14th century Karlstor ("Karl's Gate"), which marks the beginning of the Altstadt (Old Town) and pedestrian zone in the heart of downtown Munich. Karl's Gate is a short walk from the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), so most visitors to Munich begin their urban adventures here.
View from Neuhauserstraße, which leads from Karl's Gate to the Marienplatz. The twin towers of the famous Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) can be seen rising above its confined quarters in this dense city. In fact, the platz in front of the Frauenkirche is so tight, that this is the best picture I could get of this marvelous church!
Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) facing the ever popular Marienplatz. Once again, good shots of the buildings were obstructed by their tight packing, not to mention throngs of people. An additional frustration when I was there was that many of the buildings and churches were under renovation and were therefore covered with scaffolding. Thus, I was unable to photograph many of the other key sights in the core of downtown.
Bird's-eye view from the observation deck at the top of the Frauenkirche south tower, looking southwest. You can see the prominent steeple of St. Peter, part of the Marienplatz to the far left (underneath the construction crane), and the Alps far off on the horizon.
View north from the Frauenkirche south tower, showing the concentrated arrangement of buildings and many construction cranes. The large mustard-color building with a black dome in the center of the photo is the Theatiner Church. In the upper right corner of the photo is the English Garden.
"Munich Mustard", a shade adorned on many buildings in Munich. This imposing color haunts me to this day. At first I thought it was quite ugly - you'd never see it in America. However, now I think that there is something great about this color, but I can't put my finger on it. The photograph was taken from the tunnel over Pfisterstraße at the Alter Hof (Old Court) at the corner of Hofgraben and Alter Hof.
The dominating Theatinerkirche, built in 1662, is massive in size, color, and presence. (Another great example of "Munich Mustard") This church sits on the Odeonsplatz with another imposing giant, the Feldherrnhalle, which is a military memorial consisting of a large stone stage with pillar-and-arch front (not see here). I have never felt such a strong sense of "heaviness" as when standing in this square.
Typical street scene in downtown Munich, this one looking across Maximillianstraße to the Max Joseph statue and Residenz (right) and buildings on Residenzstraße.
Heading north from the Theatinerkiche on Ludwigsstraße, I eventually came to the Siegestor ("Victory Gate"), near the south end of the English Garden. Also know as the Victory Arch, it was built in 1852 in honor of the Bavarian army.
Pleasant stream in the Englisher Garten (English Garden), the Central Park of Munich. It was laid out in 1789 by an American designer with British sympathies. I enjoyed this park much more than Central Park in Manhattan; it seemed to be more pastoral and less confined by the city.
Monopteros, a Grecian love temple from 1838 perched atop a prominent hill in the mostly flat English Garden.
Cloudy day view of the English Garden and Munich skyline from the Monopteros. The Frauenkirche and Theaterinkirche are seen at the right. The dome on the left belongs to the renovated Army Museum.
The ever popular Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) in the heart of the English Garden. This strange wooden structure was first erected in 1790 and rebuilt in 1951. Surrounded with a beer garden, it is obvious (to me) why this is a most popular place, especially on a warm and muggy day like today.
Munich Beauties, bathing in the warm Bavarian sunshine while sharing a "maß" (one-liter beer). The woman on the right was talking on a cell phone, which seemed to be more common in Europe than in the U.S.
Luitpoldbrücke across Isar River, with Friedensengel (Angel of Peace) on opposite side.
After heading across Luitpoldbrücke and proceeding past the Friedensengel, I came across an interstingly colorful street intersection at the Europlatz.
Bayerische Staatskanzlei ("Bavarian State Chancellory"), incorporating the recently renovated Army Museum building. This large square is located at the edge of the Hofgarten.
ICE train in Munich Hauptbahnhof, which offered a very comfortable and speedy ride.
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by Donald A. Klosterman, Ph.D., Dayton, Ohio, USA
14th century Karlstor ("Karl's Gate"), which marks the beginning of the Altstadt (Old Town) and pedestrian zone in the heart of downtown Munich. Karl's Gate is a short walk from the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), so most visitors to Munich begin their urban adventures here.
