MUNICH

Munich-MUNCHEN, THE ROMANTIC BAVARIAN CAPITAL

München - the Romantic Bavarian Capital

-"From the Autobahn to the Altstadt: A Journey Through Munich’s History and Culture"

First Encounter with the Autobahn

My first encounter with Bundesautobahn, popularly known as Autobahn, began in the new millennium. It was a real treat to observe the German highway system. Multiple lanes, disciplined lane driving, no speed limit on the fastest lane as cars whizz past at unbelievable speeds. Arindam, my brother-in-law, decided to take me to Passau when I visited them in Germany. My sister Lopa packed up some sandwiches and titbits on the way, and we were off on an exciting journey. When we entered the Autobahn, Arindam raised the speed to over 200 km per hour. With windows rolled up, it was like sailing down the vast highway. There were no bumps, vibrations, or hiccups as our car glided down the immaculately smooth road surface. Above all, the speed thrilled me.

Passau and Upper Bavaria

Passau lies on Germany’s border with Austria and is known as the “Dreiflüssestadt” (City of Three Rivers). It is a picturesque German town in Lower Bavaria, situated at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, the Inn, and the Ilz. Our motel overlooked the confluence. I gathered from a local lore that the Führer spent his childhood days on the opposite bank to the one where our motel stood. A young man, who later became the priest of Passau, saved a little boy from drowning in the river. And that little boy was, incidentally, Hitler.

From Passau, we drove into Upper Bavaria towards Munich, the Bavarian capital. Munich was a short one-day trip. Arindam parked his car near a square, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, named after siblings Sophie and Hans Scholl, who took an active part in the White Rose resistance group during World War II, and were executed in 1943 for their resistance activities. The most thrilling part of this location was the building of the Munich University Physics Department. Being a student of Physics, I have long harboured a special attraction for the subject. And especially the Physics Department of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, which not only boasts a long tradition of excellence in Physics but has been home to great names such as Rontgen, Max Planck, Heisenberg, Wolfgang Pauli, Hansch, and Krausz. As if to celebrate this finding, we entered a canteen adjoining the department to enjoy the famous Bavarian Beer. Next, I saw the Munich Olympic Stadium. The vast canopy and strikingly modernist, imposing edifice, which went on to become a local landmark, stands in harmony with the surroundings of the Alps. Moreover, the stadium stands out in memory because of the terrorist attack on the Israeli contingent during the 1972 Summer Olympics. While walking towards our car, we passed a nudist club. Arindam told me that there were several such clubs in Munich.

After over two decades, I revisited Munich, but this time it was purely accidental. Ruby, my wandering companion, accompanied me on this visit. Strictly accidental, because we had planned Milan and not Munich before coming to Heidelberg. Our plan fizzled because Italy, though a Schengen country, had stricter entry regulations during the waning period of the terrible COVID pandemic that struck our planet. Since we were in Germany, we finally decided on Munich. Munich, known as München in Germany, takes roughly five hours by FlixBus from Heidelberg. We boarded the FlixBus from Eppelheimer Strasse, the terminus located near Heidelberg Bahnhof. Munich is south of Heidelberg. Some major cities en route are Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Aalen, Augsburg, and Ulm. When our bus was about to enter Munich, we saw the road leading to Dachau, where the Concentration Camp memorial is located. This is perhaps the first and the longest-surviving camp built by the Nazis. Dachau Concentration Camp (KZ Gedenkstätte Dachau) was established in 1933 and was operational until World War II ended in 1945. It became a model for later camps and the SS training centre.

München - Returning to Munich

Daylight was still hovering but waning when our bus pulled up at ZOB Munchen. ZOB stands for Zentraler Omnibus Bahnhof, German for Central Bus Station. Since our hotel at Karlsplatz was about a kilometre from the bus station, we preferred walking it out. If the weather is good and the pavements are proper, we always prefer to walk. This way, we know the place better. Dusk crept in as we entered the main thoroughfare. For the first five hundred meters, we walked past some dignified and majestic buildings, brushed by light from sodium streetlights. GPS guided us properly up to a major T junction. Here it started fumbling as some construction work was in progress near the Munich Bahnhof, which was on our right. A helpful cabbie came to our rescue. A few meters on the right, cross a couple of tram tracks on the left, and then the portion of Karlsplatz or Stachus ( as the locals call it). A Coffee bar on the left was a refreshing sight. I frequented the bar during our entire stay in Munich. A young staff member became very friendly with me because he found many similarities between his father and me, including my looks. He said that he left his home in Syria much before the pandemic outbreak and had yet to go back to his troubled homeland to meet his parents. Since it was situated diagonally across the street from where I stayed, I’d regularly get my breakfast and coffee there. This youngster’s breakfast pampering made the experience both special and touching. Munich Central Rail Station is located at the end of Karlsplatz. The bustling station, where platforms meet at a spacious concourse, immediately brought to mind Churchgate Station in Bombay during the late 70s and early 80s. Stachus Passagen, a huge subway cum shopping mall, is located at the other end. After breakfast, we had chalked out a visit to the seventeenth-century Nymphenburg Palace, which was extremely popular as a summer residence with the Bavarian rulers. A bit of confusion at the mouth of the subway because of civil construction did not deter us from landing at the tram station. We used the subway every day of our stay in Munich. It houses a large underground shopping mall, U-Bahn (Untergrundbahn), and S-Bahn (Stadtschelbahn). Connected to public transport like trams and buses, the Altstadt and commercial areas of the city, the subway handles a large volume of daily foot traffic.

