Munich is the capital of Bavaria and one of the largest cities in Germany. When I arrived, I expected the city to have a large downtown area filled with towering buildings. Come to think of it, many European cities really don’t build upward as much as major cities in the United States or Asia. Above are two photos from the outskirts of Munich. The city center was visible from where I was, but you’d have to know what you’re looking for because it doesn’t really stand out from this distance.
Above is probably the most iconic building in Munich, the Neues Rathaus, or New Town Hall, which dominates Marienplatz. Construction began in 1867 and the enormous Gothic Revival building was completed in stages over the following decades. Another famous feature is the Rathaus-Glockenspiel, photographed above. At certain times of day, life-sized figures rotate around the tower and reenact scenes from Munich’s history. If you’re a tourist like me and don’t know the story beforehand, the figures seem to suddenly start moving while bells and chimes ring from the tower.
Also in Marienplatz is Munich’s Old Town Hall, which traces its history back to the medieval period. Around the corner is the Heiliggeistkirche, or Holy Ghost Church, photographed above. There are much larger churches and cathedrals in Munich, but many seemed to be under renovation or closed when I visited. Heiliggeistkirche turned out to be one of the most beautiful churches I saw in the city.
Downtown Munich has plenty of traditional German and Bavarian items for sale in its souvenir stores. Even though I didn’t buy any, my favorites were these elaborate cuckoo clocks and traditional beer steins.
It seems like relatively few countries I visit still have traditional clothing that people regularly wear, but Bavaria is an exception. In Munich I’d occasionally see people dressed in traditional outfits at restaurants and beer halls or walking together through the streets. These two stores had lederhosen, dirndls, and other traditional Bavarian clothing prominently displayed for sale.
Many of the bars and restaurants around downtown Munich have their own distinctive signs hanging above the street. They add a lot of character to the older parts of the city. Of course, it just wouldn’t feel completely authentic without a Burger King mixed in there!
Munich has plenty of attractive outdoor cafés and restaurants and is generally considered one of Germany’s wealthier cities. Like almost every major city, however, homelessness is still visible. The people I encountered mostly kept to themselves rather than actively approaching people for money.
One of the most famous places in Munich is the Hofbräuhaus beer hall. Here you’ll find traditional Bavarian food, live music, and of course what Munich is especially famous for: beer. The city hosts Oktoberfest every year and its beer culture is a major part of its identity. Hofbräuhaus was packed when I visited on a Saturday night, and since much of the seating is communal, finding an open spot at one of the long tables took some luck.
Munich also played an important role in the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. After World War I, Hitler became involved with the small German Workers’ Party in Munich, which was later transformed into the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or Nazi Party. He quickly became known for his speeches and emerged as the movement’s dominant figure. Hofbräuhaus was one of several Munich beer halls used for early Nazi political meetings, and in 1920 Hitler presented the party’s 25-point program here before a large audience.
This building was once associated with the Nazi Party’s operations in Munich. Sites connected to the movement can still be found throughout the city, although many have since been repurposed and bear little resemblance to how they appeared during the Nazi era.
This narrow street is Viscardigasse, sometimes called “Dodgers’ Alley.” Nearby stood a Nazi memorial honoring those killed during the failed Beer Hall Putsch. People passing the memorial were expected to give the Nazi salute, so some Munich residents opposed to the regime reportedly used Viscardigasse to bypass it. Today a trail of bronze-colored paving stones commemorates those who took the alternate route.
For anyone interested in World War II and the rise of the Nazi regime, Munich has an enormous amount of history, although it isn’t always obvious when you’re simply walking through the city. The inscription above commemorates American forces who helped liberate Munich in 1945. The other photo shows a memorial to victims of Nazi persecution. Millions of Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, while many other groups were also persecuted and killed by the regime, including Roma, disabled people, gay men, political opponents, prisoners of war, and others.
Munich suffered extensive destruction from Allied bombing during World War II, and much of the city had to be rebuilt afterward. There are still traces of the war if you know where to look. The photos above show some of the damage and repairs I came across while exploring the city, including marks still visible on the exterior of older buildings.
Munich has long since recovered from the war and today is home to major companies and high-tech industries. Until I visited, I never realized BMW was headquartered here. Its distinctive headquarters sit beside BMW Welt and the BMW Museum near Olympic Park. I didn’t visit the museum, but BMW Welt itself had plenty of vehicles on display. Many of the cars were unlocked so you could sit inside and look around, although unfortunately there was no joy riding!
Right across the street from BMW is Munich’s Olympic Park, built for the 1972 Summer Olympics. I had never visited a former Olympic park until going to Atlanta a few months before this trip. There isn’t necessarily a huge amount happening when no event is taking place, but it’s interesting to see the stadiums and competition venues. Above is a view across Olympic Park from the Olympic Tower, along with the swimming hall where American swimmer Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in 1972, a record for gold medals at a single Olympic Games that stood until Michael Phelps won eight in 2008.
One of the best things to do in Olympic Park is go to the top of the Olympiaturm, or Olympic Tower. The tower rises roughly 291 meters, or 955 feet, including its antenna, and the observation areas provide panoramic views across Munich. On a perfectly clear day you can even see the Alps in the distance. The Olympic Tower is where I took the first two photos at the top of this page. When I visited, there was also an area covered with graffiti and messages left by visitors, almost like a giant public logbook.
Places like Olympic Park are fairly far from the historic center, so I often used public transportation during my stay. Munich’s transit system uses proof-of-payment rather than requiring passengers to pass through ticket gates at every station. That confused me at first because there wasn’t always anyone checking whether I had the right ticket. The trains were busy but rarely felt excessively crowded, and they made getting around the city easy.
A great place to visit in Munich, especially during warmer weather, is the English Garden. It’s an enormous city park filled with open fields, walking paths, streams, restaurants, cafés, and of course beer gardens. This was one of my favorite places in Munich and a perfect place to go for a walk or jog and grab some lunch. There were also plenty of people doing unusual things around the park, including a guy making giant bubbles. I visited in March when the weather was warmer than usual. One German apparently felt it was so warm that clothes had become unnecessary.
One of the most entertaining things I saw in the English Garden was this dog on a mission to catch a duck. At first I thought he was just enjoying a swim, but he kept heading straight toward one of the ducks. Every time it flew away and landed somewhere nearby, the dog went after it again. After about 15 minutes he finally returned to shore without his prize and received a big cheer and applause from the crowd he’d gathered!
Something I definitely wasn’t expecting to see in the English Garden was surfing! Several streams run through the park, including the Eisbach, where the current creates a powerful standing wave. Surfers lined up along the bank waiting for their turn, jumping onto the wave one after another. Most stayed up for only a short time before falling into the water and getting back in line. I’ve never surfed before, but after watching these guys I could definitely see why it’s fun.
One night while roaming around Munich with my friend, we ate at this small Burger Boss restaurant. It was nicely decorated and had a menu heavily influenced by American food. Hamburgers were an obvious choice, but there were also dishes inspired by Tex-Mex and other American styles. Finding an American-themed restaurant in Bavaria wasn’t exactly what I’d traveled to Germany for, but it was still interesting seeing another country’s interpretation of food from back home.
Near the neighborhood where I was staying was the Munich Waldfriedhof, a huge woodland cemetery. My friend discovered it while exploring the area and recommended that I visit. When I decided to go for a run, I figured the cemetery would be a perfect place to explore at the same time. I planned to run for only 30 minutes, but the cemetery was so large that I ended up getting lost and ran for 45 minutes instead! With tens of thousands of graves spread throughout its wooded grounds, it was much larger than I expected.
