicate in favor of his son, Maximilian II (1848-1864) who continued the many building projects of his father.
After his death in 1864, his son became King Ludwig II, the most popular figure in Bavaria then and today. Ludwig II (right), or as he later became known as, "Mad King Ludwig", undertook to build a number of castles around Bavaria, the most famous being Neuschwanstein. Ludwig II made the disastrous political mistake of making an alliance with Austria against the Prussians. After this, he went into a self-ordained exile in his castles in southern Bavaria. The state of Bavaria became absorbed into the new German Empire under Prussia's Wilhelm I. Ludwig II was arrested in 1886 and mysteriously drowned three days later. His son, became Ludwig III and ruled Bavaria until his forced abdication at the end of World War I.
In 1918, at the end of World War I, the November Revolution begins the Free State of Bavaria. After this the city was the scene of considerable political unrest. In 1919, Kurt Eisner, the social democratic Bavarian president was assassinated. National Socialism (Nazism) was founded there, and on November 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler (left) failed in his attempted München “beer-hall putsch” which was a coup aimed at overthrowing the Bavarian government. Despite this fiasco, Hitler made München the headquarters of the Nazi party, which in 1933 took control of the German national government. Michael Cardinal Faulhaber, the archbishop of München, was one of the few outspoken critics of the National Socialist regime.
The first Concentration Camp, Dachau, was opened just north of München. On the night of November 9, 1938 called Kristallnacht saw the destruction of numerous synagogues throughout the city. This would be the beginning of Hitler's persecution of the Jews. Only 200 of München's 10,000 Jewish inhabitants survived the horrors of the Final Solution. In September of 1938, the Munich Pact was signed in the city. In 1943, during the war, a small resistance group of college students, called the "White Rose" secretly advocates the end of National Socialism. They are discovered and many of their young leaders are executed by the Gestapo. Because it was the headquarters of the Nazi Party, the city received special attention by the Allied air forces. München was badly damaged, over 50% of the buildings were destroyed and 250,000 citizens were killed, by numerous aerial bombardments during World War II, but after 1945 it was extensively rebuilt and many modern buildings, like the BMW headquarters, were constructed. In 1957, the city's population reached one million people.
In 1972, München was chosen for the XXth Olympiad Games. What was supposed to be a triumphal sign of the rebirth of the city turned tragic as Arab terrorists seized a number of Israeli athletes, killing two. During an attempt to free the athletes by the German police, nine more Israeli athletes were killed by the terrorists.
Today, München is the third largest city in Germany, behind Berlin and Hamburg. It is a major tourist center, especially during Oktoberfest when it attracts thousands of visitors.
After settling in to our room, we set out into München. We headed up the Tal to the Marienplatz which is the center of München. This square, previously called Schrannenplatz, has been the heart of the city since München was founded by Henry the Lion in 1158. It was a salt and corn market, tournament arena and a place of execution. A fish market was held near the Fischbrunnen (fish fountain) which is on the east side of the square. In the middle of the square is the Mariensäule, a marble column erected by the Prince-Elector Maximilian I in 1638 after Munich and Landshut were saved from pillaging by the Swedish during the Thirty Years' War. On the pedestal of the statue, there are four winged children that represent innocent hostages of plague, war, famine and heresy. The Mariensäule is considered the center of the city and is therefore not just a favorite meeting place - all distances are measured from here. At the top of the column is a gold statue to the Virgin Mary, the city's patron.
Bordering the north-side of the square is the neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus (new city hall). This building is incredible. They started construction in 1867 and wasn't finished until 1908, 41 years later. They had to tear down 24 historic buildings to build it. The interior of the building is just as magnificent as the facade. The stained glass window depicting the "Patrona Bavariae" ( Mary as patron of Munich), the Law Library and the "Kleine Sitzungssaal" (small council chamber) are well worth visiting. The are six inner courtyards. In the center of the front facade, about halfway up the center tower, is the Glockenspiel (carillon) which you can see behind us in the photo at right. There is a musical show with brightly colored mechanical figures that move and spin on two levels. They depict two episodes from München's history. The first is Schläfflertanz (dance of the coopers - barrel makers) which commemorates the end of the plague in 1517. Barrel makers are important in München because they need barrels to store the beer. The other show depicts a Medieval jousting tournament held in the Marienplatz in 1558 along with the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V to Renate von Lothringen. The show goes off twice a day (11am and 5pm). You can take an elevator to the top of the tower (which I did in 1989) which is 278 ft. high.
