Munich: Marienplatz, Hofbrau Haus, The Residenz, the Asam Church, and More!!

The Marienplatz is the city center for vibrant Munich's 1.5 million residents. The spire of the New Town Hall, below, soars 280 feet and the building is famous for its glockenspiel, when colorful figures appear on a balcony and spin about. Much of the Marienplatz was bombed during WWII and subsequently rebuilt.

 

             Arranged symbols of country's that were considered partners of Munich during the 1800s. 

                                                             The stunning Munich Cathedral.

Another sort of cathedral--the famed Hofbrauhaus, arguably the world's most famous beer hall. Bombed during WWII, it was one of the first spots to be rebuilt--go figure!!

 

Although touristy, plenty of locals also frequent the Hofbrauhaus due to the lively atmosphere and quality food.

 

                          Beer gardens are common through Munich, and designed to accommodate families. 

                                                                                     

The Residenz, a palace of the then-ruling royal Wittelsbach family, helps one understand why it "was good to be king." Sumptuous, ostentatious---choose your adjective!

 

The State bedroom was little more than a showroom. Rulers did not actually sleep there, but would invite guests to attend in the morning and evening to witness the ceremony of the ruler rising from or commencing his slumber. 

                                                      The Antiquarium, used as a banquet hall. 

 

The Asam Church was built in 1740 by a pair of brothers with a shared love of the Baroque style. The Church, adjacent to their residence, served as their private chapel.                                                                                     

 And a little bit more...

                                                      The Theatinerkirche in the Odeonsplatz.
 

In the English Garden, the largest urban park in Europe, you can actually watch surfers do their thing.

DACHAU

Nothing prepares one for a tour of the first Nazi concentration camp, in which 40,000 people died in twelve years even though it was a 'concentration camp' and not an 'extermination camp."

                                                An iron gate proclaims "Work Makes You Free".
 

Desperate prisoners would sometimes run and launch themselves into the electrified fence to bring their suffering to an end. To prevent this, the Nazis dug a trench to separate the fence from the compound. Prisoners were too weak to crawl out and were typically attacked by guard dogs. They were usually allowed to live, however, and tortured as an example of to other prisoners.

                                                                 Entrance to the complex.

                                                           

                   Bunk beds which, at the height of the horror, gave each man one square yard of space. 

The larger crematorium building was built to replace the smaller one, below. The gallows was positioned in front of the crematoriums.

Below, a statute representing the common man at Dachau. Note the oversize clothes, as prisoners were emaciated due to woefully deficient food and health care.

The top memorial reads "Never Again" and the bottom is a gripping depiction of prisoners arrayed against the steel fence. When the Allies liberated Dachau in 1945, they found stacks of bodies as the Nazis had run out of coal for the crematorium. Local townspeople were compelled to tour the camp and witness the atrocities, and then help bury the bodies. The question: "How could they not have known?"

Chiemsee

 A beautiful countryside greets those who venture east from Munich toward Salzburg, Austria.

                                                   Chiemsee Lake, below, in southern Bavaria         

 

King Ludwig purchased an island in the Lake in 1873. It had been the site of the Augustinian monastery, below, which the King converted into a private residence--the Old Palace.

The King, commonly known as Mad King Ludwig, began construction of his New Palace in 1878. Fixated on King Louis XIV of France, the palace was intended as an homage to Versailles.

Photos are forbidden through most of the lavish interior, although only approximately half of the complex was completed. When the King mysteriously died in 1879, all construction was halted. Of his three most famous and fantastical castles--Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, and the New Palace, the latter cost more than the other two combined. King Ludwig stayed at his beloved New Palace on only a few occasions.

Castles in the Sky

Like a sculpted dream, Neuschwanstein castle rises in the Bavarian mountains. Built by 'Mad' King Ludwig of the ruling Wittelsbach family beginning in 1869, the castle was equipped with the modern technology of the day, including electricity, running water, and telephone service..

                     Neuschwanstein would later serve as inspiration for Walt Disney and his fairy tale castles.

 

A view of the castle from Mary's Bridge (named after Ludwig's mother) which spans the Pollat Gorge.

Neuschwanstein towers above his father's castle, Hohenschwangau Castle, a family hunting lodge for the Wittelsbach family until 1912. The family still owns the castle, although it is open for public tours.

Ludwig spent 17 years building his dream castle, but only lived in it for 172 days when he was declared mentally unfit to rule. He was removed from the palace and found dead in shallow waters two days later. Whether he committed suicide or was murdered remains a mystery. 

The third of the King's major Palaces was Linderhof, smaller than both Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee. Linderhof was the only palace he occupied for any significant period of time. Interior photos were not allowed, but the palace is yet another example of opulence and the King's fascination with French palaces. The fountains and grounds are stunning. The family opened the King's palaces to the public soon after his death and all are major attractions today. Neuschwanstein alone attracts more than 700,000 visitors annually.