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You really must see Munich to believe it! Its contrasts
are extreme but piquant – and guarantee a highly
stimulating holiday. Neo-classical, Italianate and
Gothic buildings shout at each other. Art and culture
offer their refined pleasures – but so does the vigorous
life of the street cafés and beer-halls that abound in
this “village of a million inhabitants”.
Munich has Germany’s leading university, with nearly
100,000 students who make their own lively contribution
to the city’s character. Its museums, art galleries,
music and theatre are superb, the shops around the
Marienplatz of an unsurpassed elegance, its artists’
quarter, Schwabing, lively and relaxed.
Munich retains a geniality that is rarely found in large
cities, and that makes it a favourite with the Germans
themselves, particularly during the Oktoberfest,
Munich’s annual beer festival and fun fair, when the
city really gets lit up.
For the culturally inclined there are splendid churches
of all styles and periods, including the Frauenkirche, a
masterpiece in late Gothic (and red brick!) with its two
lofty domed towers; a tour of the Nymphenburg Palace
with its park and famous Rococo hunting lodge, the
Amalienburg; a night at the Bavarian State Opera;
perhaps a visit to the newly opened ‘Olympic Spirit’
centre – the world’s first interactive sports attraction
centre themed on the Olympic games.
The jewel in the cultural crown of Munich is, of course,
the Alte Pinakothek, one of the world’s great art
galleries, whose walls are hung masters. The Deutsches
Museum holds six floors of exhibits devoted to science
and technology. The dedicated culture-vulture will
alight on many more museums and galleries.
But whether your favourite holiday diversion is
sightseeing, shopping, culture or café life, the vital
city of Munich, rich in all of them, is a must. |