At the eastern end of the square (the side we entered from) is the Altes Rathaus (old city hall) built in 1474. This building has stepped gables and bell turrets (as you can see in my photo of the top of the tower). The tower was built from one of the old city gates. This was once the eastern boundary of the city when the original 1175 wall went around it. The city expanded further east and a new wall was built in 1330. Most of the building was destroyed during the World War II and has since been rebuilt. The Rathaus tower wasn't rebuilt until 1975. Inside they have a toy museum.
München Churches
There are many churches in München, with most of them being Roman Catholic. We walked east from the Marienplatz to the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), which has become the symbol of München. The foundation stone was laid by Duke Sigismund in 1468. This 500-year old church took 20 years to build and was completed in 1488. It will never be confused with many of the beautiful cathedrals of Europe. This Late Gothic style church is done in plain dark red bricks and has a bright red roof. The sides of the church are very plain with just old tombstones built into the walls. There are two 328 feet tall towers topped with onion domes which make the church unique. The domes have become a symbol of München partly because they survived the intense allied bombings during World War II and partly because they remind them of two overflowing beer steins. Their is an elevator to the top of the south tower but you have to climb 86 stairs just to get to the elevator.
Inside there is a high vaulted ceiling supported by large pillars. Much of the interior was rebuilt after World War II when it was heavily damaged in Allied bombing raids. There is a large exceptionally extravagant mausoleum for Holy Roman Emperor Ludwig I (1287-1347), a.k.a. Ludwig the Bavarian or King Ludwig IV, in the south aisle that was constructed well after he died (1622). This has to be seen to be believed. He was the first Bavarian king to be crowned emperor. Ludwig isn't actually in this monument, but is downstairs in the crypt. One of the most interesting things inside the church is the memorial grave in black marble of Prince Elector Kurfürst Maximilian I. At the far end of the choir, there is a staircase that leads down into the Bischofs-und-Fürstengruft (Bishops' and Princes' Crypt). There are tombs to various bishops of München and 46 Wittelsbach princes here including Ludwig III, the last king of Bavaria who was deposed in 1918 and died three years later.
There is also the 'footprint of the devil' or Taufelstritt. According to the legend, the architect of the Frauenkirche, Jörg von Halsbach, promised the devil you could not see a window from the inside of the church. In return, the devil would help him build the Frauenkirche. The Devil, of course, thought that meant that the church would have no windows. After he completed the building, the architect led the devil to the middle of the church from where you could not see a single window, although all churchgoers would sit in areas where a lot of light came through the many stained-glass windows. The devil was so angry that he had been tricked that he stamped his foot with so much rage that his black hoofed footprint is visible in the stone floor to this day. After post World War II rebuilding, the spot is no longer hidden from windows but the footprint is still visible.
Across the Marienplatz is Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church) which is also known locally as Alter Peter (Old Peter). This is the oldest church in München. Before the city of Munich was founded there was already a small chapel on the "Petersbergl" (Peter's hill) replaced at the beginning of the 11th century by the romantic style Peterskirche (Peters church). In the 13th century a new gothic church was built, which was constantly rebuilt and changed in style over the years. The church was so badly damaged from bombings during World War II that the repair work lasted until 1975. The Renaissance tower "Alter Peter" is, along with the Frauentürmen (Ladies Towers), a Munich landmark. After paying DM 2,50 you can climb 302 wooden steps to reach the viewing platform and enjoy a wonderful view over Munich. I made this accent during my first trip to München in 1989 but Debbie and I choose to stay at street level this time. There are many art treasures from various eras such as the gothic altar, the baroque baptismal font and the rococo side altars.
