Italy on the Nymphenburg Canal
If you are looking for Italy in Munich, you won’t just find it in one place. In Schwabing you get an ice cream in one of the many gelaterias and, like in Florence, you sit down on the steps of the Sankt Ursula church, which is also affectionately called “Schwabing Cathedral”. Not only the warm facade color behind the round arches is reminiscent of the country in the south, but also its Florentine architecture: Ornaments based on the model of North Italian stained glass can be found in the basilica as well as figures in terracotta colors.
During a walk through the old town, one encounters Italian influences several times: The Max-Joseph-Platz was designed by Leo von Klenze based on the model of the Capitol Square in Rome – with the small difference that the square is not under Mark Aurel, but Max Joseph hand extends. On the Odeonsplatz is the first church in the Italian baroque style north of the Alps, the Theatinerkirche. Right next to it you can take a look at the round arches of the Feldherrnhalle based on the model of the Loggia dei Lanci in Florence, before they disappear behind the upcoming restoration work.
Gondola rides on the Nymphenburg Canal give you the feeling of being in the middle of Venice on the Grand Canal. You can relax wonderfully in the garden of the Lenbachvilla in the style of the Italian Renaissance. Between babbling fountains and vines scrambling up the terracotta-colored walls, Tuscany comes to life here in the middle of Munich. Even more authentic Italian flair, a “ciao ragazzi” and an espresso right at the counter can be found in numerous Munich cafés, typically in the Bar Centrale on Ledererstraße not far from Marienplatz.
Sankt Ursula, daily 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Kaiserplatz 1; Theatinerkirche, Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fri 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Salvatorplatz 2A; Gondola Nymphenburg, Fri. to Sun. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Nymphenburg Palace 1, information: www.gondel-nymphenburg.de; Lenbachhaus, Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday to 8 p.m., Luisenstraße 33; Bar Centrale, Mon to Wed 7.30 a.m. to midnight, Thu to Fri 7.30 a.m. to midnight, Sat 8.30 a.m. to midnight, Sun 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ledererstraße 23, phone 089/223762, www.bar-centrale.com
Japan in the English Garden
Although the English Garden is named after the English landscape gardens that Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell used as a model for the design, there is also a piece of Japan here. If you enter the English Garden from the Hofgarten, you will come across a small island with a Japanese tea house, which immediately catches the eye thanks to the bright red star maples and gingko trees.
A narrow stone footbridge leads to the Kanshoan tea house, where you can attend a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The teahouse was made and assembled in Japan, then disassembled and sent to Munich. The ceremony performance lasts about an hour, a bowl of tea and a sweet are included in the 10 euro fee. Due to Corona, however, the screenings have been canceled until further notice. If you still want to drink Japanese tea or matcha in the city, you will also find what you are looking for in the “Tushita Teehaus” in the Glockenbachviertel. You can find even more Japan, also to take home with you, in Schwabing at “Japanalia”. There you can buy Japanese antiques and see contemporary Japanese art in the “Micheko Gallery”.
And the traditional Japan Festival with dance performances, concerts and theater is also to take place again; it is planned for July 17 at the Seehaus in the English Garden with free admission.
Tea Ceremony, Teahouse Kanshoan, www.urasenke-muenchen.de; Tushita Teahouse, Klenzestr. 53, www.tushita.eu; Japanalia, Herzogstr. 7, www.japanalia.de; Micheko Gallery, Theresienstr. 18, www.micheko.com; Japan Festival, probably in July, information: Englischer-garten-muenchen-infos.de
French flair
Anyone strolling through the Hofgarten on a mild afternoon will involuntarily hear a metallic noise – clack-clack, clack-clack. These are the boules players who celebrate the French game “petanque” along with the picnic, red wine and pastis they have brought with them. They stand together in small groups, throw their balls and try to get as close as possible to the small, colored ball, the so-called pig, which serves as the target.
If you stop and watch them for a moment, you may be asked in a friendly way to play a round. Someone already has a set of spare balls with them. The so-called Franzosenviertel Haidhausen also has French flair. For example, on Belfortstrasse or Pariser Strasse with the late 19th-century neo-Renaissance and neo-Baroque facades. The nearby Bordeauxplatz, which commemorates the town partnership that has existed since 1964, invites you to have a picnic with a fountain and the green area. French bakeries and cafés such as “Claude & Julien” sell baguettes, croissants and café au laît, and the Crêperie “Bernard & Bernard” on Inner Wiener Strasse is an institution.
Boule in the Hofgarten, Hofgartenstraße 1; Bordeauxplatz, Wörthstrasse 31; Claude & Julien, Elsässer Str. 25; Bernard & Bernard, Inner Wiener Strasse 32
In the footsteps of the ancient Egyptians
Who would have thought that you could be transported back to ancient Egypt on the way through Munich’s city center? When you look at the large entrance portal of the State Museum of Egyptian Art, you immediately think of old tombs. The obelisk on Karolinenplatz and the so-called Egyptizing Gate at the Old Botanical Garden are also reminiscent of the high culture on the Nile. These architectural impressions are complemented by the statue “Harmlos” in the green area of the Prince Carl Palace, which represents Antinous, the companion and lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian who died in the Nile. At Marienplatz you can marvel at the depiction of Saint Onophrius, who came from Egypt and is often unjustly lost in the hustle and bustle of the city.