View from Neuhauserstraße, which leads from Karl's Gate to the Marienplatz. The twin towers of the famous Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) can be seen rising above its confined quarters in this dense city. In fact, the platz in front of the Frauenkirche is so tight, that this is the best picture I could get of this marvelous church!
Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) facing the ever popular Marienplatz. Once again, good shots of the buildings were obstructed by their tight packing, not to mention throngs of people. An additional frustration when I was there was that many of the buildings and churches were under renovation and were therefore covered with scaffolding. Thus, I was unable to photograph many of the other key sights in the core of downtown.
Bird's-eye view from the observation deck at the top of the Frauenkirche south tower, looking southwest. You can see the prominent steeple of St. Peter, part of the Marienplatz to the far left (underneath the construction crane), and the Alps far off on the horizon.
View north from the Frauenkirche south tower, showing the concentrated arrangement of buildings and many construction cranes. The large mustard-color building with a black dome in the center of the photo is the Theatiner Church. In the upper right corner of the photo is the English Garden.
"Munich Mustard", a shade adorned on many buildings in Munich. This imposing color haunts me to this day. At first I thought it was quite ugly - you'd never see it in America. However, now I think that there is something great about this color, but I can't put my finger on it. The photograph was taken from the tunnel over Pfisterstraße at the Alter Hof (Old Court) at the corner of Hofgraben and Alter Hof.
The dominating Theatinerkirche, built in 1662, is massive in size, color, and presence. (Another great example of "Munich Mustard") This church sits on the Odeonsplatz with another imposing giant, the Feldherrnhalle, which is a military memorial consisting of a large stone stage with pillar-and-arch front (not see here). I have never felt such a strong sense of "heaviness" as when standing in this square.
Typical street scene in downtown Munich, this one looking across Maximillianstraße to the Max Joseph statue and Residenz (right) and buildings on Residenzstraße.
Heading north from the Theatinerkiche on Ludwigsstraße, I eventually came to the Siegestor ("Victory Gate"), near the south end of the English Garden. Also know as the Victory Arch, it was built in 1852 in honor of the Bavarian army.
Pleasant stream in the Englisher Garten (English Garden), the Central Park of Munich. It was laid out in 1789 by an American designer with British sympathies. I enjoyed this park much more than Central Park in Manhattan; it seemed to be more pastoral and less confined by the city.
Monopteros, a Grecian love temple from 1838 perched atop a prominent hill in the mostly flat English Garden.
Cloudy day view of the English Garden and Munich skyline from the Monopteros. The Frauenkirche and Theaterinkirche are seen at the right. The dome on the left belongs to the renovated Army Museum.
The ever popular Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) in the heart of the English Garden. This strange wooden structure was first erected in 1790 and rebuilt in 1951. Surrounded with a beer garden, it is obvious (to me) why this is a most popular place, especially on a warm and muggy day like today.
Munich Beauties, bathing in the warm Bavarian sunshine while sharing a "maß" (one-liter beer). The woman on the right was talking on a cell phone, which seemed to be more common in Europe than in the U.S.
Luitpoldbrücke across Isar River, with Friedensengel (Angel of Peace) on opposite side.
After heading across Luitpoldbrücke and proceeding past the Friedensengel, I came across an interstingly colorful street intersection at the Europlatz.
Bayerische Staatskanzlei ("Bavarian State Chancellory"), incorporating the recently renovated Army Museum building. This large square is located at the edge of the Hofgarten.
View of St. Paul Church walking down Landwehrstraße, one of the few shots I took west of the Hauptbahnhof. See photo at right for the stone inscription given at its entrance.
Schloß Nymphenburg ("Nymphenburg Palace"), a few subway stops north west of the city.
ICE train in Munich Hauptbahnhof, which offered a very comfortable and speedy ride.