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Welcome to the Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines |
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Text Ben Knight
Image Alamy
After exploring the historical centre of Munich, head to the city’s surrounding districts for even more cultural delights
I Love Munich
“Munich has an image of being full of rich people driving BMWs, but it’s one of the best cities in Germany for young people. My favourite club is Favorit Bar on Damenstiftstrasse. The best record shops are probably in Glockenbachviertel.”
Tobias Kirch
(student and musician)
“It’s the culture that makes this city unique. There’s a higher standard here than even Berlin. The best theatre is Nationaltheater, with Münchner Kammerspiele not far behind. The opera is exceptional.”
Sabine Schirmer
(theatre critic)
“I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in Germany. I love the homely, small-town mentality of the place, and in my opinion the food is the best in the world.”
Jürgen Behrend
(bar owner)
“The best place to start a night out is definitely Müllerstrasse. There’s a really friendly atmosphere and it’s not that expensive compared with the city centre. I recommend Kultfabrik, too. It’s so huge, you never know where you’ll end up.”
Frank Heinemann
(PR agent)
Among Germans, Munich is sometimes referred to as Italy’s northernmost city, an appreciation of the high culture, fine fashion, exquisite food and climate the city has to offer. But Munich has a lot more going for it than that. Its bohemian tradition, historically centred in the northern district of Schwabing, is fed by a large student population and, for the adventurous there’s an exciting multicultural flavour in many of the outlying areas too.
The traditional launch pad for any tour of Munich is Marienplatz. It’s fun to watch the cheerful mix of busy locals dodging through the holiday crowd. Or you can inspect the intricate façade of the Neue Rathaus, depicting dragons, knights and the odd historical figure. The world-famous Glockenspiel in the bell tower completes the fairytale effect. This clockwork spectacle of life-size dancing figures is set in motion at 11am and 12pm every day, and at 5pm from March to October.
To see dirndls on real people, make a detour to Hofbräuhaus (9 Platzl), where all the Bavarian clichés gather together to satisfy tourists. Locals put on their best lederhosen and play brass music, while waitresses serve all the rich delights you came to Munich for: wheat beer, white sausages and soft pretzels.
Frauenkirche (Frauenplatz) offers more sober pleasures. Take a step inside to see the footprint the devil left as he stamped his foot with laughter, believing the architect had forgotten to include windows. If you venture a little further than Satan did, you’ll see he’d been tricked – the windows are just invisible from the entrance.
Just off Marienplatz is the amazing Viktualienmarkt, where the finest Bavarian cuisine meets its international counterparts for a colourful, pungent conference of delicious food.
The last must-see in the centre of the city is Valentin Karlstadt Musäum (Isartor, 50 Tal, valentin-musaeum.de). The museum is located inside one of the old city gates, Isartor, an aptly surreal location for a tribute to one of Munich’s most famous sons – the Dadaist cabaret artist Karl Valentin.
Munich doesn’t like to separate its riches, and among the historical sights are plenty of great bars, restaurants and clubs. Falk’s Bar (2-6 Promenadeplatz, tel. (0)89 212 0956) is a high-end cocktail bar, with post-modern décor in an imperial setting. Brenner Grill (15 Maximilianstrasse, tel. (0)89 452 2880) makes grilling meat into an art form, and Bar Tabacco (8 Hartmann Strasse, tel. (0)89 227216) specialises in both cocktails and steaks. Cocoon (3 Christophstrasse, tel. (0)89 2554 1966), has a cosier atmosphere and serves good international cuisine, while The Atomic Café (5 Neuturmstrasse) is one of coolest clubs in the city centre, with indie, hip-hop and 1960s nights.
It’s impossible to walk through the centre of Munich without being tempted to spend your life savings on clothes. The places you should perhaps be most wary of are modern boutique Pool (11 Maximilianstrasse) and Loden-Frey (7 Maffeistrasse), a designer department store that offers the well-heeled Munich look as interpreted by a range of top-class designers.
North of the city centre is where the real Munich starts. This is where the city’s intellectual elite gathers in imperial-era cafés, haunted by the ghosts of past regulars such as Bertolt Brecht. Students of Ludwig-MaximiliansUniversität can be found here, too.
Maxvorstadt starts at Odeonsplatz, a splendid, historically charged square where Hitler’s putsch was defeated in 1923. A three-minute walk through the more delicate Hofgarten takes you to the tip of the immense Englischer Garten, Munich’s playground. With its nudist areas, serene lakes and Arcadian statues, it is in every way an urban Eden.
Art, either classical or contemporary, can be admired in many museums and galleries in Munich. Perhaps the most definitive collections are to found in the three Pinakotheks of Maxvorstadt – Alte Pinakothek (27 Barer Strasse), Neue Pinakothek (29 Barer Strasse) and Pinakothek der Moderne (40 Barer Strasse) – which together span the history of Western art.
