Karlstor

The Karlstor is a vestige of the medieval town's fortifications. Until the end of the 18th century a wall surrounded the old town of Munich with the Karlstor as it's western entrance. Originally the gate was known as the Neuhauser Tor, but was renamed in 1791 in honour of Elector Karl Theodor who demolitioned of the old walls to enable the city to expand. Initially, the Karlstor had three towers. The tallest of them , the central tower, was destroyed in 1861 when the gunpowder that was stored there exploded. The gate was rebuilt, to a new gothic design.

Sally and I walked 1/2 mile from our hotel to the Karlstor which is now the entrance to the pedestrian boulevard which contains a mix of historic sites and modern shops. We were actually somewhat surprised at the smallness of the city; we'd gotten the impression it might be larger. However, we enjoyed the compactness. Munich is not a difficult city to navigate.

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Michaelskirche

Michaelskirche was the first Renaissance church north of the Alps. Construction of this Jesuit sanctuary was started in 1584, but when the tower collapsed in 1590, it was decided to enlarge the transept and to add a choir to the design.
The ground floor is dominated by a bronze figure of St. Michael slaying the dragon.
The barrel vaulting over the nave spans the second-largest space after St. Peter's basilica in Rome.
Thirty of the Wittelsbach princes including Ludwig II of Bavaria are buried in the crypt.The crypt is a fascinating place. It's also a testament to infant mortality; many buried there are young children.

Frauenkirche

This church, which is dedicated to Mary (Church of our Lady) is the largest Gothic assembly building in southern Germany .The twin onion domes (100 meters 330 ft) were among the few parts of the church that survived the bombing of WWII. Originally built in 1525 most of the church was reconstructed after WWII. The building first appears to not have any windows but they are hidden by the pillars that support the church. According to legend, the architect made a bet with the devil that he could build a church without windows. Upon completion, the architect brought the devil to the center of the church where no windows are visible. The devil them stomped his foot in anger and left. You can still see the strange footlike mark called the "devil's step" at the entrance hall.

The architect of this vast Late Gothic hall-church (1468-88) was Jorg von Halspach, who also designed the old town hall. The exterior of the church is dark-red brick. The onion domes since 1525 have crowned the two towers at the west end (just over 98m/320 ft).
The south side aisle contains the lavishly built monumental cenotaph to Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria, worked in black marble by Hans Krumper.

Neues Rathaus and the Marienplatz

This neo-Gothic Town Hall is only a century old. It acquired its persent name in 1854 when Munich's citizens asked the Virgin Mary to protect them from a cholera epidemic. This square is the heart of Munich, in the center rises the Mariensaule, a column erected by the Prince-Elector Maximillian in 1638. The north side is occupied by the neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus (1867-1908) whose carillon (43 bell Glockenspiel) installed in the tower's oriel window is a favourite tourist attraction.

Peterskirche

The Church of St. Peter is the oldest church in Munich. It was built in the late 12th Century. In the 14th century the twin towers were replaced with a single tower. It was significantly damaged during World War II and was rebuilt as a three-aisle Gothic church in the from plans from the 17th Century. The white-and-gray interior has been decorated with gilded Baroque accents and trompe l'oeil medallions. The church's 1386 bell-tower is affectionately nicknamed "Old Pete". There are 306 steps to the top of the tower. Sally and I climbed to the top of the Church where we were treated to a magnificant view of the city.

Neuhauserstrasse

This is the pedestrian only street through the center of the Marienplatz. There were several large animal sculptures adorning the walkway. Sally was entranced by the warthog and stuck her head inside the fish's mouth, just to see if she could do it (she could).

Near Hotel

This section contains some pictures of the area near our hotel.

Munich

This section contains some miscellanious pictures that I took around Munich.