Munich

Join the Hipporoller Challenge

Help the Travel Guide reach 20,000,000 characters and we'll donate 63 hipporollers worth over $6000. Read more.

Quick Facts

[edit]

Population

1.356.594

Elevation

519 metres

Founded

1158

Coordinates

• Latitude: 48.139127
• Longitude: 11.580214

On Travellerspoint

• 3 Munich Apartments
• 1 Munich Campsites
• 6 Munich Guesthouses
• 17 Munich Hostels
• 29 Munich Hotels

Contributors

• Lavafalls (61%)
  from Silver Drops Jewelry Designs
• Utrecht (22%)
  from http://utrecht.travellerspoint.com

as well as Herr Bert (9%), t_maia (7%), Sam I Am (1%)

Help contribute to this article to share the ad revenue.

Introduction

Munich

© All Rights Reserved Malysh

Home of the world-famous Oktoberfest, Munich is the capital city of the German state of Bavaria and Germany's 3rd largest city. But it's not just beer that draws travellers to Munich, although during Oktoberfest it's hard to believe otherwise as thousands of Germans and foreigners alike crowd the city to drown the frothy brew. Beautifully rebuilt after the WWII bombings, Munich is known for its architecture, galleries and museums and as a cultural centre. Munich's proximity to the Alps, Italy, the Czech Republic and Austria, as well as a green countryside just outside the city, make it a popular city to visit and live in. Consequently it is also the most expensive city to rent a flat in all of Germany.

Munich first appeared in the history books in 1158, but most likely the city existed before then. By 1255 Munich was the ducal residence of Upper Bavaria making it a very important city in the region. The city grew in power during the late medieval period and was even granted a salt monopoly making the residents of Munich very wealthy. In 1506, when Bavaria was reunited, Munich became the capital of all of Bavaria. The city's importance only grew with it becoming the centre for the German counter reformation and renaissance art movement. Munich remained the capital of the kingdom of Bavaria until it collapsed in 1918.

From 1918 to after World War II Munich was a major area for social unrest. There were several communist revolutions, which were put down and eventually the city became a rally point for the Nazi Party. The city was heavily bombed during World War II. After the war the city was completely rebuilt in its traditional way, even preserving the original pre-war street grid system. Today Munich has become a major economic center in Germany and is a wonderful place to visit.

Official city website: http://www.muenchen.de/home/60093/Homepage.html.

Stadtbezirke

The city has 25 Stadtbezirke (boroughs).

Sights and Activities

Frauenkirche Cathedral

The Frauenkirche Cathedral is the largest church in Munich. This large Catholic church, with the New Town Hall, dominate the city center. Built in only 20 years, from 1468 to 1488, this late gothic cathedral is stunning, although it does not have rich gothic ornaments. The two domes on top of the towers were built during the Renaissance giving the building a unique look. The Frauenkirche can hold up to 20,000 people and has three naves that are 31 m in height. There are many great pieces of artwork and the stained-glass windows are stunning, some of them predating the current church. The Frauenkirche is located at Frauenplatz 1.

Other Churches

Frauenkirche

© All Rights Reserved jmmani2

• St. Peter is the oldest church in Munich and the church has a stunning alter.
• St. Michael's is a former Jesuit church and is the largest Renaissance Church north of the Alps. Built between 1583 and 1597 it became the spiritual center for the Counter Reformation. The fully restored exterior and interior will amaze anyone.
• Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church), this high baroque style church was built between 1663 and 1690. The church was built by Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife as gesture of thanks for the birth of the new heir to the Bavarian crown. Many famous artists decorated the interior and the exterior this church.
• Bürgersaalkirche is a baroque style church.
• Dreifaltigkeitskirche, this is a good baroque style church.
• St. Anna Damenstiftskirche is an interesting baroque church.
• St. Anna im Lehel is the first rococo church in Bavaria.
• Asamkirche (Asam Church) was built between 1733 and 1746 by the two Asam brothers. It was built originally as their private church but protests from the locals made the brothers open up the church to the public. The church is a great example of Late Bavarian Baroque architecture with a rococo twist. The facade of the church tells the story of St. John of Nepomuk and interior of the church is decorated with gold trim, amazing statues and paintings.
• St. Michael in Berg am Laim, this church was built to serve the brotherhood of St. Michael between 1738 and 1751. The church has an elegant exterior with two twin towers and the interior has a very nice alter.
• St Mathaeus.
• St. Martin.
• St. Lukas.