When it comes to dinnertime, there’s a number of locales to choose from, but Tantris (7 Johann-Fichte-Strasse, tel. (0)89 361 9590) will fill you up with exquisite food from almost anywhere in the world, while Piazza Linda (12 Elisabethstrasse, tel. (0)89 2727 2201) offers excellent Italian cuisine at affordable prices. But the place in Schwabing you shouldn’t miss is Eat the Rich (90 Hess-Strasse, tel. (0)89 185982), a cocktail bar and restaurant that’s an institution, perennially crowded with the city’s beautiful people.
This district, south-west of the city centre, has long challenged Schwabing for its crown as the centre of cool Munich. Where the more established Schwabing carries an intellectual aura with its coolness, Glockenbachviertel is where the fun is to be had.
At its centre is Gärtnerplatz and the regal opera house Staatstheater (3 Gärtnerplatz, staatstheater-amgaertnerplatz.de). Street festivals are regularly organised by the local community, and the gay and lesbian scene congregates around trendy streets such as Müllerstrasse and Hans-Sachs-Strasse, which also offer a mini-universe of fascinating little shops to explore. Glockenbachviertel also contains Alte Südfriedhof (17 Thalkirchner Strasse), a beautiful cemetery where you can pay your respects to Munich’s past luminaries, as well as admire an architectural cross-section of the city’s history.
There are enough cosy cafés and bars in Glockenbachviertel to keep you going for a whole holiday, but particularly recommended are Café Loretta (50 Müllerstrasse, tel. (0)89 2307 7370), a place that does great sandwiches and where you can laze away a comfortable hour with Munich’s young people, and Hey Luigi (29 Holzstrasse, tel. (0)89 4613 4741), a trendy and affordable Italian restaurant.
As for shopping, Salon Tsé & Tsé (25 Jahnstrasse) cuts a unique line in designer furniture and household items, and Amen Store (1 Corneliusstrasse) does some of the best skaterwear.
As the property market gentrifies more of the city, Haidhausen is well placed to assume Glockenbachviertel’s mantle of the area where young Munich hangs out. But today this happy district to the east of the city retains its edge, spiced up by its multicultural community.
Haidhausen boasts some of Munich’s imperial grandeur. Maximilianeum (1 Max-Planck-Strasse), a regal palace housing the Bavarian state parliament, stands proudly on the Isar river. There’s also Gasteig (5 Rosenheimer Strasse,
gasteig.de), a vast, labyrinthine cultural temple that includes a philharmonic concert hall, chamber concert hall, studio theatre, library and art school.
Another cultural centre worth exploring is Muffatwerk (4 Zellstrasse, muffatwerk.de), which contains various galleries, café and restaurants. And then there’s Kultfabrik (main entrance on Grafinger Strasse, kultfabrik. de), a wild complex of more than 50 bars and nightclubs that claims to be the biggest party zone in Europe. All in all, only an alien could find its tastes uncatered for in Haidhausen.
In Altstadt, there’s probably no better place to stay than Hotel Bayerischer Hof (2-6 Promenadeplatz, tel. (0)89 21200, bayerischerhof.de, rooms from €211), a grand hotel with a spa and one of the best places for cocktails in town – Falk’s Bar. Star Inn Hotel (11 Domagkstrasse, tel. (0)89 356 5710, starinn.de, rooms from €64) is a good budget hotel in the Schwabing district. It’s convenient for the city centre, and the rooms are neat and comfortable.
Hotel la Maison (24 Occamstrasse, tel. (0)89 3303 5550, hotel-la-maison. com, rooms from €140) is a stylish but friendly hotel close to the Englischer Garten. The décor creates a slightly eccentric ambience in the rooms, giving the hotel a unique feel. Derag Hotel Prinzessin Elisabeth (52 Geyerstrasse, tel. (0)89 720170, deraghotels.de, rooms from €146) is a quality hotel located right next to the river catering to businessmen and tourists alike. There’s also a range of slightly cheaper, self-catering apartments here.
Hotel Advokat (1 Baaderstrasse, tel. (0)89 216310, hotel-advokat.de, rooms from €140) is an artfully styled hotel in a great location. There’s a sense of exclusivity to the establishment that belies its relatively reasonable prices. Hotel Ritzi (2a Maria-TheresiaStrasse, tel. (0)89 419 5030, hotel-ritzi.de, rooms from €100) is agreat little hotel in Haidhausen with individually designed rooms and a relaxing atmosphere.
Lorsque l’on évoque Munich, on la compare parfois à une ville du Nord de l’Italie, un mélange de grandeur culturelle, de mode raffinée, de cuisine exquise et d’atmosphère. Mais il se passe beaucoup d’autres choses à Munich.
Altstadt/Lehel Marienplatz est le point de départ traditionnel des tours de la ville de Munich, un lieu où vous pouvez passer en revue la façade enchevêtrée de la Neue Rathaus et son Glockenspiel. A côté de Marienplatz se trouve le Viktualienmarkt, où la toute fine cuisine bavaroise rencontre ses homologues internationaux, autour de délicieux plats colorés et relevés. Le Valentin Karlstadt Musäum (Isartor, 50 Tal), situé à l’intérieur de l’une des anciennes portes de la ville est consacré à l’un des plus célèbres fils de Munich, l’artiste Karl Valentin, et son cabaret dadaïste.
