Bavaria 2018

Exploring Bavarian Beauties - Munich and Schwangau 

  The Pentecost weekend, I decided to visit my Taiwanese friend in Munich, since we didn't see each other for one year, when she was still living in Stuttgart. Our first plan was the visit of Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the most important tourist destinations in Germany, which was built in the 19th century as a retreat for Ludwig II of Bavaria, so we took the train to Füssen in the early morning. From there, we had to take the bus to Schwangau, where we had to buy our tickets. Since it was crowded with tourists, we had to wait almost three hours and unfortunately, it was rainy, windy and cold the whole time. Nevertheless, we went to the castle and were impressed by the panoramic view over the Pöllat Canyon and the Neuschwanstein Castle from the Marienbrücke. We also enjoyed the view of the Hohenschwangau Castle with the Alpsee and the mountains in the background. 

 On Sunday morning, we went to the Nymphenburg Palace, a Baroque palace, opened in 1675 by the architects Joseph Effner, Enrico Zuccalli, Agostino Barelli and Giovanni Antonio Viscardi. After a little breakfast at Rischart, my friend already had to leave Munich, so I just continued the walking tour to the city of Munich alone. At first, I walked around the Karlsplatz, also called Stachus, and passed through the Karlstor, which was called Neuhauser Tor until 1791, but was then renamed in honor of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, to enter the pedestrian area.    

 By following the pedestrian area, I finally reached the Marienplatz with the New Town Hall of Munich, which hosts the city government and was opeed in 1909. The Marienplatz itself has been the main square of the city since 1158, but it was newly designed in 1972. The square was named after Mary's Column, which was erected in 1638. On this sunday, the square and the New Town Hall were used to celebrate the Bundesliga championship of Bayern München, so the square was crowded with people.

 Nearby the Marienplatz is the famous Munich Frauenkirche ("Cathedral of Our Lady"), which has a height of 99 m and was opened in 1524. Unfortunately, due to maintenace work, I couldn't climb up the stairs of the south tower to have a nice view over Munich. So I continued walking to the Hofbräuhaus for having a little beer break, before I went to the Isartor, one of the main gates of the medieval city wall, constructed in 1337.

 Before I also had to leave Munich, I went to the Odeonsplatz, another large square in the city center in the north of the Old Town with a monument of Ludwig I of Bavaria. The first building, which is immediately noticeable, is the yellow Theatine Church, a Catholic church, built in a Baroque style between 1663 and 1690. Next to the church is the Feldherrnhalle, a monumental loggia, which is a copy of the famous Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence. It was commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1841 and was also the location of the battle, which ended the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. Finally, I stroke the lions snouts in the Residenzstraße to get some luck, which relies on a legend.