Munich : History, Good Food, and Delicious Beers!
When you travel through Germany, you realize that it is a surprisingly diverse country with quite a lot of regional variations and traditions. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the state of Bavaria. The city of Munich is the capital of the state of Bavaria – which in the times of old-Europe was an ancient medieval kingdom that came to prominence around the 12th century. The people of this region are immensely proud of their Bavarian heritage and celebrate it at every opportunity. Bavarian culture is easy to appreciate – men in lederhosen, women wearing dirndls, huge steins of beer, sausages and pretzels, and a love of music and dancing. Munich is a lot of fun to visit and in this article we share with you some hints and tips to help you plan your expedition to the capital of Bavaria.
Discover the history
Before you visit Munich it is worth spending just a little time refreshing yourself on some of the history of this place. As if the ancient history of Bavaria wasn’t fascinating enough, Munich’s recent history has also had a fairly profound impact on the world as we know it today. It was in Munich in the early 1920s that the Nazi party first rose to prominence in Germany and it remained a key centre of power for the Nazi party while they controlled the country. Dachau, the first concentration camp built by the Nazi government, is just 10 miles out of Munich. Damaged heavily during the conflict of World War II, Munich was completely rebuilt following the war and has prospered economically. However it was here in 1972 when members of the Israeli Olympic team were assassinated by Palestinian extremists. Munich is not some sleepy back-water, it is a city where things happen.
Experience the old town
Despite the devastation of the air-raids of World War II, there are a surprising number of historic buildings that have survived and this is best experienced in the small narrow streets of the old town. City gates that date back to Munich’s medieval fortifications are still standing. The city’s cathedral, the Fraenkirche, is stunning and well worth visiting, and the central square of Marienplatz still has a real sense of being the focus point of the town. The post-war reconstruction of Munich was quite cleverly done as they have managed to maintain the old street layout, so new buildings blend seamlessly old. The shopping in Munich is particularly good – there’s all the familiar high street brands but also an impressive number of small boutiques and independent designers.
Feast like a Bavarian
Bavaria has a lot of traditional dishes that are hard to deny. One of my favourites is to start the day with a dish of Weisswurst – a white sausage that is served with sweet mustard and a freshly baked pretzel. Weisswurst are only eaten before 12:00 noon – a rule that harks back to the days before refrigeration to ensure the freshness of the sausage. Bavaria is also the home of the apple strudel and every cafe will have strudel on the menu – served with a huge slurp of vanilla cream.
A celebration of beer
One of the best (and busiest) times to visit Munich is during the annual Oktoberfest festival. Even if you’re not a huge beer drinker, this is a fantastic event and well worth checking out. The festival is held over two weeks in late September and the city is flooded with people, most of them wearing the traditional costumes of lederhosen (for men) and dirndl (for women). The costumes aren’t just worn when you are going out or drinking, they worn throughout the festival so it almost feels as if you have stepped back in time.
If your trip to Munich doesn’t coincide with Oktoberfest then you can always get a taste of the action at the enormous Hofbrauhaus beer hall – simple traditional food, lots of singing, and lots of beer.
Munich is the perfect destination for a weekend mini-break, even if it’s just to get your fix of apple strudel.
Image by David Young under Creative Commons license.
