Hands down, München (Munich) is now my new favorite city! Unfortunately, it also happens to be the most expensive city in Germany… but we will let that slide.
My mom and I arrived in München the evening, so we took a short walk to Marienplatz, the main city square. It was bustling with activity! In the photo below, you can see the “Neues Rathaus” or the “New Town Hall” on the right. Although the Rathaus looks like it was constructed in the Middle Ages, it was actually built in 1864 and continues to serve as the office building for the mayor, city council, and all city administration to this day.
The next morning, my mom and I walked to the Viktualienmarkt, the 200-year-old and largest open air market in Germany. It offers an incredible array of fruits, chocolates, ice creams, beers, wines, meats, bread, and garden decorations. The picture below is of “Leo’s Obst Standl” or “Leo’s Fruit Stand.” I learned that in Bavarian German, anything with an “l” on the end of a noun, such as “Standl”, means that it is small.
After visiting Viktualienmarkt, my mom and I started our bike tour of the city. It was a great introduction to the rich history and culture of München!
I learned that München was the birthplace of the Nazi Party. As we rode through the city, we were introduced to several important buildings to the movement. The buildings pictured below are the remains of the original Nazi Party headquarters located on Königplatz or “King’s Square.” The residents of München have since transformed these buildings into institutions that give back to society. For example, Hitler’s former office building is now a prestigious school for talented, young musicians.
We also visited one of the top universities in Germany, Ludwig-Maximilian University of München!
Ludwig-Maximilian University is renowned for its heroic students Hans and Sophie Scholl. In fact, there is a small museum inside dedicated to their memory! During WWII, the siblings helped organize the White Rose resistance group. They wrote, printed, and distributed over 6,000 copies of anti-Nazi propaganda leaflets across Europe. Unfortunately, these siblings were betrayed by the school janitor after passing leaflets throughout the school, arrested, and put to death in February of 1943. But their incredible story of courage and persistence lives on. It serves as a reminder that if we believe in something, we should fight for it, even if it means we must fight alone. Ludwig-Maximilian University is very proud to have been their alma mater.
After visiting Ludwig-Maximilian University, we stopped for lunch at the Chinesischer Turm beer garden located within one of the largest urban parks in the world — Englisher Garten! In fact, Englischer Garten is larger than Central Park in New York City!
After lunch, we had the opportunity to watch river surfing! Our tour guide informed us that people have been surfing the Eisbach river in Englischer Garten since the early 1970s. This was the first time I had ever seen anyone surf, so of course I was very excited!
München offers an incredible variety of things to do and its rich history makes the city all the more interesting. I would love to return someday!