Munich Tour

Much of the tour around Munich was focused around the WWII history of the city. However, lots of stuff happened in the city before that. For instance, the devil helped them build a church: the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Dear Lady). There’s even proof!

Allow me to tell you the tale… In 1468, the city of Munich began construction on the Frauenkirche (pronounced: frow[as in: ouch or brow]-en-keer-ka). During the construction period, funds began to run out as they usually do. The devil, paying one of his regular visits to Munich (I presume), stopped by the church on a particularly cloudy day. He noticed that the inside was very poorly lit, and made a deal with the architect, Jörg von Halsbach, that he would fund the rest of the church provided that no windows would be added.

The architect delightfully agreed and both parties were happy: the church could be finished and it would be dark and dreary inside. Amazingly, this all brick building was completed in only 20 years. In 1488, the devil came back to inspect everything and see how his investment paid off. He walked into a side door of the church and instantly became infuriated. He saw windows everywhere, and sunlight was flooding into the glorious church.

Enraged, he found the architect and was ready to steal his soul to suffer forever in hell. However, Halsbach was not intimidated nor was he worried. He said, “I followed the rules of our agreement. No windows were added. When you came, you did not see the windows because of the columns, and there was no sunlight on account of it being a cloudy day. The windows were already there, and I have not added any since.”

Uncontrollably angry and very ashamed from being tricked, he stomped his foot down and stormed out of the church (much like a child, again I presume). He would never again return to the church, but his footprint is still preserved in the foyer.

Although the facts of this story are up for debate, the devil also funded the church in other ways. Funds raised through selling indulgences to sinners to “forgive them their sins” were also used to help construct the church.

Another interesting (and less demonic) story about the Frauenkirche is that it basically obliterated in WWII, but the towers were left standing. One bomb hit one of the towers but did not destroy it, and a golden brick is now located where the bomb struck. The allies left the towers standing because of the green bulbs at the top that could be used as a navigational landmark.

Interestingly, the leaders of the church agreed to store Judaic artifacts in the catacombs during the reign of the Nazi party. Grateful to the efforts and bravery of the church, the Jewish population of Munich helped to rebuild and restore the church. Thus, a menorah is depicted in one of the sections of the ceiling to represent the gratitude for their help.

Beyond the Frauenkirche, many memorials and sites in Munich have ties back to WWII being that the Nazi uprising originated there. We actually walked down the street the Nazi party originally marched toward the center of the city during the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, when Hitler and a group of 3000 Nazis tried to gain control of Munich in one night. This group was met by 100 armed police officers and fighting commenced; sixteen Nazis and four police officers were killed. Once the Nazis took control of Germany, this spot was marked as a memorial to the murdered Nazis. Passersby would have to solute the memorial.

Memorial to the four police officers who lost their lives.

Those who were brave enough would walk down an alley, known as Drückebergergasse (“Shirker’s Alley”), to avoid the solute. The alley is now marked with golden bricks in remembrance of their dissention against the evil-natured rulers: a subtle memorial that can easily be ignored but is in place to remember that not everyone was onboard with the Nazi’s plan.

Subtle memorials have to be my favorite. Many people believe that they are utilized to hide the fact that this history happened in these places. However, they are more like scars on the city, leaving a constant reminder of the events that transpired during the early 20th century. They are interesting and require more inquisition than a giant memorial visited once and then forgotten.

Another subtle memorial in Munich is in the place of the former Uhlfelder Department Store. The store used to sell goods to groups of lower income range to help them out. In 1938, the department store was looted and set on fire. This memorial serves to remember the terrible wrongs imparted on a group of good intentioned people.

Not necessarily a memorial, but a weird reminder of history, we stood in Odeonsplatz: a square in Munich where Hitler attended and gave a speech in between the two lion statues.

Furthermore, it is illegal to do the Nazi salute in Germany. I don’t know if the penalty varies from state to state, but in Munich, you can be arrested and imprisoned for up to three years.

On a less terrifying note than Nazis and imprisonment, there are also some really cool stories about Munich. For instance, the people of Verona gave Munich (its sister city) a statue of the famous Juliet (from Romeo and Juliet) to match their own. For good luck romantically, females should place a flower or bouquet of flowers in her hands. Males, you are supposed to rub her breast, and this may be the only place that it is socially acceptable to do such a thing (I’m still not too sure about that).

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that beer is very important to Germans. In fact, in Munich, there have been four so-called “Beer Revolutions”. You can’t make this stuff up! The most famous of these is the Bavarian Beer Riot of May 1-5, 1844. Citizens upset over the fact that a large tax was imposed on their favorite drink rioted, smashing windows, breaking furniture, and destroying just about everything in their path. Eventually, King Ludwig, afraid for his safety, lowered the prices to calm the citizens. Moral of the story: do not try to change the status quo when it comes to Germans and their beer.

Another riot occurred when one specific citizen was restless. He was living above a beer garden and could not sleep because patrons were drinking and being loud until late into the night. He took his case to court and the court ruled in his favor, instituting that these beer gardens must close at 9:30pm. As you can imagine, this did not go over well! People took to the streets and eventually took the case to the German civil court. The ruling was that the beer garden was “an age-old institution, a place for socializing and relaxation and not somewhere that attracted alcoholic rowdies.” Beer gardens were now allowed to remain open until 11pm (still doesn’t seem that late to me).

On a more disgusting side of drinking beer, there is actually a stainless steel contraption in the bathroom of the famous Hofbräuhaus that is intended to be used for vomiting. There is not one in the women’s restroom, so if the ladies have to “blow chunks”, they have to request the accompaniment of their waiter/waitress. That would be a lovely conversation.

Furthermore, the floors under the tables are angled and lead to drains. I’m sure that you can imagine what this is used for… That’s right! People used to just drop trou and relieve themselves right at the table so they wouldn’t lose their seats. It’s quite a classy establishment.

However, if you are a patron of the Hofbräuhaus, that is you eat/drink there every week for a whole year or two. I think at that point, you’ve earned it!

Saving the best for last: the city maypole. This is a tall wooden pole that contains things that your city considers important. Naturally, the Munich maypole has many references to their beer culture. Fun fact about these giant poles: if you can steal it without damaging it, the city owes you “copious amounts of beer and food”.

Two of the most epic tales of stealing a maypole involve a helicopter and the police. One group of men decided they wanted to steal the maypole from the top of the tallest mountain in Germany, Zugspitze. In 2004, they took a helicopter and pulled said maypole out of the ground and to a nearby town where negotiations could commence. The other time, the Munich airport’s maypole was stolen. They called the police to identify the item was stolen only to be laughed at. In fact, the police were the culprits! Both parties wanted their reward: free beer and food to last an entire evening!