Altstadt
Altstadt. A central district par excellence, Munich's historic heart is home to a wealth of palaces, churches and buildings in all architectural styles, although Baroque dominates. The city's history was written within the walls of the old medieval fortifications. This is not to say that the city center is anchored in the past. On the contrary, it also embraces the future, with lively pedestrian shopping streets, avant-garde art galleries and terraces that are always busy as soon as the sun breaks through the clouds.
Marienplatz, the focal point of Munich's historic old town, was founded in 1158 along the salt route. It is surrounded by theAltes Rathaus ("Old Town Hall") and the Neues Rathaus ("New Town Hall"), which brings the area to life every day with its carillon and automaton parade. Not far away, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), with its two distinctive towers, is the city's most emblematic building.
A major project is currently underway to modernize the underground public transport system that crosses the old town from east to west. No fewer than 7 lines run beneath Marienplatz, meaning that the network has reached the limits of its capacity, and a new tunnel is currently being built to relieve congestion. Behind the town hall, the new Marienhof S-Bahn station is under construction. This project - entitled 2 Bahnstrecke - is the most important in the old town.
To the south of theResidenz, in front of theNationaltheater, begins Maximilianstraße, built in the 19th century. This luxurious avenue leads from the old town eastwards over the Isar towards the Maximilianeum, the seat of the Bavarian Parliament.
While the streets of the old town are marked by the undulations characteristic of medieval towns, the various suburbs have retained the square, rational layout laid down by 19th-century town planners. The German word "Vorstadt" (suburb) can be found in many of the neighborhoods surrounding the Old Town.
Maxvorstadt and Schwabing
Maxvorstadt. Munich's Maxvorstadt is characterized by its grid street plan, the city's first planned extension. Its layout was conceived in the early 19th century under the first Bavarian king, Maximilian I, from whom the suburb takes its name. The Maxvorstadt boasts an unrivalled range of museums, covering a broad period from antiquity to the present day. Enthusiasts can spend days in the various museums (18 in all!) in the Kunstareal, around Königsplatz, whose collections have nothing to envy those of Berlin's museums. Among the most famous are the various pinacotheques: the Alte Pinaktohek, the Neue Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne. Maxvorstadt benefits from the proximity of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, and student life is concentrated on Türkenstraße, with its lively cafés, restaurants and bars. Among residents, the 20-30 age group dominates, while children under 15 and the elderly are numerically outnumbered. The district's housing structure - largely rebuilt in the post-war period - with a high proportion of small, one- and two-room apartments, is another factor behind this situation.
Ludwigsstraße is emblematic of the planned city pattern and still impresses today with its perfect symmetry and neoclassical buildings. As its name suggests, the street was planned by King Ludwig.
Schwabing. The name Schwabing has also long been associated with the students who gravitate around the universities in the north of the city. At the end of the 19th century, Schwabing was synonymous with bohemia. Artists, painters and men and women of letters from all over Germany settled here, forging the district's reputation. Today, the gentrification process is largely complete in Schwabing, and rents have reached levels that students in Munich can no longer afford. Thomas Mann's phrase "München leuchtet" (Munich lights up) remains from this cultural heyday.
It was in the Schwabing district that the cultural magazine Jugend was founded, giving its name to the German version of Art Nouveau: Jugendstil. The district boasts a number of attractive Jugendstil buildings, including the Palais Bissing on Georgenstraße (see Palais Pacelli & Palais Bissing).
In May 1968, Schwabing students were involved in the revolt that shook the European bourgeois order. It was in this district of protest that the greatest liberalization of morals took place.
In this northern part of the city, of course, we must also mention the sports facilities that make Munich a city of sports: first and foremost, the 1972 Olympic facilities in Olympia-Park and the no less famous Allianz-Arena, the stadium that thrills FC Bayern fans.
Nymphenburg. Farther west of the city center liesSchloss Nymphenburg, which, with its Baroque and Rococo architecture and formal garden, attracts more than 320,000 visitors a year and ranks behind Schloss Neuschwantstein and the Residenz as one of Bavaria's most visited castles. Between 1715 and 1918, Nymphenburg Palace was the summer residence of the Prince Electors and Kings of Bavaria, of the House of Wittelsbach. The palace also gave its name to the residential district of Nymphenburg, a former independent municipality that was not incorporated into Munich until 1899. Numerous villas can be found here, particularly on either side of the canal.