Schloss Nymphenburg

We boarded a tram to Nymphenburg Castle. It's about a half-hour ride from the city centre. I went through an embarrassing moment when I fumbled with the Ticket Machine. A young German lady, who was standing behind me, came to my rescue. Along with hers, she bought our tickets and refused to take the money, saying that we were her guests in Germany. Such a show of hospitality and love abounds in post-war Germany. It was not a singular or a rare instance. I have observed such beautiful inscapes in many people from that nation. We became quite friendly on the way, and my wife finally succeeded in paying the money to her. She rode with us to Nymphenburg, even though her stop was before that. We took a selfie with her at the tram stop to show our warmth.

As much as the palace's facade, the frontage also stole the show, with a small pond and white swans floating and flocking around the water body. Painted on a two-dimensional canvas, it would reflect a fairy tale image. Built in 1664, the architecture and the vast garden complex are apt examples of the synthesis of art in Europe. The palace belonged to the House of Wittelsbach, a Royal family from Wittelsbach near Aichach in Bavaria. The powerful Wittelbachs dynasty ruled Bavaria for nearly eight centuries, after rising to prominence in the twelfth century. Besides ruling Bavaria, they also played a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of Germany and Europe for centuries. They used titles such as Dukes, Electors, and Kings. As the palace complex underwent a lot of extensions, additions and modifications, the decoration styles reflect a wide variation from Baroque, Rococo, to Neoclassicism, particularly in the main palace. Each room in the palace had something to say over the centuries through exquisite paintings, types of furniture, ceiling paintings, lovely ceiling frescoes and stucco ornamentation in the Great Hall. For instance, one room held views of Bavarian Palaces and hunting lodges since the time of Elector Max Emanuel. Then, the famous Gallery of Beauties of King Ludwig I, decorated with paintings of 36 beautiful women from all sections of society. The Palace is now an important museum of court carriages, beautiful state coaches, the coronation coach of King Karl VII, travel and equestrian culture during the Bavarian rule. The Palace also features a unique museum showcasing porcelain art that was prevalent from the 18th to the 20th century. The vast Palace Park is modelled after the park we saw at Versailles in France. The influence of French style is found in the central building, whose facade was modernised by Joseph Effner. In winter, the palace authorities closed the Gondola ride on the central canal in the park, which we missed. After exiting the palace, we followed the right arm of the crescent and walked down to the tram stop ahead at Roman Platz.

Hofbräuhaus Beer Hall and the Spirit of Adda

Before entering Hofbräuhaus, I stood outside watching and wondering how this amazing 16th-century edifice stands rock-solid even after being ravaged during World War II. Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria, a member of the Wittelsbach family, commissioned his own state brewery after growing an intense distaste for beer in Munich. Thus, the birth of Staatliches Hofbrauhaus. The world-renowned beer hall Hofbräuhaus was constructed in 1589 and served as a Royal Brewery for two centuries before transitioning into a public beer hall. The interior of the beer hall left us all the more awestruck. My first impression upon entering the vast hall was one of vast concourses reminiscent of Indian rail stations, such as Howrah (Calcutta), VT (Mumbai), or Chennai Central (Madras). The din of people crowding the 'Schwemme' (the main beer hall on the ground floor), and the clanging of 'Maß'(1-litre glass mug ), combined with the band playing lively traditional music, reminded me more of Neil Diamond's ' It's a beautiful noise, And it's a sound that I love’. Yes, I loved it as much as I loved the song. The cacophony was deep and rumbling as it echoed and re-echoed from the large windows, large walls and high ceiling. The best part of it was the strange harmony it created with the atmosphere and architecture, which reflected traditional Bavarian design. We took our place close to the band, almost at the centre of the well, as most of the tables near the entrance were marked ‘Stammtisch’. The tables marked ‘Stammtisch’ are for the regulars. The male staff, attired in traditional Bavarian dress of yesteryear, served Hofbräu beer and Bavarian delicacies upon order. The female staff, wearing 'tracht' (traditional Bavarian clothing), went around from table to table, sometimes breaking into rhythmic sways to the tune playing, while selling large-sized pretzels. Their movements, too, created a unique visual treat. I had ordered my favourite sausages with beer. What is most interesting about this beer hall is that it has been witness to the footprints of Mozart and Lenin. Even Hitler and Nazi officials held meetings in this hall.