State Museum of Egyptian Art, Tues. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Gabelsbergerstrasse 35, www.smaek.de; Egyptianizing Gate at the Old Botanical Garden, Sophienstrasse corner Elisenstrasse; The “harmless”, statue in the park of the Prince Carl Palace, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Ring 5; Figure of Onophrius, Marienplatz
Acropolis in Maxvorstadt
If you are drawn to Greece, it is best to take the route to Königsplatz – the cultural heart of the city, which resembles an ancient forum. As is well known, Munich owes its existence to a fervent admirer of ancient Greece: Ludwig I. Anyone with a trained eye will recognize that the Bavarian king had his court architects create a complex that combined all three Greek architectural styles: the Propylaea with Doric columns was originally intended as a city gate – modeled on the Acropolis in Athens.
The Glyptothek follows the Ionic style and the antiquities collection is supported by Corinthian columns. This interplay can be observed on the lawn or on the steps of the antiquities collection – at least until the popular sunny spot in front of the Glyptothek is fully accessible again. Also this summer you can see the Ludovician Isar-Athens from new perspectives – for example from above: the Ferris wheel directly in front of the Propylaea brings passengers from the end of July to eye level with Greek freedom fighters in the relief of the classical building. On the Theresienwiese, you can enjoy the Hall of Fame with its Bavaria statue based on the model of the city goddess Athena undisturbed by Oktoberfest tents – ideal for an autumn walk.
State Collection of Antiquities, Königsplatz 1, Tue, Thu to Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wed 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Bavariaring, Theresienwiese
Wild Norway on the Isar
Rivers left in their natural state, the spray of the streaming waves and the rough mountains in the background – this is not only to be found in Norway, but also in the Munich area. Because to enjoy Norwegian river landscapes, you don’t have to get on the plane, you can walk, bike or take the S-Bahn to Riemerschmidpark between Icking and Wolfratshausen, where the Loisach flows into the Isar.
You can reach the park in one and a half to two hours by bike, but you should plan a whole day for a hike of around 27 kilometers. You can easily take the S7 from Munich Central Station to Icking or Wolfratshausen, from both stations you can walk to the mouth in 30 to 40 minutes. Finally, restaurants in Wolfratshausen invite you to stop off.
Confluence of the Loisach and the Isar, in the Riemerschmidpark between Icking and Wolfratshausen, by S-Bahn S7 in the direction of Wolfratshausen, Icking or Wolfratshausen stop
A touch of the Far East in the park
Would you like some marijuana? When the Nepalese Peace Pagoda was brought from Nepal to Munich’s Westpark for the horticultural exhibition in 1983, 400 kilograms of hashish were smuggled into the cavities of the carvings. Of course, the illegal intoxicant is no longer there, but Asian flair is. The pagoda, a foundation of a non-profit cultural association, was carved by 300 craftsmen in seven months. For the first time in 200 years, a complete pagoda was built using traditional methods. There is also a Thai sala, i.e. a temple, with a nine-metre-high Buddha statue that floats in the West Lake.
The statue, created by the art carver Noppadol Khamlae, was the first free-standing Buddha shrine in Europe when it was erected. Buddhist festivals take place here in the spring and summer, but the rest of the year, too, gives a touch of Asia to the stroller who strolls through the western part of the West Park.
West Park, open 24 hours
Florence at the Odeonsplatz
Munich tourists in Florence are likely to have a deja vu experience when visiting the Piazza della Signoria: the Feldherrnhalle is right next to the impressive Palazzo Vecchio. Or at least the architectural model for those: The Loggia dei Lanzi. The feeling also works the other way around, so Odeonsplatz is a good starting point for a trip to Florence in the middle of Munich.
Despite all the similarities, the two Gothic arcade buildings are separated by 462 years. The building at the southern end of the Odeonsplatz was only built between 1841 and 1844 on behalf of King Ludwig I according to the designs of Friedrich von Gärtner. With the building, Ludwig I wanted to erect a monument to the Bavarian army and its commanders. That’s why you can’t admire Hercules and Perseus in Munich, but the statues of Count Tilly and Prince Wrede. Biting remarks on the military achievements of the two portrayed can be found in Lion Feuchtwanger’s novel “Erfolg”. The two Medici lions, enjoying the view from the Loggia dei Lanzi, greet in Munich as the heraldic animal of the Free State of Bavaria.
With a short walk to the Residence (Pitt Palace) and the old botanical garden (David statue) you can discover even more architecture and art from Florence in Munich.
Feldherrnhalle, open around the clock