Lehel, Haidhausen and Werksviertel
Lehel. The Lehel district stretches between the Old Town and the banks of the Isar. For the municipal administration, Lehel, together with the Old Town, forms the first Stadtbezirk of the Bavarian metropolis. It used to lie outside the city's borders. Munich's most upscale district, Lehel resembles the west of Paris, with its handsome buildings housing professionals and private schools. But it wasn't always so! Until the 19th century, Lehel was a working-class suburb with small streams running through it, making it a preferred district for laundry workers. This prime location - between the Altstadt and the Isar - attracted the appetites of the Munich bourgeoisie. The development of Maximilianstraße and Prinzregentenstraße into prestigious avenues in the second half of the 19th century accompanied this phenomenon. The Bayerisches Nationalmuseum also bears witness to the architectural opulence of the regency of Luitpold of Bavaria (1886-1912).
Munich's English Garden (see Englischer Garten) is so large that it extends over several districts of the Bavarian metropolis. Its incredible diversity is almost worthy of being considered a Munich district in its own right. You'll find that Munich's residents have no shortage of imagination when it comes to keeping busy here: picnics, slacklining, Frisbee, yoga and even surfing! Others take to the great outdoors in the simplest of garb, because yes, some areas are naturist! Occasionally, a team of police on horseback trots through the park.
TheIsar is to Munich what the Tiber is to Rome. The river crosses the city from southwest to northeast over a distance of 13.7 km. It is still largely untamed today, and its small pebble beaches are a delight to behold. The banks of the Isar offer beautiful walks and jogging trails. In fine weather, many young people come to enjoy the waterside lawns.
Haidhausen. To the east of the River Isar, the Haidhausen district is a quiet yet lively suburb with pleasant shaded terraces. The charming Wiener Platz, with its low-slung houses, still has the feel of a village square. Haidhausen is home to the majestic Maximilianeum, the Bavarian parliament building. The Peace Column (see Friedensengel) also enhances the stroll along the banks of the Isar. New attractions include the Sudetendeutsches Museum, a modern, well-thought-out museum dedicated to the Sudetenland.
Further north, Bogenhausen is a wealthy residential area where the facades of classical and Art Nouveau villas vie with each other in ornament.
Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt
Isarvorstadt. The Isarvorstadt is an attractive district in an excellent location, both close to the city center and on the banks of the Isar. As a result, rents have risen, making it one of the most expensive districts in the city. Trendy boutiques, cocktail bars: the district's liveliness has not yet been stifled by real estate pressure.
During the industrial era, many Jews from Galicia (a historic region between the Ukraine and today's Poland) settled in this suburb to escape the pogroms and try their luck in the textile and leather industries. The NSDAP gained a foothold in the district, and reigned terror. In the 1950s, the district found a lightness it had never known before, and established itself as the district of rock and twist.
The Glockenbachviertel, charming and affluent, is also known as Munich's gay district. Many addresses proudly fly the rainbow flag: restaurants, bars, hotels, boutiques, LGBTQ center, etc. The district - and Müllerstraße in particular - has a high density of gay hangouts. For many years, Queen singer Freddie Mercury lived in the Glockenbachviertel and enjoyed the district's nightlife. A square is named after Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, a pioneer of the homosexual liberation movement in 19th-century Germany.
Ludwigsvorstadt. At first glance, this is certainly not the city's most glamorous district, but it is on the other hand the liveliest (night and day) and the richest in foreign cultures: over 100 nationalities can be found here. This incredible diversity is reflected in the district's shops and food.
The Hauptbahnhof district was largely destroyed by Allied bombing during the Second World War and rebuilt after the war with functional, unpretentious residential and commercial buildings. The area is home to a high density of hotels (of all standards), restaurants, sex shops and many computer and electronics stores. The installation of 25 Hours The Royal Bavarian is emblematic of the district's mutations. The streets are as busy as ever, and there are countless construction sites gutting the roadways. The station itself is the subject of a major restructuring project. The new glazed concourse to be built is designed as a new window on the city, and should better link the station district to the historic heart of Munich. It's a safe bet that this project will be accompanied by a complete restructuring of the district.
Schwanthalerhöhe is a booming multicultural district. In recent years, Schwanthalerstraße has seen the opening of new addresses: cafés, restaurants and children's boutiques. This gentrification phenomenon is reminiscent of that which transformed the neighborhoods of former East Berlin. A special feature of the Schwanthalerhöhe district is that it is home to the Augustiner brewery factories, and from time to time, as you stroll along the streets, you can smell the hop fumes coming from the brewery.