It's been about a month since I returned from Munich
and it's time to talk to you about Bavaria's capital and Germany's third
largest city.
Everyone knows something about Munich ... Others have
relatives or friends living there, most of you have heard about Oktoberfest,
football fans have identified this city with Bayern Munich and car lovers know
that here is BMW' s birthplace.
And maybe for some of you the above are already plenty
of reasons to visit Munich, but I will give you some more.
Marienplatz
The heart of Munich beats in Marienplatz. The central
square of the city took its name from Mariensäule (the Virgin Mary's Column)
located in the center of the square and was built there in 1638 as a sign of
gratitude for the end of the Swedish occupation. The building that dominates
here is that of the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus). Built in gothic -
renaissance style. It is also known for its tower clock, which is one of
Europe's greatest musical clocks. Every day at 11am and 5pm, the square is full
of tourists who are there to see the clock' s figures dancing rhythmically.
Personally, I found nothing impressive about this, but what I loved was the
view from the 85-meter tower of the Town Hall.
Frauenkirche
Hidden behind Marienplatz, the Frauenkirche was built
in the 12th century in a gothic style and has a capacity of 20,000 people. The
Frauenkirche, besides Munich's largest temple, is also the symbol of Bavaria.
Its two stunning bell towers are visible from every point in the city, because
it has banned the construction of taller buildings within the historic center.
You can climb the stairs to one of the two towers and if the sky is clear you
can see the Bavarian Alps.
The Viktualienmarkt
Maybe my favorite spot in the city of Munich, always
full of life, colors and smells. On the back of Peterskirche is the
Viktualienmarkt open air market, with a history of more than 200 years. More
than 140 stalls with a wide variety of flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables,
cheeses, sausages and breads. There are also many restaurants where you can try
from classic Bavarian sausages to seafood.
Neuhauser / Kaufingerstrasse
pedestrian streets
It is in fact a large pedestrian street, since one
road is the continuation of the other. The pedestrian street starts at
Karlstor, one of the three gates of the damaged medieval fortifications of the
city that have remained in good condition until now (the other two are Isartor
and Sendlinger Tor) and ends at Marienplatz. In this pedestrian street, which
stretches for several squares, most of the city's shops, shopping centers,
restaurants, bars and cafes are located, as well as some interesting temples.
Englischer Garten
Englischer Garten or English Garden is not a simple
garden as its name suggests, but a huge park, larger than Hyde Park in London
and Central Park in New York. In fact, it is so big that if you don' t want to
get lost you need to consult several times the maps that exist in different
places inside the park! Beautiful paths, lakes, streams, countless ducks and
even more Germans who sunbathe, exercise or play with their children or their
dogs. Inside the park there are also some characteristic attractions like the
Chinese Tower and Monopteros.
Deutsches Museum
The Deutsches Museum (German Museum) is located on a
small island on the River Isar that crosses the city of Munich. It is one of
the largest science and technology museums in the world and at the same time
the most famous museum in Munich. A
unique museum for those interested in engineering, astronomy physics, aviation,
electricity and environment.
Alte Pinakothek / Pinakothek der Moderne
Art lovers can not miss a visit to the Old and Modern
Art Gallery. In the Old Gallery, apart from the works of the greatest German
painters such as Durer, it hosts Rubens and Rembrandt' s works, as well as a
large collection of works from Spanish, Dutch and Italian artists.
The Modern Art Gallery is the largest contemporary art
museum in Germany, and among others it hosts van Gogh' s, Manet's, Monet' s,
Klimt' s, Gaugin' s, Monet' s and Renoir' s works.
Daphne's tip: In most museums in Munich the entrance
on Sunday is 1 euro!
Dachau concentration camp
Just 20 minutes outside Munich, in the small town of
Dachau, the Dachau concentration camp is one of the darkest pages of German
history and one of the most visited places in Europe. It will in no case be one
of the most beautiful moments of your trip. To be honest, it will be a memory that
will bring you a knot in the stomach. It' s very difficult to describe the
atmosphere you experience while you visit it but it is a part of history which
we should never forget.
Bavarian specialties
Bavarian cuisine, like any local German cuisine, is based
on meat. In particular, some of the most typical dishes in the region are white
Bavarian sausages (Weisswurst), which Germans usually eat for breakfast,
roasted pork knuckle (Schweinshaxe), Spätzle which are egg-based pasta usually
served with cheese and bacon, sour cabbage (sauerkraut), and, of course,
pretzels. One of the most famous pastries in the region is Kaiserschmarrn,
which looks like chopped pancakes with almonds and raisins, as well as the
black forest cake(Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte).
And of course, the beers. Bavarians like genuine
Germans adore beer. They even begin to drink beer early in the morning. There
are about 40 kinds of beer and over 4,000 Bavarian beer brands. You can taste
the bavarian beer in countless places in Munich, but I personally prefer
biergartens.
Some of my favorite restaurants in Munich with genuine
Bavarian cuisine and nice beers are Wirtshaus zum Straubinger, Nurnberger
Bratwurst Glockl am Dom and Wirtshaus in der Au.
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