I visited Munich recently to check out the city while my wife was attending a conference. Top of my list was checking out the streetlife, visiting the landmark Olympic stadium, and a visit to the Munich Hofbrauhaus.
The town hall is the center of old Munich
The Olympic stadium did not disappoint. The roof of the stadium is a tensile structure, designed by legendary engineer Frei Otto. The stadium is accompanied by similar structures including a swimming hall, events center, and a smaller pavillion. A communications tower is also on site, and the entire site can be seen from the top of the Olympic Hill, a hillock built from rubble collected from WWII destruction.
Munich Olympic Stadium
The stadium roof is one of the most important structures built during the last century, so it was a real treat for me to spend some time there. If anyone is interested in seeing more photos or details of it, I put a full gallery of photos of the olympic park here. This place is sacred ground for structural engineers, and visiting it was the highlight of my trip.
The new town hall, or Rathaus, is at the center of the city, and is a beloved feature of the city. While certain areas of the old city are blocked off to car traffic, there are transit lines under the streets so getting around is amazingly easy. This effective blending of transit and pedestrian features means that the old city is full tourists yet accommodates the needs of modern workers. Outside of the old town the city is a typical German metropolis with a modern transportation system focused on the autobahn system and vehicular access. But the car-free heart of Munich gives the entire town a reputation of one large German village where everyone is a friendly neighbor.
Even with the narrow streets, the sidewalks are quite wide on both sides of the street
A large collection of standing bikes in a town square.
An approaching streetcar on the old town road
Separated bike lanes appear on major roads
A subway station underneath a major plaza
The transit systems quietly serve the pedestrian areas of the city
The old city stands in contrast to the modern styling of the stadium. Much of the damage from WWII was rebuilt in kind after the war, so the city was able to reclaim its status as a historic center. The decision to retain the historic street plan instead of bulldozing everything to make way for automobiles and heavy traffic has had a huge impact on the city. It is the old street plan and buildings that now attract millions of tourists from all over the world to visit each year.
A shopping district in old Munich
The fountain plaza is a popular gathering space
The city of Munich has a lot of pride, and it shows. The city is well governed, well laid out, and still retains all of its charm and character. It’s certainly worth noting that the city hosts the largest beer festival in the world every year, but comes across as one of the cleanest cities in Europe.
The infrastructure and attention to detail in Germany is amazing.
Hofbrauhaus – the most famous address in town:
The world famous Hofbrauhaus
The beer halls of Munich are worth a visit, go grab a liter and a pretzel
Surrounding Munich is the beautiful Bavarian countryside. The idyllic landscape at the foot of the alps, with river valleys, glacial lakes, and flat pastureland, makes for a perfect agricultural area. And not such a bad place to just sit down and enjoy the blue skies.
Neuschwanstein is a modern luxury structure built from brick, steel, and concrete; but it is an ideal old castle
A visit to Lake Tegernsee just south of Munich
This monastery was recently converted into a convention center
