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Munich

Monk’s memoirs of moments

Munich, a sophisticated city coupled with earthy entertainment, the capital city of Bavaria in South Germany lies on the Isar River guarded by the Bavarian Alps. This charming and the wonderful 800-year-old city reflects a perfect blend of modernism and antiquity. It is at Munich, the word derived from the German word Monche meaning Monks in English, that one can find riding alongside folk traditions the excess of BMWs.
The city is the malting pot of varied cultures and the hullabaloo can be heard at the revelry of Oktoberfest, the beer festival. “Munchen mag dich” is the motto of the city that implies Munich loves you….

History of Munich at a glance

The city Munich dates back to the Carolingian times and was founded by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria in the year 1158. In a few years’ time it was chosen to be the residence of illustrious Wittelsbach family, and the city was dominated by them until the 20th century. In the 13th century, however, Munich was expanded, fortified and was given the salt-trading monopoly, thus laying the foundation of a wealthy city.

In the next two hundred years the city grew and prospered to become the capital of Bavaria from 1503, but during this time the city frequently suffered from outbreak of plagues. However, during the thirty years of war, Munich was occupied by Gustavus II of Sweden and it came under Habsburg rule from 1705. Besides being the first German state to have a written constitution by 1818, Munich played a leading role in the development of 19th and 20th century German art and painting.

It was after the WWI, Munich experienced political unrest and the city became synonymous with Nazism. Adolf Hitler made Munich the headquarters of his Nazi party and during the WWII the city was badly damaged by incessant bombings and was almost reduced to ashes. The post-war years saw the city reconstruct and rebuild from the rubbles, its population consolidated, and no soon the city has made its place in the international scenario by hosting the 1972 Olympic Games and it took less than 4 decades to rise to that stature. Thanks to so many people that worked for it’s raising.

Geography and Demography

Munich, on the northern edge of Alps, has a Continental type of climate. With its proximity to the Alps, rainstorms frequent the place so unexpectedly and yet so violently. The months between May and September every year are just majestic and so beautiful because the weather during this time remains finest with abundant sunshine to go around the city. Anytime during the year, one can experience warm and dry Fohn winds, typical of the city that helps you to completely capture the scenic beauty of rugged Alps crystal clear in the reels of your cameras. However, to live in below a freezing temperature and sunless skies, visit Munich between months of November to March. The inhabitants of Munich are mostly Catholic, but it also has strong Turkish and Balkan communities as well.

Cultural diversity in Munich

Munich has great reputation of being a metropolis of art and culture. The skyline of the compact city is dominated by shrines of many cathedrals, reflecting more of a catholic culture and stronghold of Catholics; in fact, the city has more churches and museums than anything else. The architectural treasure troves of Munich are rich and varied with its large squares and spacious avenues reflecting the Bavarian Monarchy as well. The cultural history of Munich is reflected in its many art galleries and theatres. The music landscape of this beautiful city ranges from classical to pop and jazz with an openness to embrace anything that is new and trendy. Since the historic days to the present day center of European culture, the city Munich took all efforts it can to promote and conserve its rich art and architecture and no doubt it soon became the richest cultural cities of Germany.

Getting around Munich….?

The city is mostly clustered along the banks of the River Isar and one can feel the charm of an old city, by taking a walk from the Hauptbahnhof to the Altstadt. Lying at the center of the city is the Grand Square Marienplatz and near to it lays the Royal Palace. Munich’s famous university lies to the North of Marienplatz at Schwabing and is bordered by Europe’s one of the largest park the Englisher Garten while the most famous Oktoberfest ground is at Theresienwiese. Hauptbahnhof is the major station and the area around this place boasts of great stay and is clustered with appealing eating joints. It is near and around this place at the Maximilanstrasse that one can shop through drop while enjoying a pint of wine in the major restaurants and pubs that lay dotted here and there. Munich is excellently connected with major parts of Germany and the rest of the world as well through its extensive network of roads, rails and air-routes. The rapid train connections to major German cities are a great boon to the travelers and every person here.

