Saturday, May 26, 2007
Munich
When Carie was here last fall, we headed out for a weekend getaway, and our first stop was to München (Munich). Munich is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria, and is Germany's third largest city and one of Europe's most prosperous. Hitler's rise to power was centered in and around the city, which he later called the "Capital of the Movement" since it is home to the birthplace of the Nazi Party.
We parked a few blocks from downtown and walked past the Siegestor (Victory Gate), a three-arched triumphal arch crowned with a statue of Bavaria with a lion-quadriga, similar in style to the Arch of Constantine in Rome, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin. The Siegestor was built between 1843 and 1852 marking the border between the Maxvorstadt and Schwabing districts. After sustaining heavy damage in World War II, the gate was -- similar to Berlin's Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche -- reconstructed and only partially restored. The inscription on the back reads “Dem Sieg geweiht, vom Krieg zerstört, zum Frieden mahnend,” which translates to "Dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, reminding of peace."
From there, we walked down Ludwigstrasse into the heart of the city. Our trek took us past the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, the St. Louis church, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) and numerous state ministries and palaces, all of which were massive and majestic at the same time.
I really liked the striking Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan in the Odeonsplatz, in the historic city center. It was built between 1663 and 1690 in Italian high-baroque style. Its Mediterranean appearance and yellow coloring became a well-known symbol for the city and had much influence on Southern German baroque architecture.
The inside of the Theatinerkirche was amazing, mostly because of the color contrast with the outside of the church. The inside was a brilliant white color with rich stucco ornaments throughout.
Across the street from the Theatinerkirche is the northern part of the Residenz museum, which was the former royal residence of the Bavarian dukes, electors and kings. The massive complex of buildings contains 10 courtyards and 130 rooms. Naturally, we wanted to see more of the city than just the Residenz museum, so we didn’t take the time to wander into the grounds. The National Theatre was in the same square as the Theatinerkirche, and had two large stone lion statues that the kids desperately wanted to climb on. I was hesitant to allow them to do so since there was quite a drop-off next to them. OK, so this wasn’t the best place, aesthetically, for Zachary to pose, but it was a big drop-off, and I didn't want him close to the front ledge.
Munich has statues of lions scattered throughout the city. The kids were fond of climbing on each one they found. Some were rather ornately painted, like this one near the Marienplatz.
The awesome building above is Munich’s Marienplatz (Mary's Square) and Neues Rathaus with the Glockenspiel (clock tower). The Marienplatz has been the foundation and heart of Munich, Germany, since 1158 and was named after the Mariensäule, a Marian column erected in its center in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation. We came back through here as we left the city to eat dinner in the Ratskeller München (Munich City Hall Cellar). It was absolutely delicious -- probably the best German food I’ve had to date! Even the kids enjoyed their meals and commented on how good it was (well, Zachary and MacKenzie did…Benjamin didn’t care).
In order to maximize our Munich experience, we took a bus tour of the city. After settling into a seat, Benjamin put on his headsets and tried to act big by listening to the English narration. Below is the Justizpalast (Palace of Justice), and further below is the Landtag (Bavarian Parliament) building, both as seen from our double-decker bus tour.
Since Munich is home to the only true Oktoberfest, I had to include this photo of Benjamin posing with a beer-drinking lion as we departed the city.
We parked a few blocks from downtown and walked past the Siegestor (Victory Gate), a three-arched triumphal arch crowned with a statue of Bavaria with a lion-quadriga, similar in style to the Arch of Constantine in Rome, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin. The Siegestor was built between 1843 and 1852 marking the border between the Maxvorstadt and Schwabing districts. After sustaining heavy damage in World War II, the gate was -- similar to Berlin's Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche -- reconstructed and only partially restored. The inscription on the back reads “Dem Sieg geweiht, vom Krieg zerstört, zum Frieden mahnend,” which translates to "Dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, reminding of peace."
From there, we walked down Ludwigstrasse into the heart of the city. Our trek took us past the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, the St. Louis church, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) and numerous state ministries and palaces, all of which were massive and majestic at the same time.
I really liked the striking Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan in the Odeonsplatz, in the historic city center. It was built between 1663 and 1690 in Italian high-baroque style. Its Mediterranean appearance and yellow coloring became a well-known symbol for the city and had much influence on Southern German baroque architecture.
The inside of the Theatinerkirche was amazing, mostly because of the color contrast with the outside of the church. The inside was a brilliant white color with rich stucco ornaments throughout.
Across the street from the Theatinerkirche is the northern part of the Residenz museum, which was the former royal residence of the Bavarian dukes, electors and kings. The massive complex of buildings contains 10 courtyards and 130 rooms. Naturally, we wanted to see more of the city than just the Residenz museum, so we didn’t take the time to wander into the grounds. The National Theatre was in the same square as the Theatinerkirche, and had two large stone lion statues that the kids desperately wanted to climb on. I was hesitant to allow them to do so since there was quite a drop-off next to them. OK, so this wasn’t the best place, aesthetically, for Zachary to pose, but it was a big drop-off, and I didn't want him close to the front ledge.
Munich has statues of lions scattered throughout the city. The kids were fond of climbing on each one they found. Some were rather ornately painted, like this one near the Marienplatz.
The awesome building above is Munich’s Marienplatz (Mary's Square) and Neues Rathaus with the Glockenspiel (clock tower). The Marienplatz has been the foundation and heart of Munich, Germany, since 1158 and was named after the Mariensäule, a Marian column erected in its center in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation. We came back through here as we left the city to eat dinner in the Ratskeller München (Munich City Hall Cellar). It was absolutely delicious -- probably the best German food I’ve had to date! Even the kids enjoyed their meals and commented on how good it was (well, Zachary and MacKenzie did…Benjamin didn’t care).In order to maximize our Munich experience, we took a bus tour of the city. After settling into a seat, Benjamin put on his headsets and tried to act big by listening to the English narration. Below is the Justizpalast (Palace of Justice), and further below is the Landtag (Bavarian Parliament) building, both as seen from our double-decker bus tour.
Since Munich is home to the only true Oktoberfest, I had to include this photo of Benjamin posing with a beer-drinking lion as we departed the city.Labels: Benjamin, Germany, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary
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