Back at the end of March, early April, I took a trip through Austria and Germany. Well, life gets in the way (aka thesis time), and I never talked about my time in Munich. I did write about Neuschwanstein Castle, but never about the charming city of Munich itself. It’s only been four months, but hey! Better late than never!
Munich is what you think of when it comes to stereotypical Germany: the beer houses, the architecture, the music. Much to my surprise, unlike the rest of Germany, Bavaria is very Catholic. Also to my surprise, Germany on the whole has some very traditional celebrations that are very different from the liberal-minded Germany we think of now. I visited Munich over the Easter weekend. On Good Friday in many parts of Germany is a very religious celebration, and Bavaria is one of those. You can’t play music (only the beer halls that have a lot of money to hold a permit) and you can’t drink alcohol (I think some beers are ok, though). Not even the Glockenspiel played a tune.
The Glockenspiel
Anyone who has done their research, or just passes by through the city in the middle of the day, will have to make a visit to the Glockenspiel. The Rathaus-Glockenspiel is located in Marienplatz in the center of the city. Every day at 11, 12, and in the summer, 5, the glockenspiel plays and the coopers dance around.
The scene depicted is of a wedding. The coopers, however, stole the show for me. On my walking tour, my guide was an Italian girl who was dating a cooper. The coopers are specially selected. You must be a bachelor between 18-30 and perform for the Epiphany celebration on January 6. This is no light job though. The selected guys must take a sabbatical from work so that they can practice for four months in the cold. My guide said that coopers are jokesters. They will come up to you and slip you a shot of schnapps. There’s no choice though: you have to take it!
If you want to see these spectacle, come before to grab a good spot. Like I said, it goes off at 11 AM, 12 PM, and 5 PM (in the summer) to represent the start of the lunch hour, the end of the lunch hour, and the end of the work day.
Churches Galore
As mentioned above, Bavaria is a very Catholic area of Germany. There are many churches around Munich, the most famous being Frauenkirche. It is known for its double towers. There are a lot of mysteries surrounding the towers, some claiming deaths that have occurred and ghosts. The towers are not the same height, but it’s not easy too tell. Apparently after September 11, 2001, some people got really freaked out, especially with all the legends. Nothing in Munich is allowed to be taller than these towers.
The Frauenkirche has something called the “Devil’s Footprint”. Some people believe that the Devil helped finance the building of the church, but said the architect couldn’t build any windows. He marked the church with his footprint.
Sadly in Munich, much of the city was destroyed during World War II. The Frauenkirche was one of those building. Many churches were completely destroyed. One church near the Mareinplatz has gravestone markers around the outside of the building to remember the people whose graves were destroyed during the war. If you love churches and cathedrals, though, you’ll find many just walking around Munich.
Food, Food, Food
Munich has everything you could ask for when it comes to typical Germany food. I think I ate sausages for most of my meals. The go-to place is the Hofbrauhaus. I actually went here twice: once by myself and once with a friend who wanted to eat there. This is the stereotypic beer hall, which means full of tourists. You may be walking around for a while trying to find a seat. You’ll also be serenaded by a polka band. It reminded me of being at the Festhaus in Busch Gardens.
Girls in the dirndel walk around selling giant pretzels out of a basket. You can choose from an array of meats to eat. Don’t forget a beer. I don’t even like beer, but I ordered some that was mixed with lemon, just to say I had a beer at a beer hall. If you’re brave, go for the liter of beer!
There are also a ton of biergartens, where you can choose your food from different stations and eat at a table outside. All you need to do is buy a drink to go to a biergarten. You’re allowed to bring your own food if you want! When I was there, there was also several large markets selling different types of food for a quick meal.
Mia San Mia
If you’re there August-November or February-May, check out a fußball game. Bayern Munich are Germany’s premiere team. I happened to be in Munich the weekend of the biggest match of the season: Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund. If I’m being honest here, I’m a bigger fan of Dortmund because of American wunderkind Christian Pulisic. I kept searching for a ticket before the game and finally found one, although for a higher price than the normal ticket. (Bundesliga tickets are notorious for being cheap, even for the big games.)
The stadium is located about six miles away from the center of the city, something strange to me since Real Madrid plays pretty centrally. You have to take the metro for about twenty minutes, then walk another 10-15 minutes to enter the stadium. The stadium is one of the most beautiful stadia in Europe and holds around 75,000 people.
Even though I’m more of a fan of Dortmund, I was getting into the game. Dortmund played so poorly and Bayern Munich won 6-0. Robert Lewandowski had a hat trick and the crowd went crazy. The stadium lit up in celebration.
Good luck after the match. Trains come every minute or two, but you will be packed like a sardine!
Remembering the Past
No trip to Munich is complete without a trip to Dachau. Dachau is and was a small town outside of Munich. It now has a sour taste to its name because of the concentration camp. Unlike Auschwitz where I’ve heard it is there to scare you, Dachau serves more to educate and inform.
The original door was stolen and found in Norway with a lot of damage. You can see the original in the museum.
Dachau was a men-only concentration camp. It was not a death camp, but that doesn’t mean people didn’t die there. Thousands died. At first, it was political prisoners, homosexuals, and other unwanted people. Then the Jewish people started to come in after it was illegal to be Jewish. It was definitely a harrowing experience. The day was rainy and cold. I had on a scarf, a jacket, and jeans. Imagine the people who were there with thin, linen pajamas for ten years or more.
You can walk through the concentration camp and see some really frightening things. Inside, there is a museum to educate the public about the concentration camp and the people who came through it. It’s a more somber experience than the rest of the Munich experience, but I think it’s something that people should see at least once. In Germany, it’s required that school children visit a concentration camp museum before graduation. It’s also illegal to deny that the Holocaust existed, which seems crazy, but is true.
On my tour, I also learned that Fanta was a Nazi creation because the Americans wouldn’t give them Coke, so they had to find their own drink. Also, Hugo Boss was a Nazi and designed some of the SS uniforms. I don’t wear any Hugo Boss, but every time I go for my beloved Fanta Limón, I do feel a bit guilty.
Dachau is easy to get to from Munich. There is a train or a commuter train you can take from the main train station in Munich. Once in the town of Dachau, you need to get a bus to the museum. Entry is FREE. I went with a tour group from Sandeman’s because I wanted to learn as much as possible from the experience.
Charming Munich
Munich is a lovely city to visit. It’s filled with so many people (except on the holidays when everything is closed), and there is so much to do around the city. You can visit castles, take day trips to western Austria, and indulge in German food. I’ve been to Germany three times, and of all the cities, I think Munich has been my favorite so far. So what are you waiting for?