Right nearby is the Heilig-Geist-Kirche (Church of the Holy Ghost). This 14th Century Gothic church was completely redone in a florid rococo style in the early 18th Century. It has an incredibly ornate interior including painted vaulted-ceilings. The facade is Neo-Gothic and was re-done in 1888.
West of the Marienplatz on the Fußgangerzone (Neuhauser Straße) is Michaelskirche (St. Michael's Church). It is wedged between other buildings, so you may not notice that it is a church at first. This is one of the more famous Renaissance churches in Germany. This Jesuit church was completed in 1597. There is an interesting answer as to why the church does not have a tower. When the first tower was destroyed while being built, Duke Wilhelm V took it as a bad omen and built a much larger church, but without a tower. There are statues to the Bavarian kings who were were very good Catholics. There is a statue between the main doors of St. Michael slaying the dragon. It has a single nave covered by a hugh cradle-vaulted ceiling supported on massive columns abutting the walls. It has second largest free-standing vault in the world.
There is a large monument in the north transept that contains the tomb of Napoleon's stepson by his marriage to Josephine and French general, Eugene de Beauharnais (his father, also a general, had fought in the American Revolution but was later guillotined during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror), who married one of the daughters of Emperor Maximilian I (Princess Augusta Amelia) and who lived in München after the downfall of Napoleon. He died in there in 1824. Below the church, there is a large crypt that contains around 30 to 40 Wittelsbach princes and kings, including Duke Wilhelm V and the most famous of the them all, "Mad" King Ludwig II. His tomb is also quite extravagant though not as much as Emperor Ludwig's in the Frauenkirche.
North of the Marienplatz is the Odeonplatz. On the west side of the Odeonplatz, on Theatinerstraße, is the Theatinerkirche. This is a basilica in the style of the high Baroque and is considered to be one of the most beautiful churches in München. The church was a gift to the people of München by Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife in thanks for the birth of their long-awaited heir, Max Emanuel. When you see the church you figure that they must have waited a long time for this kid to be born.
The church is dedicated to St. Cajetan and is run by the Theatine Order of monks (thus the name). Construction began in 1663 and took six years. The dome and towers were added later and then finally in 1770, the facade. There are marble statues to four saints in the niches in the facade (including one to St. Cajetan himself). I had no idea who this saint was until I did some research. He was a Venetian noble (from Venice) who lived from 1480 to 1547. He was the founder of the monastic order that runs the church. The names Theate is Latin for St. Cajetan's friend and the first superior of the order, the future Pope Paul IV (Paul IV was responsible for confining Jews to ghettoes in Rome and other cities and is buried in Santa Maria sopra Minerva church in Rome where we visited in 2003).
The interior of the church has barrel vaulting and high dome. It is painted white with lavish decorations done in stucco. There is an immense high alter with more salutes of saints on it. Beneath the high alter, down in the crypt is the massive stone sarcophagus of King Max and his wife Marie of Prussia (the parents of "Mad" King Ludwig II - who is buried over in St. Michael's) along bronze coffins containing some other members of the Wittelsbach family. You have to pay a small fee to enter. Among the other coffins is Emperor Charles VII (a Bavarian elector who fought against Maria Theresia of Habsburg in the War of the Austrian Succession and lost), Prince-regent Luitpol (he deposed "Mad" King Ludwig II in 1886 and ruled as regent for Ludwig II's brother, the insane king Otto) and King Otto of Greece (Max's brother and Ludwig II's uncle who became king of Greece in 1832 and was overthrown by the Greek army in 1862).
In 1180, after Emperoror Frederick Barbarosa kicked out Heinrich der Löwe (Henry the Lion) and replaced him with Count Otto von Wittelsbach. This started the rise of the Wittelsbach dynasty which would rule Bavaria until 1918. The family name was taken from the castle of Wittelsbach, which once stood on the Paar River in Bavaria (it was destroyed in 1208).
Otto died three years later in 1183 and was followed by his son, Ludwig I (Ludwig is German for Louis) who moved the government to München and made it also the main residence of the Wittelsbachs. After the death of Ludwig's son, Duke Otto II in 1253, Bavaria was divided among Otto II's two sons; Henry who became the Duke of Upper Bavaria and Ludwig who became the Duke of Lower Bavaria.
