Marvellous Munich! Museums, gardens and a dark history… There’s more to the city than beer festivals and bratwurst
Munich: the Edge of War Available from 21 January on Netflix
CLAIRE WEBB - 20 January 2022
Nowadays, despite Munich’s key part in Europe’s Nazi-era history – and thus its starring role in Netflix’s film, Munich: the Edge of War – the Bavarian capital is most famous for its boisterous beer festival, Oktoberfest. Tourists and locals alike don lederhosen or bosomhugging frocks to knock back litre upon litre of beer and ride rollercoasters during a two-week knees-up that begins with a raucous parade. At any time of year, you’ll spot plenty of beer halls and sausages, but there’s so much more to Munich. Sure, drink in that boozy atmosphere, but first work up a thirst exploring its excellent museums, vast city park and medieval old town.
On clear days, you can see the jagged peaks of the Bavarian Alps from the onion dome-topped towers of Munich’s huge and rather plain cathedral, the 15th-century Frauenkirche. According to legend, the architect who built it made a deal with the devil to pay for it, and his infernal creditor’s black footprint is stamped into the floor. A short stroll away, in the café-lined main square, Marienplatz, crowds gather twice a day in front of the flamboyant neogothic city hall to watch the dancing figures of its glockenspiel clock. Hop on a tram to the west of the city to admire Munich’s grandest palace. The sumptuously decorated Schloss Nymphenburg was the summer home of the royal family and its grounds are a lovely spot for a stroll. At this time of year, the palace’s canal freezes over and you can skate on it or try curling – one of Bavaria’s chief winter sports.
Back in the centre, defrost in Müller’sches Volksbad, an art nouveau bathhouse on the banks of the river that meanders through the city. On warm summer days, people flock to the river’s pebble beaches and nearby Englischer Garten to sunbathe, swim and picnic. Munich is as well stocked with museums as beer halls, and you could spend a week exploring Kunstareal, the cultural quarter. The monumental Alte Pinakothek is stuffed with works by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens and Bavarian master Albrecht Dürer, while Museum Brandhorst’s striped, multicoloured building is as arresting as its contemporary art collection.
A must-see for any visitor is the NS-Dokumentationszentrum, which examines the city’s role within the Nazi regime and is housed in the Nazi Party’s former headquarters. Munich: the Edge of War delves into this dark chapter in Bavaria’s history. Based on the bestselling thriller by Robert Harris and starring Jeremy Irons as Chamberlain, it takes viewers behind the scenes of the 1938 conference where Hitler was handed a swathe of Czechoslovakia in the hope of keeping the peace in Europe. Much of the film was shot in Hitler’s former headquarters, where the Munich Agreement was actually signed, and which is now the University of Music and Performing Arts.
When you’ve had your fill of architecture and museums, order a foaming stein (a litre-sized mug) in one of its behemoth beer halls. The most famous is the cavernous Hofbräuhaus, which was founded as the royal family’s brewery, but you’re more likely to rub shoulders with locals at art nouveau Augustiner Stammhaus. A traditional breakfast is just the ticket in the winter months, when the streets are regularly blanketed in snow: veal and pork white sausages served with sweet mustard, a pretzel and hefeweizen wheat beer. All the Bavarian classics are on the menu at Nuremberg Bratwurst Glöckl, a cosy oldeworlde restaurant opposite the cathedral.
At the grandmother of Munich’s food markets, Viktualienmarkt, you can pick up a picnic of sizzling wurst, crispy schnitzel and artisan cheeses. As soon as there’s a whiff of spring, everyone makes a beeline for the enormous leafy biergartens. The beer garden tradition was born when breweries planted chestnut trees to keep their cellars cool and served beer to those who sat in their shade on hot days. One of the most popular is at a Chinese-style pagoda in the Englischer Garten, where oompah bands play.
Since 1487, it’s been the law in Munich that only three ingredients are allowed in beer: barley, hops and water. Some say it’ll never give you a hangover because it’s so pure. If you want to put that claim to the test, visit in March during Starkbierzeit, the less touristy “strong beer” festival that pre-dates Oktoberfest. It’s the legacy of the Paulaner monks, who brewed a rich, nutritious beer during Lent because drinking didn’t count as breaking your fast. Expect beers of up to 12 per cent served in stoneware steins, singing, dancing on tables and, inevitably, lederhosen.