Maxvorstadt/Schwabing Au nord du centre ville se réunit l’élite intellectuelle de Munich dans les cafés de l’ère impériale. De nombreux espaces extérieurs se laissent deviner dont les Hofgarten et les immenses Englischer Garten, le terrain de jeu de Munich. Si vous préférez passer du temps à l’intérieur, la Alte Pinakothek (27 Barer Strasse), la Neue Pinakothek (29 Barer Strasse) et la Pinakothek der Moderne (40 Barer Strasse) offrent un large panorama de l’histoire de l’art occidental. L’hôtel Star Inn (11 Domagkstrasse) propose un bon rapport qualité/prix à Schwabing, avec des chambres soignées et confortables.
Glockenbachviertel C’est dans ce quartier que se concentrent une large variété de plaisirs.
De nombreux festivals de rue s’y déroulent et c’est aussi là que la scène gay et lesbienne de Munich se rassemble, autour de Müllerstrasse et de Hans-Sachs-Strasse. Vous trouverez également dans ce coin Alte Südfriedhof (17 Thalkirchner Strasse), un magnifique cimetière où vous pourrez rendre hommage aux grandes personnalités munichoises du passé. Et question cafés et bars, vous en trouverez suffisamment au mètre carré pour vous satisfaire durant tout votre séjour, mais le Café Loretta (50 Müllerstrasse) et Hey Luigi (29 Holzstrasse) sont particulièrement recommandés.
Haidhausen Ce quartier prometteur constitue un pan de la grandeur impériale de Munich, dont le Maximilianeum (1 Max-Planck-Strasse), qui abrite le parlement de Bavière. Le soir venu, la Kultfabrik (Grafinger Strasse) clame son statut de plus grande zone festive en Europe. Si après toutes ces sorties, vous cherchez un endroit où vous reposer, l’hôtel Ritzi (2a Maria-TheresiaStrasse) est un super petit hôtel où chaque chambre est conçue dans un style distinct.
München wordt ook wel eens de meeste noordelijke stad van Italië genoemd. De stad dankt die naam aan haar cultuur, verfijnde mode, uitstekende gerechten en klimaat. Maar München is nog veel meer dan dat …!
Altstadt/Lehel De traditionele startplaats voor elke rondleiding van München is Marienplatz, waar je de ingewikkelde gevel van het Neue Rathaus en zijn Glockenspiel kunt bewonderen. Vlak bij Marienplatz ligt Viktualienmarkt, waar de meest verfijnde Beierse gerechten het in een kleurrijk en prikkelend kader moeten opnemen tegen hun al even onweerstaanbare internationale tegenhangers. Valentin Karlstadt Musäum (Isartor, 50 Tal) ligt binnen een van de oude stadspoorten en is een eerbetoon aan een van de bekendste zonen van München, de dadaïstische cabaretier Karl Valentin.
Maxvorstadt/Schwabing Ten noorden van het stadscentrum troept de intellectuele elite van München samen in cafés uit het imperiale tijdperk. Hier vind je heel wat openluchtruimtes, waaronder Hofgarten en het reusachtige Englischer Garten, de speelplaats van München. Als je liever binnenblijft, zijn er Alte Pinakothek (Barer Strasse 27), Neue Pinakothek (Barer Strasse 29) en Pinakothek der Moderne (Barer Strasse 40) om een overzicht van de Westerse kunstgeschiedenis te scheppen. Star Inn Hotel (Domagkstrasse 11) is een goed budgethotel in Schwabing, met schone en gerieflijke kamers.
Glockenbachviertel In dit district wordt vooral plezier gemaakt. Hier tref je regelmatig straatfestivals aan en komt de homo- en lesbiennegemeenschap samen rond Müllerstrasse en Hans-Sachs-Strasse. Hier ligt ook Alte Südfriedhof (Thalkirchner Strasse 17), een prachtig kerkhof waar je sterren uit het verleden van de stad een laatste groet kunt brengen. Hoewel er genoeg cafés en bars zijn om je een hele vakantie lang zoet te houden, verdienen vooral Café Loretta (Müllerstrasse
50) en Hey Luigi (Holzstrasse 29) aanbeveling.
Haidhausen Dit veelbelovende district ademt de keizerlijke grandeur van de stad. Zo is er Maximilianeum (Max-Planck-Strasse 1), waar het Beierse parlement ligt. Wanneer de nacht valt, lonkt Kultfabrik (Grafinger Strasse), dat de titel van grootste fuiftent in Europa opeist. Ben je na al dat fuiven toe aan wat rust? Hotel Ritzi (Maria-Theresia-Strasse 2a) is een fantastisch hotelletje met individueel ontworpen kamers.
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