After the Duke of Lower Bavaria died childless in 1340, Duke Ludwig III of Upper Bavaria united Bavaria. Ludwig III or "Ludwig der Bayer" (the Bavarian) became King of Germany and then in 1328 he became Ludwig IV the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (He was the 3rd Duke but the 4th emperor to be called Ludwig - confused yet? - he was the first Wittelsbach to become an emperor though).
The Holy Roman Empire (in German - Heiliges Römisches Reich) was a political conglomeration of lands in western and central Europe during the Middle Ages. At the time you had to be elected king before you could be elected emperor. German kings were always elected. In the time of Charlemagne, they were chosen by the leaders of the Germanic tribes (there were five of them). Later, certain dukes would elect the kings and emperors. In 1356, this was made official with seven specific people called "Electors" (how creative), four were rulers and three were archbishops. Otto the Great became the first Holy Roman Emperor in 962. His successor was his son (who was also elected) and this practice continued until 1024 when Emperor Heinrich II (St. Henry) died childless. Then the complicated system of elections started.
While he was still a duke, Ludwig was having trouble with Pope John XXII, who had excommunicated Ludwig in 1324. Ludwig went to Rome in 1328 to have himself crowned emperor (it was a tradition) and while he was there had a new pope elected, Nicholas V (later referred to as an Antipope). When Ludwig returned to Munchen, Nicholas' power diminished and he abdicated two years later.
After Ludwig's death in 1347, his son Stephen became Duke of Bavaria. When Stephen died in 1375, Bavaria was divided again. This time among Stephen's three sons. One ruled Ingolstadt, one ruled Landshut and one ruled Munchen. This lasted for 128 years.
Duke Albrecht IV "the Wise" united the three parts in 1503 (Albrecht is German for Albert). His decendents continued to rule Bavaria. In 1597, Duke Wilhelm V (Wilhelm is William in German) abdicated and his son Maximilian became duke. Duke Maximilian I "the Great", a Catholic, made München the bastion of Catholicism. He started to persecute Protestants which led to the Thirty Years' War in 1618 which devestated Germany. The following year, Maximilian was asked to become emperor, but he declined. In 1623, Maximilian would become an "Elector." Maximilian ruled Bavaria throughout the war, even when Swedish troops occupied Munchen in 1632. His son, Ferdinand Maria, succeeded him upon his death in 1551.
Ferdinand Maria's son, Maximilian II Emanuel, became duke and Elector in 1679 at the age of 17.
Two years later, the plague would kill 7,000 residents (a third of it's population). In 1705, during the War of Spanish Succession, the city is occupied by Austrian troops who remain until 1714. During that time, the Austrians brutally put down a peasant uprising. During the French Revolution in 1800, French troops occupy München.
Bavaria and München would reach it's height during the enlightened rulers of the 19th century. Max Joseph (1799-1825) helped to defeat Napoleon and became King Maximilian I of Bavaria. In 1810, the city started the tradition of Oktoberfest. München continued to grow as the capital of Bavaria. Maximilian's son, King Ludwig I (1825-1848) created many beautiful buildings in an attempt to make München the most beautiful capital in Europe. It becomes known as "Athens on the Isar" as the population of the city reaches 100,000. A scandal forced Ludwig to abdicate in favor of his son, Maximilian II (1848-1864) who continued the many building projects of his father.
Already at about 1175 the first city wall had been built. It had an outline in the shape of a spade. The spade rapidly grew and about 1330 a second city wall was built. Its horseshoe-shaped form characterizes the outline of the center of Munich till today. From the old town gates the 'Neuhauser Tor' (built about 1300, nowadays called 'Karlstor'), the 'Sendlinger Tor' (built about 1310) and the 'Isartor' (built about end of the 13. century) are still preserved.