Nowadays, despite Munich’s key part in Europe’s Nazi-era history – and thus its starring role in Netflix’s film, Munich: the Edge of War – the Bavarian capital is most famous for its boisterous beer festival, Oktoberfest. Tourists and locals alike don lederhosen or bosomhugging frocks to knock back litre upon litre of beer and ride rollercoasters during a two-week knees-up that begins with a raucous parade. At any time of year, you’ll spot plenty of beer halls and sausages, but there’s so much more to Munich. Sure, drink in that boozy atmosphere, but first work up a thirst exploring its excellent museums, vast city park and medieval old town.
On clear days, you can see the jagged peaks of the Bavarian Alps from the onion dome-topped towers of Munich’s huge and rather plain cathedral, the 15th-century Frauenkirche. According to legend, the architect who built it made a deal with the devil to pay for it, and his infernal creditor’s black footprint is stamped into the floor. A short stroll away, in the café-lined main square, Marienplatz, crowds gather twice a day in front of the flamboyant neogothic city hall to watch the dancing figures of its glockenspiel clock. Hop on a tram to the west of the city to admire Munich’s grandest palace. The sumptuously decorated Schloss Nymphenburg was the summer home of the royal family and its grounds are a lovely spot for a stroll. At this time of year, the palace’s canal freezes over and you can skate on it or try curling – one of Bavaria’s chief winter sports.
Back in the centre, defrost in Müller’sches Volksbad, an art nouveau bathhouse on the banks of the river that meanders through the city. On warm summer days, people flock to the river’s pebble beaches and nearby Englischer Garten to sunbathe, swim and picnic. Munich is as well stocked with museums as beer halls, and you could spend a week exploring Kunstareal, the cultural quarter. The monumental Alte Pinakothek is stuffed with works by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens and Bavarian master Albrecht Dürer, while Museum Brandhorst’s striped, multicoloured building is as arresting as its contemporary art collection.
A must-see for any visitor is the NS-Dokumentationszentrum, which examines the city’s role within the Nazi regime and is housed in the Nazi Party’s former headquarters. Munich: the Edge of War delves into this dark chapter in Bavaria’s history. Based on the bestselling thriller by Robert Harris and starring Jeremy Irons as Chamberlain, it takes viewers behind the scenes of the 1938 conference where Hitler was handed a swathe of Czechoslovakia in the hope of keeping the peace in Europe. Much of the film was shot in Hitler’s former headquarters, where the Munich Agreement was actually signed, and which is now the University of Music and Performing Arts.
When you’ve had your fill of architecture and museums, order a foaming stein (a litre-sized mug) in one of its behemoth beer halls. The most famous is the cavernous Hofbräuhaus, which was founded as the royal family’s brewery, but you’re more likely to rub shoulders with locals at art nouveau Augustiner Stammhaus. A traditional breakfast is just the ticket in the winter months, when the streets are regularly blanketed in snow: veal and pork white sausages served with sweet mustard, a pretzel and hefeweizen wheat beer. All the Bavarian classics are on the menu at Nuremberg Bratwurst Glöckl, a cosy oldeworlde restaurant opposite the cathedral.
At the grandmother of Munich’s food markets, Viktualienmarkt, you can pick up a picnic of sizzling wurst, crispy schnitzel and artisan cheeses. As soon as there’s a whiff of spring, everyone makes a beeline for the enormous leafy biergartens. The beer garden tradition was born when breweries planted chestnut trees to keep their cellars cool and served beer to those who sat in their shade on hot days. One of the most popular is at a Chinese-style pagoda in the Englischer Garten, where oompah bands play.
Since 1487, it’s been the law in Munich that only three ingredients are allowed in beer: barley, hops and water. Some say it’ll never give you a hangover because it’s so pure. If you want to put that claim to the test, visit in March during Starkbierzeit, the less touristy “strong beer” festival that pre-dates Oktoberfest. It’s the legacy of the Paulaner monks, who brewed a rich, nutritious beer during Lent because drinking didn’t count as breaking your fast. Expect beers of up to 12 per cent served in stoneware steins, singing, dancing on tables and, inevitably, lederhosen.
CLAIRE WEBB