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Perhaps the most archetypally German of all the country's major cities, Munich is an impressive mix of cutting edge industrial dynamo leavened with a spirited nightlife, festivals and an appreciation fine art and culture. In a way, Bavaria is Germany's Deep South and Munich its Atlanta: rich with tradition, aware of its own unique identity and fiercely independent. The city is in the country's far south-east just a hop and a step away from both the Swiss and Austrian borders.
Munich Airport
Munich's airport, Flughafen Franz-Josef Strauss is southern Germany's hub, one of the newest and most modern airports in Europe and only second to Frankfurt in terms of passenger numbers. You'll save a small fortune by using the rail system to the centre of town. Travelling from the underground airport station to the "Haupt Bahnhof" via the suburban rail system takes about 40 minutes. Tickets are purchased for around €5 from automated vending machines. But if you don't speak German, it's best to ask for some assistance in using them from the airport staff as they are probably amongst the most user unfriendly in Europe! Lufthansa also provides an airport bus (about 45 minutes) or taxi if you want personal service for which you'll pay at least €50. For best deals on car hire in Munich See EasyCar for the best deals on Rental cars in Munich.
Munich Hotel Bookings
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Sightseeing Highlights
Two grand symbols of Germany's post-war resurgence stand side-by-side as icons of a commercial behemoth keen to redress the past and seek its place in the world community. The first is the BMW Museum. Look for the silver tower blocks haped like engine cylinders that house the company HQ, the museum sits next to it - an enormous flying saucer sitting on a launch pad. Visitors walk up a spiral ramp to view displays of the marque including its sedans, engines, motorcycles, racing thoroughbreds and prototypes. It's interspersed with videos of advertising footage and highlights of BMW history. The second is the Olympic Park, site of the 1972 Games (and just 36 years after the Berlin Games that marked the dark descent into WWII). Focal points are the 290m Olympic Tower and the 80,000 seat stadium. Sunk into the ground it's topped on its western flank with a gracefully undulating translucent roof. Used for all manner of sporting events, celebrations and concerts, both the swimming centre and ice-skating rink are open for public use.
The best way to soak up Munich's atmosphere is to wander around the Altstadt (Old Town) and its surrounds. Start in Marienplatz, the square that is the area's centrepiece which in turn has at its centre the Mariansaule (Mary Column) which commemorates the defeat of Swedish occupiers in 1683. The square is bordered by the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) a time-blackened neo-Gothic piece complete with statues, gargoyles and a magnificent glockenspiel and St Peterskirche, a blend of Gothic, and baroque architecture. For a magnificent city vista climb its 92m tower. The Alte Rathaus (rebuilt after WWII) is home to the Spielzeugmuseum (Toy Museum), a treat for kids or those who want to recall the objects of desire of their youth. Behind it is the Heiliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit) dating from the 14th Century with a beautiful set of 18th Century frescoes by Cosmas Damian Asam.
From Marienplatz you can hop around the city using its other "platz's" as lily fronds. These include Max-Joseph Platz, Odeonsplatz (site of the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch), Karlsplatz and Konigsplatz. Other sites on a walking tour include the Hofbrauhaus, Munich's famous beer hall; the Residenz, an enormous palace home to bavaria's rulers from the 14th-20th Century; its accompanying Residenzmuseum, the palace museum, so large that it is opened in sections (one a.m., the other p.m.), the Feldherrnhalle (Field Marshall's Hall) and the city landmark Theatinerkirche St Katejan with its enormous twin towers.
Munich takes enormous pride in its civic museums and has a collection of some fine world class collections. The city's oldest is the Glyptothek showcasing Greek and Roman sculpture and portraits of significant figures from each civilization. The Antikensammlungen is similarly themed but also has bronzes, jewellery and ornaments. The Museum Reich der Kristalle specialises in revealing the secrets of crystals in all their myriad form. Learn the science and revel in the beauty of an astonishing array of this exquisite mineral. The city has the nation's biggest modern art museum - the Pinakothek der Moderne. The building (an inspired glass and concrete form itself) houses an astonishingly extensive collection of 20th Century art, sculptures, videos and photography with contributions from Picasso, Dali and Matisse to name a few and also sections focussing on modern design. The Neue Pinakothek displays works from the 18th and 19th centuries ranging from rococo to Art Nouveau. A more personal museum is the Stadische Galerie im Lenbachaus, the former house of 19th Century painter Franz von Lenbach with some of his pieces complemented by an array of paintings by his compatriot contemporaries.
The culture and folklore of Bavaria itself is showcased in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum. Its amazingly diverse collection includes tapestries, furniture, weapons, porcelain, glass, games, silverware and even babies' cots. Earlier Bavaria from pre-history to the Middle Ages is on display at the Archaologische Staatsmmlung. Science and technology in virtually all its myriad forms is catalogued at the huge Deutsches Museum. Wonderful interactive displays, model mines and sections demystifying everything from electronics to astronomy pay homage to the science that has provided much of the city's wealth and influence. The Judisches Museum is small and has relatively brief opening times due to limited finances but still displays a moving exploration of Jewish life in Bavaria. The Verkehrszentrum is an annexe of the Deutsches Museum and is a modern temple to the glories of the age of transport including automobiles, boats and trains. The Schloss Nymphenburg, about 5km from the city centre, is an enormous palace and garden complex that houses the Marstallmuseum. On show are the possessions of the former royal inhabitants and part of it includes the Museum Mensche und Natur (Museum of Mankind and Nature).
A city that has a voracious appetite for commerce and industry and the the hard grind vthat goes with it needs to release an inordinate amount of steam to make amends. And when Munich unwinds it does so like there's no tomorrow and for 15 days in October there virtually is no tomorrow. Held in the Thereisienwiese (Theresa Meadow) fairgrounds Oktoberfest is the world's biggest beer festival attracting over 7 million revellers from 10:30am to 11:30pm. It's free to get in but the steins of beer and the food while plentiful are not cheap.
A sobering jolt from the boutiques, high culture and beer-soaked entertainment of the city lies about 20 minutes from its centre. Dachau was the first concentration camp built by the Nazis and saw some 200,000 "prisoners" pass through its ominous gates. It is preserved as a memorial to its victims and a site of pilgrimage to bear witness to their suffering. The main hall has photographs and models of the camp, exhibitions of the horrific scientific experiments conducted and the broader camp system created in the 30's and 40's. You can also walk through reconstructed bunkers and the crematorium and a gas chamber disguised as showers but never actually used at Dachau.
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