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It makes sense to commence a walking tour of Munich in Marienplatz, the focal point of the city's historic center. The spectacular Neues Rathaus, or New Town Hall, facing the square dates back to 1892. The building's 85-m (278 ft) tower can be visited and affords fine views over the city. The view seen in this photograph, by the way, is from the Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church) clock tower.
Before moving on from Marienplatz, look up at the town hall tower. The ornate glockenspiel is a tourist attraction in its own right. Every day at 11 am and midday (as well as 5 pm in the summer) it chimes, the figures reenacting a 16th-century marriage ceremony and a jousting tournament. The Café Glockenspiel opposite affords near eye-level views of this delightful custom.
Munich is blessed with a fabulous park known as the Englischer Garten, or English Garden. Embroidered with trees and crisscrossed by numerous paths and bridleways, this is where to escape the clamor of the city, perhaps under the shade of the ornate Monopteros temple (pictured).
Did you know that you can surf in Munich? The city lures boarders from across Europe to the Eisbach river in Englischer Garten and an odd quirk of nature, a static wave known as Eisbachwelle, created by the emergence of the river from its underground watercourse. It's a well-known radical water sports spectacle for seasoned surfers only. Don't even think about if you're a novice!
If you decide to spend more time in the Englischer Garten, take a diversion to the Bavarian National Museum. Dating back to 1855, the museum houses a fine collection of medieval decorative art and is also noted for its display of traditional folklore artifacts.
Located in the northwest outskirts of the city and easily reached by metro, Schloss Nymphenburg makes for a worthwhile excursion. This splendid 17th-century Baroque palace stands replete in extensive, well-manicured grounds and is a treat to visit anytime of the year.
The palace's central pavilion dazzles with its beautiful ceiling frescoes and florid, gilded decoration. There are other private chambers salons to explore, each filled with period furnishings and fine artworks.
The Munich Residenz is one of Europe's finest royal palaces and stands within the city center. For centuries the seat of dukes, noblemen, and kings of Bavaria, this spectacular building deserves a good two hours of your time to absorb the riches within. Fittingly, the outstanding Residenz Museum stands in the oldest part of the palace, the magnificent Antiquarium (pictured), built in 1579.
The Residenz is also known for its Treasury, where must-see exhibits include the Bavarian Crown Jewels, the centerpiece of which is the gleaming Bavarian King's Crown.
Built for the 1972 Olympic Games, the Olympiapark today serves as the city's major recreational center. Facilities include a running track and aquatic center, while family attractions number a thrilling zip line and stadium roof climb. Looming over the whole area is the landmark 290-meter-high (951 ft) Olympic Tower.
Petrol heads will be in automobile heaven at the futuristic BMW Museum. Set on the boundaries of the Olympiapark, the museum houses an amazing collection of four-wheel treasures, like this super rare 1939 BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster. There's also an impressive display of motorbikes to keep two-wheel fans happy.
Munich's wonderful Viktualienmarkt is an indoor and outdoor farmer's market facility selling an array of traditional foodstuffs. The meat and cheese selection is exceptional, and there's a delicious choice of cakes and pastries too. A colorful maypole marks the center ground, decorated with traditionally dressed figures representing the various crafts and trades associated with this particular corner of town.
Set along the tranquil banks of the Isar river is Tierpark Hellabrunn, the city's zoo. There's been a zoological park here since 1911. Modernized and expanded over the years, Hellabrunn today encloses more than 19,000 animals from 757 species. Focused on conservation and captive breeding rare species such as tigers, the zoo is regularly ranked as one of the best in Europe.
The festive season in Munich is marked by one of Europe's liveliest and most attractive Christmas markets. Taking place in Marienplatz from the last week in November to December 24, the market exudes yuletide cheer and is enlivened by a huge and illuminated tree set outside the Neues Rathaus.
Sources: (Deutsche Welle) (History) (The Beer Connoisseur)
See also: Enjoy a city break in Budapest
Königsplatz is a central Munich square noted for its collection of excellent museums—the three Pinakothek art galleries, the Glyptothek archaeological museum, and the Staatliche Antikensammlungen (ancient art museum). Still standing nearby is the Führerbau, in which the ill-fated 1938 Munich Agreement drawn up between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler was signed.
The Lenbachhaus is another Königsplatz museum, originally built as a Florentine-style villa for the painter Franz von Lenbach between 1887 and 1891. Fully restored to its ornate Italianate design, but also featuring a new modern wing, this superb cultural facility contains the world's foremost collection of works by the early 20th-century Der Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) movement, a group of Expressionist painters led by Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Franz Marc.
Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church) is Munich's oldest parish church, and is commonly referred to as "Old Pete." It should be visited for its amazing high altar and the five Gothic panel-paintings by Jan Polack (1435–1519), considered masterpieces of the age. Peterskirche's lofty bell tower affords the best views over Marienplatz.
Arguably Munich's most popular cultural draw, the Deutsches Museum is the largest of its kind in the world dedicated to science and technology. Exhibits range from the Fraunhofer Refractor, the telescope that discovered Neptune, the Second World War-era Messerschmitt Me 262 (pictured), the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, and the very latest science on global warming.
Entering Asamkirche, the Asam Church, is to discover a world of beautiful stucco sculpture, huge, twisted columns, jaw-dropping frescoes, and astonishingly detailed paintings. Not for nothing is the church considered to be one of the most important buildings of the southern German Late Baroque period.
Munich's most iconic building, the huge and imposing Frauenkirche is considered a symbol of the Bavarian capital city. The church was completed in 1488, and consecrated in 1494. No building within the Munich city limits stands taller than the twin 100-m (328 ft) Frauenkirche towers. The views from either are simply breathtaking.
While Frauenkirche's interior is far less decorative than most other Munich churches, it does boast one essential attraction, the 1622 tomb of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor (pictured).
The 17th-century Theatine Church of St. Cajetan stands overlooking Odeonsplatz and counts as another one of Munich's landmark places of worship. Its stunning mustard-colored facade, flanked by twin bell towers, is Mediterranean in appearance and hides a richly decorated interior.
Situated just off Königsplatz is the Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism. This extraordinary facility is a museum and research center that focuses on the history and consequences of the Nazi regime and the role of Munich as the "capital of the movement." It stands on the site of the former Brown House, the Nazi Party headquarters destroyed by Allied bombing during the Second World War.
One of the more unusual Munich monuments is the Weiße Rose Pavement Memorial. The White Rose was an anti-Nazi student movement led by siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl. The group operated by distributing inflammatory leaflets denouncing the regime to German intelligentsia. The pair were eventually captured and executed. The monument, designed as bronze pamphlets embedded in cobblestone, can be admired in Geschwister-Scholl-Platz (Scholl Siblings Square).
Standing on Odeonsplatz is the Feldherrnhalle. It was outside this monumental loggia on November 9, 1923 that Bavarian State Police clashed with followers of Adolf Hitler to suppress the Nazi's failed coup attempt to overthrow the state, commonly known as the Beer Hall Putsch.
Soccer fans visiting Munich will no doubt want to make a pilgrimage to the remarkable Allianz Arena, home to mighty FC Bayern Munich. The colorful and luminous exterior has even caught the imagination of non-football supporters, such is its eye-catching allure.
Set in the picturesque suburb of Oberschleißheim is Schloss Schleißheim, a Baroque palace of considerable charm and worth making the effort to reach. Interestingly, Stanley Kubrick used the the palace and its grounds extensively while filming 'Paths of Glory' (1957), which stars Kirk Douglas.
Everyone should make the effort to see Dachau concentration camp. Located 16 km (10 mi) northwest of Munich, this was the first camp of its kind opened by the Nazis, on March 22, 1933. Today visitors can walk the foundations of the barracks, inspect the grim crematoria, and absorb themselves in the information displays housed in the visitor center.
You can't come to Munich and not indulge in some drinking time. Bavaria is deserving of its reputation as one of Europe's great beer regions, and there's no better place in Munich to knock back a stein or two than in the famous Hofbräuhaus.
And speaking of beer, if you find yourself in town from mid- or late September, head over to the annual Oktoberfest. This is the biggest beer festival in the world, where vast quantities of the liquid gold is consumed in noisy but convivial surroundings.
Mention Munich and great beer and flashy cars spring to mind. But Bavaria's capital city is about so much more. A city full of historic churches, sumptuous palaces, and cutting-edge museums, Munich melds tradition with a high-tech vibe. And this is a destination that has also come to terms with its darker past by creating monuments and memorials to the victims of National Socialism.
Click through and take a meander through Munich.
Enjoy a meander through Munich
Discover Bavaria's bewitching capital
TRAVEL Europe
Mention Munich and great beer and flashy cars spring to mind. But Bavaria's capital city is about so much more. A city full of historic churches, sumptuous palaces, and cutting-edge museums, Munich melds tradition with a high-tech vibe. And this is a destination that has also come to terms with its darker past by creating monuments and memorials to the victims of National Socialism.
Click through and take a meander through Munich.