City and village (with a million inhabitants), center of commerce and leisure metropolis, location for alpine joie de vivre and living science, for tradition and high-tech – Munich's very own flair originates in the charged atmosphere of the side-by-side existence and mutual cooperation of seemingly contrary worlds. It's not just Munich’s inhabitants who know how to appreciate the multifaceted nature of their city. Munich is, of course, „Oktoberfest“, „Hofbräuhaus“, the famous brewery, brass band music and Bavarian „Gemütlichkeit“, but it is also a center for culture with spectacular museums and collections, outstanding theaters, three world-famous orchestras and popular festivals and celebrations.
The Bavarian capital plays an important role in Central Europe as an economic location, as a trade fair and conference city and because of its internationally renown universities.
The flair of the city – the love of life and good cheer of its inhabitants, within the setting of the architectural charm of a byegone age – puts a spell on everyone. As a visitor one senses everywhere the cozy atmosphere that finds unique expression in the beer gardens and cafés characteristic of Munich.
Munich - Art & Culture
Historic Buildings The Frauenkirche -„the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary“ - is Munich’s best known landmark. The Frauenkirche embodies imposing medieval architecture and possesses an extensive art collection with exhibits from various epochs. The Alte Rathaus (Old Town Hall) is an impressive example of middle-class Bavarian Gothic, situated right on the Marienplatz Square. The Neue Rathaus (New Town Hall) is a dramatic and monumental Neo-Gothic building. The daily carillon in the bay window of the tower is a major tourist attraction.
Music The Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) offers more than 320 performances within one season, a repertoire that leads to Munich’s being admired by many theaters and cities around the world. Director Kent Nagano regularly succeeds in enchanting visitors from all over the world.
In July the State Opera offers the annual opera festival with world premieres and free open air performances.
Art The Alte und Neue Pinakothek or „Old and New Pinakothek“ in Munich house paintings from seven centuries. Masterpieces ranging from works by Dürer, Rembrandt and Rubens to Van Gogh and Cezanne are exhibited in the two famous art museums. Since 2002 the "Pinakothek Modern" adds art and design of the 20th century to this cultural hotspot.
Theater The Residenztheater is one of Germany’s largest theaters, with more than 250,000 visitors every year. The Repertoire-Theater offers a wide range of plays. Apart from the production of classical plays there is a focus on contemporary drama.
Museums The Deutsches Museum (German Museum), located on Isar-Island is the world’s biggest technical / scientific museum. Here, machines are presented as works of art and a walk through the museum is highly instructive. Fifty-three exhibitions over an area of 46,000 square meters show the development of science and technology from its origins until today.
Munich - Events & Festivals
What would Munich be without the Oktoberfest. It is the biggest folk festival in the world. Every year more than 6 million visitors pour onto the „Wiesn“. About 5 million liters of beer are drunk here annually and more than 200,000 pairs of pork sausages are eaten. There are also carousels, roller coasters and spectacular showmen who provide entertainment and excitement for young and old on the huge fairground at the feet of the Bavaria statue. The parade of the festival landlords and breweries, the traditional costume and rifle club parade and the concert of all Wiesn brass bands are included in the festival program.
The absolute highlight of the festival-summer in Munich is the Opera Festival in July that lures musicians and music fans from all over the world to top performances in the Bavarian State Opera.
Tollwood is a different kind of festival. Stars from all fields and all countries are invited, be it Circus Oz from Australia, Brandford Marsalis from the United States, the Jazz ensemble of Benares, India, or Fura dels Baus from Spain. The Tollwood Festival takes place twice a year. In the summer the festival is housed in the southern Olympiapark and offers more than 250 cultural events of every kind for 24 days on a total area of approx. 30,000 square meters - more than half of the events are free. The winter festival takes place from Advent to New Year’s Eve, on Theresienwiese.
Additional Open-Air Festivals take place all over Munich. In June and July the Königsplatz and Odeonsplatz are transformed into open-air stages.
Munich - Fairs & Conventions
Bauma - specialized international trade fair for construction machinery, building materials machinery, construction vehicles and building machinery Every three years experts from industry, commerce and the service sector of the construction industry gather in Munich. The 435,000 square meter exhibition area is a forum where these experts exchange views.
ISPO - specialized international trade fair for sports articles and sports fashion for summer and winter World premieres of sports trends take place at the ISPO. It’s where you can see future trends in the sports business: new, influential brands and spectacular ideas. The trade fair is divided into nine different „Worlds of Sports“ that show the entire spectrum of the sports industry.
Munich - Lifestyle & Entertainment
The nights are long at Kulturfabrik. It’s the combination of 30 clubs, various artists’ studios and bars that serves up an appealing cocktail for the mixed crowd that can be found at the former dumpling factory.
Between the Isar river, Gärtnerplatz and Südfriedhof is the Glockenbachviertel - Munich’s in-scene district. The Glockenbachviertel is colorful, full of contrasts, tolerant and the center of Munich’s gay scene. Munich’s alternative lifestyle quarter, which thrives on a freaked-out ambiance and relishes its village life, is a sought-after location for movie theaters, agencies, bars and discotheques.
For years, the Nachtcafe has been the ultimate highlight for night-owls and is, besides the Hofbräuhaus, probably the best-known address of its kind in Munich. 17 Every night, outstanding live music is performed here by international artists. The clientele is a colorful mixture of all ages and a variety of interests. In summer, the Aussenterrasse, or outer terrace, which features a variety of bars, is a sensational destination for celebrating, enjoying a drink and making friends.
Munich - Shopping
Munich’s Fussgängerzone, or pedestrian zone, extends from the main train station to Marienplatz and leads to Wein- and Theatinerstrasse. Besides the large department stores, many elegant boutiques invite you to a relaxing shopping experience.
Viktualienmarkt was founded in 1807 and is Munich’s largest fruit and vegetable market. Homegrown produce and exotic imports found side by side make for the special flair of this famous market. For a lunch or a snack, stop at one of the many booths and in summer enjoy a visit to a beer garden in the shadow of a Maypole.
Munich - Culinary
Weisswurst was created in 1857. It saw the light of the day in the restaurant „Das Ewige Licht“, or „Eternal Light“. Like many inventions, it came about by accident. Sepp Moser, the butcher and sausage rotisseur, made a mistake while switching some ingredients and thus accidentally created the now world famous „Schmankerl“, as Bavarian delicacies are called. When Moser’s guests tasted the Weisswurst for the first time, they could not help smacking their lips.
Schweinshaxe mit Blaukraut und Semmelknödel (Pork knuckles with red cabbage and dumplings) is another culinary delight of Munich. Here is the recipe for four people: 4 small pigs knuckles are seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked together with unpeeled onions for an hour. Baste the meat with the residue in the pan so that the pigs knuckles become crisp. In the meantime, red cabbage is prepared with onions, shortening, spices, fruit vinegar and cranberries. Simmer the red cabbage on low heat for 25 minutes. The pork knuckles and red cabbage are served with dumplings stuffed with toasted bread cubes.
