Central Area, Munich
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The central point of old Munich is the busy Marienplatz, with the Mariensäule (Virgin's Column; 1638) and the neo-Gothic Town Hall (Rathaus; 1867-1908). On the tower of the Town Hall can be seen a clock with mechanical figures; from the gallery their are fine panoramic views, with the Alps in the distance (best when the föhn, a warm dry wind from the Alps is blowing). On the east side of the square stands the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus; 15th century); the tower was rebuilt after 1945.
Related Attractions
New Town Hall
The New Town Hall in Munich is a striking building that has come to be one of the city's best landmarks. The front of the building is decorated with figures from Munich's history, and the Town Hall Tower allows for great views of the city.
Old Town Hall
The Old Town Hall, built in the 15th C, contains a fabulous medieval interior, with a barrel-vaulted timber roof.
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Food Market
The provision market which has been held in the square at the south end of the Old Town Hall since 1807 is a very characteristic feature of Munich life. In addition to numerous stalls selling fruit, vegetables, dairy produce, eggs, poultry, bread and cakes, there are also meat and fish halls. Particularly lively on Saturday mornings the Viktualienmarkt - much frequented, especially in the warmer months - and a gaily decorated maypole, a permanent fixture which adds further color to the scene.The market boasts several fountains with statues of celebrated Munich figures still remembered with affection - the legendary comic actor Karl Valentin, the actress Liesl Karlstadt (1892-1960) who played opposite him for many years, the folk-singer Weiss Ferdl (1883-1949), Elise Aulinger (1891-1965), Roider Jakl (1906-75) and Ida Schumacher (1895-1956).
St Peter's Church
Munich's oldest Parish Church, St.Peter's Church was almost entirely destroyed during the second World War. The Church was then reconstructed in a Gothic architectural style with a Baroque Choir.
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Cathedral Church of Our Lady
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady in Munich was established in 1821. Munich's most prominent landmark, this Gothic style Church is a popular tourist attraction.
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St Michael Church
A large Renaissance style building, St Micheal Church was completed in 1597. The highlights of the Church include its Facade, interior and the Royal Crypt.
Asam Church
Asam Church, fashioned in a beautiful Rococo exterior, is dedicated to St. John of Nepomuk. The interior of the church is impressive with its high altar, cornices, frescoes and stucco figures.
Marien Square
Marien Square, located in the heart of Munich City, is the site for several department stores, restaurants and the prominent New Town Hall. The Square is a lively hangout filled with tourists, performers, vendors and locals alike.
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Munich City Museum
The Munich City Museum is impressive both for the collection and the 15th C building in which it is housed.
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Church of the Holy Ghost
The Church of the Holy Ghost is a mix of styles created by work done over the centuries. Portions of the original Gothic structure still remain and are combined with Roccoco, and Neo-Baroque elements.
Burghers' Hall
The early 18th C Baroque Burghers' Hall was rebuilt after being severely damaged in the Second World War. Some impressive original elements remain.
Court Hall
The world famous Hofbräuhaus is one of Munich's top tourist attractions. It was completed in 1589.
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Trinity Church
Construction of Trinity Church began in 1711 after a prophecy stated a church would save the city from divine judgement. The church features impressive frescoes and a high altar.
Ignaz-Günther House
The studio and home of the sculptor Ignaz Günther in Munich, was opened in 1977, after extensive restoration, as a memorial to the great 18th C. exponent of South German Roccoco.On the Oberanger frontage note the characteristic Munich-style "Ohrwaschl" gable and the Madonna figure (by Günther; copy). The interior preserves an old barrel-vaulted timber roof and a Jacob's ladder leading up through two floors. There is an exhibition illustrating Günther's work.The house is now in the care of Munich Stadtmuseum.
Isar Gate
The Isartor, the only one of Munich's town gates that has preserved its gate-tower, formed part of the fortifications erected by Ludwig the Bavarian in the first half of the 14th C.It consists of a tall main tower with the gateway itself in front flanked by smaller towers either side. The fresco (1835) by Caspar Neher above the gateway depicts Ludwig the Bavarian's triumphal entry following his victory over Friedrich the Handsome of Austria at the Battle of Ampfinger in 1322.
Neuhauser Strasse (Kaufinger Strasse)
Running between Karlsplatz (Stachus) and Marienplatz, Neuhauser Strasse and Kaufinger Strasse comprise the heart of Munich's pedestrian
Pedestrian Zone
After completion of the U-Bahn and S-Bahn tunnel in the Old Town of Munich, the municipal authorities resolved to limit the volume of traffic
Wittelsbacherplatz
The architectural unity of the rectangular Wittelsbacherplatz with its ensemble of Neo-Classical buildings, bears all the hallmarks of its designer Leo von Klenze. The square is bounded on the north side by the Alfons-Palais, built in 1825 as a home for von Klenze himself but later acquired by Prince Ludwig Ferdinand von Wittelsbach. Renovated in the 1960s, the palace is today the head office of the Siemens Corporation. On the west side stands the Neo-Classical Palais Arco-Zinneberg (1820), which was badly damaged in the last war. Since restored it is now given over to business premises, chiefly boutiques and suchlike. The famous Odeon, present home of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior, bounds the square on the northeast side.An equestrian statue of the Elector Maximilian I, unveiled in 1839, adorns the center of the square. Modeled by Bertel Thorvaldsen, it was cast in bronze by Johann Baptist Stiglmaier.
Hundskugel House
Probably designed by Johann Michael Fischer and built in about 1740, this elegant burgher's house with its clearly articulated facade is typical of its period. Home of the Court Sculptor Johann Baptist Straub from 1741 to 1777, the house took its name from the delightful stucco relief by Roman Boos above the left-hand entrance, showing six dogs playing with a ball (the present relief is a copy).The Madonna figure (also a copy, the original being in the National Museum) is by Straub.Gaststätte zur HundskugelThe nearby "Zur Hundskugel" on the corner of Hackenstrasse and Hotterstrasse is the oldest inn in Munich, standing since 1440. A typical Old Munich half-gabled house with a high pent roof, it also boasts a shallow oriel over the main entrance and a beam for a hoist in the gable.
Preysing-Palais
The Preysing-Palais, Munich's first Roccoco palace, was built by Joseph Effner in 1723-28 for Count Maximilian von Preysing, Master of the Electoral Hunt. The Feldherrnhalle was built against its north wall in 1841-44.During the Second World War the palace was so badly damaged that the outer walls, with the exception of the Residenzstrasse facade, had to be pulled down and rebuilt (1958-1975).The interior, including the banqueting hall and chapel, had already been destroyed in the 19th C. and is today traversed by shopping arcades. The beautiful grand staircase with its caryatides has, however, survived.
Old Academy
In the heart of the Pedestrian Zone of Munich, adjoining Michaelskirche, is the Old Academy, a large complex surrounded by four courtyards. Now occupied by the Bavarian Statistical Office, this Renaissance building was erected between 1585 and 1597 for a Jesuit college and school. After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1773 it housed the Court Library and Archives (1774-1885), a school of painting and sculpture (hence the designation Academy) and, from 1826 to 1840, the University. Destroyed during the Second World War it was rebuilt in 1954.
Cathedral Church of Our Lady
Hellabrunn Zoo
Asam Church
Bavarian National Museum
Bavarian State Opera HouseMap of Munich Attractions
Munich Map