Muncheners enjoy the excellent public transportation system and the travelers enjoy visiting the different places of interest either by buses or through underground rail networks. One can simply spend several weeks exploring the rich historic and architectural setting of this wonderful city. Art lovers will miss no opportunity to visit the Alte Pinakothek, an art gallery that houses paintings of 14th and 15th century period. It has world famous collection of works with exceptional quality. The altar paintings at this art gallery stand out of the world. Some of the famous works include The Four Apostles by Albrecht Durer, The Seven Joys of Mary by Hans Memling and many more. While if you wish to understand and admire the Nazi art, Haus der Kunst at Prinzregentenstrasse presents an excellent collection of Nazi art form and houses works of some great artists whom Nazis disowned during their time. However, for the contemporary art lovers there is a modern art gallery too, named Hypo-Kulturstiftung that is mostly renowned for quality exhibits of cross genres.

Munich is a city of museums. The several dozen museums at Munich ranging from world famous institutions to Munich synagogues are simply great places to visit and one can get an in-depth understanding of the art and culture of this part of the world. If you are interested in science and technology, Deutsches Museum is a must visit. Even the kids would have a great day out at this place. It has exhibition rooms where one can actually go ahead and do experiments. It is the real life exhibits that draws lots of people to this museum. It houses everything from the 19th century steam engines to some antique musical instruments to modern industrial tools.

To learn more on the cultural history of Europe, visit the Bavarian National Museum. The exhibits at this museum are rich and varied ranging from a rich collection of art and crafts to items of folklore. At Muenchner Stadtmuseum, however, the city’s history can be traced from its olden days to modern times. The Mecca of car lovers at Munich is the new BMW car museum. It has on exhibit, cars of all ages from BMW a car lover’s paradise one can say and a place that everyone would love to visit.

There is another private museum called Kartoffelmuseum that attracts a large crowd all the year round. It is the Potato museum and caters to the creative and artistic aspect of this starch-rich vegetable. On display, one can view paintings and sketches related to all aspects of po…po…Potato.

If you wish to savor in your eyes the panoramic view of Munich, you must take a little effort and climb up the 300+ steps of the 92-meter tall tower of the city’s oldest church the St. Peterskirsche. One can experience the galore, grandeur and power of Wittlesbach clan at the Residenz, the magnificient palace of Munich from this skyscraper.

Outdoor Activities at Munich

It is not only archaeological and architectural setting that Munich boasts of, but it also offers its people and tourists a stack of outdoor activities ranging from a boating trip in English Garden, bathing on the riverbanks to rafting on River Isar. The most popular boating spots at Munich are the Kleinhesseloher Lake and at the Olympiapark. The city is an excellent place for cycling too. There are bike-tracks for hitchhiking and even spots for ice-skating during the winters. The city offers its tourists a healthy mix of entertainment ranging from cool beer serving pubs to some world-class operas and theaters.

The typical annual calendar of Munich has innumerable events. Beginning with street parties to mini Oktoberfest called Fruehlingsfest to welcome the spring. There are street parades and dressed up horses, the Munich Film Festival comes in the month of June. Come September and you have the biggest booze-up on Earth in the form of Oktoberfest. For the Sports lover there is a six-day Cycle Race in the month of November with plenty of food, drink and entertainment.

Munich thus is a city of museums, beer gardens, royal palaces and spacious squares. It is one of the safest German cities to explores and travel. In the summer months, traveling in and around Munich is a bit expensive though. One needs to book in advance accommodation if you are travelling to Munich during the festival season. Some easy day trips from Munich are Dachau, Sternberg and Salzburg. You can also unwind yourself at Bad Reichenhall, a small and lovely spa town at Munich. So take time to visit Munich and start exploring everything that it offers and you agree, Munich loves you..!

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