Eating and Drinking in München
Here we are outside the Paulener Beer Hall in the Marienplatz. We just watched the 11am Glockenspiel show and are now sitting down to enjoy a little light refreshment. I tried the Paulaner Weißbier. The Marienplatz is where many of the restaurants and a couple beerhalls are. München's beer halls have their origins in the Middle Ages, when brewers stored barrels indoors, planting chestnut trees around their premises to shade them from the heat of the sun. These days beer gardens remain popular with locals and tourists. In the summer they set up tables and chairs in these enclosed courtyards, sometimes with a fountain in the middle. Beer is served in liter steins by these traditionally clad waitress going from table to table clutching several enormous, foaming beer steins in each hand while the resident brass band plays a seemingly endless succession of oompah tunes. Many beer gardens serve up roasted half-chickens (always well salted to keep their customers thirty and drinking lots of beer) with side orders of potato salad or French fries, while some have more extensive menus and others allow you to bring your own food. I found this article on the six big beers of München.
München Beer
München ranks as the third largest producer of beer in the world, and it can legitimately claim to be both the most influential and the most varied in output: it pioneered wheat-based and brown-colored beers, and adapted the original Bock of Einbeck to the form in which it's generally known today. The largest of the local breweries is Paulaner, which produces a full range of styles, generally with a drier flavor than those of its competitors; the dark and extremely
powerful
Salvator-Doppelbock is its star product. Paulaner has taken over Hacker-Pschorr (two formerly separate breweries which later united), whose product lines include an amber-colored Märzen and Pschorr-Weisse, a very pale wheat beer. Löwenbräu, better known abroad through being a bigger exporter, produces a similarly wide variety of generally maltier beers, among which the Pils enjoys the highest reputation. Though it continues to operate as a separate entity, Löwenbräu is now owned by its erstwhile rival Spaten, which
has the best amber and black beers – known respectively as
Ur-Märzen and Ludwig-Thoma-Dunkel – but is equally known for its Franziskaner Weissbier (available in both light and dark versions) and Maibock. Hofbräu, the oldest of the breweries, makes the classic Maibock plus a number of contrasting wheat beers, though its standard line is an Export. The main strength of Augustiner is its pale (Hell) beer, but it produces several prestigious dark brews as well.
Our first night in Munchen, we went to the Augustiner Keller on the west end of the Marienplatz. This is a large 19th century beerhall and restaurant of München's oldest brewery. Originally an Augustinian monastery dating back to 1294, it first began brewing beer in 1328. I guess after they were done praying, the monks needed a hobby. Eventually, the brewery was moved to its present location on Neuhauserstrasse in the center of Munich. We sat in a cavernous beerhall that is typical Bavarian. I tried the Tellerfleisch (boiled beef with horseradish) with a Augustiner Weißbeer. Boy, was it good. Debbie tried something with chicken and no beer of course.
Augustiner is one of a number of local beers of München. Many of which have their own beerhalls. Another night, we ate outside in the plaza at the Donisl Restaurant which serves Hacker-Pschorr beers. We shared a table with a German couple. They told us that they make numerous trips to the United States. He told us he likes to travel out west to see the cowboys. I have been told that Germans have a fascination with the Wild West.
Of course, for lunch one day, we visited the famous Hofbräuhaus. Probably one of the most famous public bar in the world. Hofbräuhaus has the unique ability of appealing to tourists, locals and beer fans while still maintaining a pleasant atmosphere of a big Bavarian beer hall. It was founded in 1589 and just celebrated it's 400th anniversary back in 1989. It was also the site where the Nazi party began in the 1920's. You can order a plate of sausages with your liter stein of beer or buy a big pretzel from the strolling pretzel girls. We sat near a Bavarian band playing what I am sure was a repertoire of their favorite beer drinking oompah songs. I of course had the liter of beer while Debbie tried "Cola-Mix". It's a combination of cola and orange soda. Debbie said it was a vile brew and was their idea of punishment for not ordering a beer. Of course we know this photo is not real, Debbie would never be having a beer (actually, that's mine).
ü ö ä
Paulaner
Löwenbrau
Spaten
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Foodwise, the Hofbräuhaus offers rather conventional Bavarian cuisine, from beer-basted roasted suckling pig with dumplings and salad, to mixed cheese platters to the strictly Bavarian Leberkäs, a baked loaf of ground beef and bacon, and zesty cucumber salad. In 1989, the Hofbräuhaus celebrated its 400th birthday.