Museums

• Bavarian State Museum of Ethnology (Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde) was originally opened in 1868 and has only grown since. It has the second largest collection in Germany with over 200,000 objects. One of its main artifacts is the oldest existing North American kayak.
• Haus der Kunst, this art museum can have nice travelling exhibitions. It is located at Prinzregentenstraße 1.
• Pinakothek der Moderne, is a good modern art museum in the city centre with a large collection.
• Bavarian National Museum (Bayerisches Nationalmuseum) houses a great collection of art from all over Europe.
• Bavarian State Archaeological Collection (Archäologische Staatssammlung) is the home to a great collection of important archaeological relics from paleolithic times to the early Middle Ages.
• Schackgalerie is one of the best galleries in the city with many Romanticism pieces.
• Deutsches Museum is the world's largest museum of technology and science. This museum has great exhibits on science in early history to the modern day.
• Munich City Museum has several famous gothic pieces.

Other Sights and Activities

Munich Town Hall

© All Rights Reserved gag

• Hofbräuhaus am Platzl is the most famous beer hall in the world and one of the major sponsors for Octoberfest.
• Marienplatz (Mary's Square) is the main city square in Munich and has been in use sine 1158.
• Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) was built between 1867 and 1909 and dominates the city center. This Gothic Revivial style buildings has over 400 rooms and the main tower has a hieght of 85 m.
• Mariensäule (Marian Column) is a tall column that was built to celebrate the ending of Swedish occupation during the Thirty Years' War. It is crowned with a golden statue of the Virgin Mary standing on a crescent moon.
• Stachus is the official name of this large square is the Karlsplatz, but no one calls it that. There are many nice buildings on the square and an open air ice rink in the winter.
• Viktualienmarkt, check out this daily food market in the city centre.
• Ohel Jakob Synagogue, this new synagogue opened in 2006, which was originally destroyed in 1938.
• Dachau Concentration Camp, a somber trip to this concentration camp, 16 km from town, helps us not forget history.

Events and Festivals

Munich - Oktoberfest parade

© All Rights Reserved loiloikoh

The Oktoberfest is held annualy, actually starting already in September! Although more cities have Oktoberfeste, this one is the best known and in fact is the largest fair in the world, with 6 million visitors a year. Finding a place to stay during these days can be very hard, and if you want to stay in Munich itself booking ahead (far ahead) is requiered. The festival takes place at the Theresienwiese since 1810, when it was held as a celibration for the marriage between Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen Over the years there have been 24 cancellations of the fest for many reasons in this period, including wars and diseases. Since 1950 the Oktoberfest as we know it today emerged. Most of the breweries set up an own tent at the festival. Over the last few year the one from the Hofbrauhaus has been the biggest, with a capacity of almost 10.000 for this tent alone. Besides drinking beer, there is (in good German tradition) enough to eat, and enough to do. A fairground is erected at the grounds to entertain the young and the old. The beer is poured in 1 litre mugs. The mugs carry the logo of the brewery who's beer you are drinking. If you like your mug so much that you want to take it home, be warned that stealing a mug can cost you a fine of 50 euros. It's better to buy one, and keep the receipt for the occasion that the police wants to see the receipt.

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

Flughafen München Franz Josef Strauß (Franz Josef Strauss International Airport) (MUC) is the second busiest airport in Germany and is only 28 km from the city. This airport is a major hub for Lufthansa making it easy to connect to any major city in the world. It is possible to reach the airport by the Munich suburban railways line of S1 and S8, takes 45 minutes and costing €8.80. It is also possible to take the Lufthansa City Airport Bus to get to and from the airport and takes 40 minutes and costs €10 for a one way ticket or €16 roundtrip ticket.

By Train

Deutsche Bahn (DB) is the national railway company of Germany and offers train to and from Munich.

By Car

By Bus

Eurolines connects to several German cities, including Munich. The stop is at München-Fröttmaning, Near the Allianz Arena (the footballstadium of Bayern München and 1860 München). from there you can get to the city by underground, the U-bahn station Fröttmaning is not far away. Reservations can be made at Deutsche Touring, Hirtenstrasse 14 (tel: 089-88989513), which is near the Central train staion. You can also make reservations by internet.

Getting Around

By Car

As in all big cities, getting around is not easy if you are not familiar.

By Public Transport

Munich has a large network of underground lines (U-Bahn), S-bahn, city busses and trams, making public transport one of the better options to get around in Munich.

By Foot

By Bike

Bicycle is a great way to get around Munich. Munich is mostly flat and has an excellent bicycle path network. The only limits on where you can cycle to is the sheer size of the city. With a diameter of roughly 25 kms it can take unfit cyclists 2-3 hours to get from one place to the other. For this reason people should note that it is possible to take bicycles on S-Bahn trains - but please try this only during non-peak hours or you will be murdered!

Eat

Drink

Having over 6,000 licensed establishments there is plenty of nightlife to explore. For the student and artist crowd go check out the Schwabing area. For discos and pubs go check out the former industrial areas of Kultfabrik and Optimolwerke.

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• University of Munich
• Technical University of Munich

Keep Connected

Internet

There are several internet cafes around the main train station.

Phone

Try the internet cafes around the main train station. The internet cafes run by immigrants usually offer the cheapest rates to call abroad. See also International Telephone Calls

Post