"Munich" a Munich Travel Page by annase

I rushed through the city in a mere 3-4 h (or something stupid like that) in a vain attempt to see as much cities as possible in 10 days, so I didn’t see very much of Munich. However, it does deserve a proper introduction, so here we go.

Munich is the capital of Bavaria, the region that is known for the notorious two-week long 'Oktoberfest' beer festival and the incredibly strong women (I haven't been in the region in October time, but that's the image they cherish all over...) who can carry millions of 1 litre beer jugs to the thirsty folk, the utterly ridiculous knee lenght leather trousers ('lederhosen') and its heavy and hearty culinary specialities such as ‘Weißwürste’ (white sausages served with sweet mustard and pretzels), ‘Leberkäs’ (baked sausage loaf), ‘Leberknödel’ (soup with bread dumplings made of potatoes or white bread seasoned with liver and onions) and 'Beuscherl' (a plate of lung, heart and spleen). Yummeee.. They absolutely love their dumplings in Bavaria, as almost everything is served with them.

The tourists flock to Munich mainly between May and September, when the weather is at its best. If you want to avoid the crowds, but still enjoy relatively decent weather, head to Munich in April-May and September-October (with the obvious exception during the Oktoberfest). It does get hot in summer, so be prepared, but do also take your umbrella and warm clothes – just in case. The likelyhood of catching a shower is high and thunderstorms often seem to appear from nowhere.

Munich is Germany's third largest city with a population of about 1.3 million. It is located on the River Isar, on the elevated plains of Upper Bavaria, about 50 km north of the northern edge of the Bavarian Alps. Much of the city was destroyed in the World War II. However, it was completely rebuilt following a detailed plan which preserved its pre-war street framework.

Munich was the host for the 1972 Summer Olympics and has hosted several games of the 1974 and 2006 Football World Championships.

Marienplatz (a square named after the Marian column in its centre) is one of the main sights in Munich. It's located right in the centre. It is also a home for the Old and the New Town Hall (Alt and Nueus Rathaus). The town hall tower contains an ornate clock (Rathaus-Glockenspiel), with almost life-sized moving figures that show scenes from a medieval jousting tournament as well as a performance of the dance called "Schäfflertanz" ("Barrel-makers' dance"). The barrel makers supposedly were the first to dance in the streets after the plague ended.

There used to be a medieval fortification in the city. However, it has been almost completely destroyed aprt from three gates that have survived to this day. They are called ‘Isartor’ (Isar Tower according to the River Isar) in the east, ‘Sendlinger Tor’ (Sendlinger Tower) in the south and ‘Karlstor’ (Karls Tower) in the west of the inner city. The latter is also the oldest building at the square called Stachus, which is dominated by the Palace of Justice (Justizpalast).