As a student of Calcutta University during the seventies, I have seen and also participated in what is known as ‘Adda’. Over coffee, grilled fish, sandwiches at College Street Coffee House, or half a cup of tea and a strong Charminar cigarette at Batu da’s Canteen at Rajabazar Science College or a glass of special milk tea with cigarettes beneath an old banyan tree outside Parle’s Dhaba, a regular venue for some residents of nearby Calcutta University's famous PG Hostel 'Technology(Tech) Hall' on Ballygunge Circular Road.. Over the years, I developed a great liking for these informal chats, as they not only rejuvenated our minds but also infused us with a broad knowledge of diverse subjects. It is sad to find that with modernity, the beautiful ‘adda, which I believed originated from Bengal, has now shrivelled in Calcutta. But in the many countries I visited, the concept of ‘adda’ is very much in place. The ‘adda’ in Hofbräuhaus is something unique that I have not seen anywhere in the world. A vast gathering and ‘adda’ over Bavarian Beer. It is more than a beer hall, exuding and embodying the culture and spirit of Bavarian tradition.

Every day, as dusk set in, we realised the significance of Karlsplatz, referred to as Stachhaus by the locals. Opposite our hotel balcony was a building with a glass wall that housed a large ballroom dancing class. It was so refreshing to watch students performing fox trot, jive, cha cha cha, waltz, etc, more intently. The significance of Karlplatz became more pronounced when we discovered that through Stachus Passagen, it opens out to the charm of the old town. Stepping out of one of the exits of Stachhaus Passagen, crossing a major traffic junction towards the right, stood a remarkable building with ‘OSRAM’ signage. I stood there staring at it as if to pay reverence to the name that pioneered our lighting fraternity. Later, I learnt that the building was Osram’s headquarters a long time back. From here, we rambled towards the not-too-distant old town. The first sight of the old town was the 14th-century historic city gate, Karlstor, previously called “Neuhauser Tor” until 1791.

Karlsplatz - Stachus and the Old Town

There it was, the magical moments of wandering through surroundings frozen in a bygone era. A totally pedestrianised shopping centre, with tourists and locals milling around, Marienplatz had so much to offer. The architectural beauties of the Bavarian era, ensconced in a twenty-first-century scenario, are unique. At the centre of the square stands Mariensäule (Marian Column), a seventeenth-century column topped with a golden statue of the Virgin Mary. Four bronze angels battling creatures symbolising war, hunger, heresy, and plague form the base of the column. This iconic column was erected by Elector Maximilian 1 to express gratitude to the Virgin Mary for sparing Munich from destruction by the Swedish occupation in the 30-year war. The square also served as a marketplace during the Bavarian era. During the Middle Ages, a fountain located in the square was designed to facilitate fishmongers to keep their baskets of live fish in the fresh fountain water. Today, this historical fountain is known as Fischbrunnen. As we sauntered in and out of Marienplatz, we saw many more of the middle-aged architectural beauties adorning the space. The prominent among them were:

Justizpalast (Palace of Justice), a neo-baroque building that housed the Bavarian Ministry of Justice and a higher regional court of Munich.
Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall), which now houses a Toy Museum, ostensibly flaunts a beautiful façade.
Newes Rathaus (New Town Hall) was erected in the mid-nineteenth century and now houses the mayor’s office as well as the offices of council members. Designed in Neo-Gothic style, it has a tower offering a panoramic view of Munich. I learnt that the Town Hall also hosted FC Bayern Munich and its fans whenever the club emerged as the winner in a tournament.
Glockenspiel, a historic mechanical clock.
Cathedrals, such as the oldest church in Munich, Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church) and Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Lady), have distinctive twin towers.
But

Photo credit: Arundhati Sengupta

Marian Column

Marienplatz

Tram in Munich

St. Peter's Church (Peterskirche or Alter Peter). Munich's oldest parish church, dating to the 12th century, with Gothic reconstruction after a 1327 fire

Another view of the Viktualien market

Old Munich

Karlsplatz from our hotel verandah

A meat platter

At Marianplatz

Another view of old Munich

Marianplatz

On the way to Marianplatz

The Global Spirit of Adda: From College Street to Hofbräuhaus.

Hofbräuhaus Beer Hall

Bavarian Beer served at the Beer Hall in Munich

Menu Card at Hofbräuhaus

Hofbräuhaus

Staircase at Nympenburg Palace

Nymphenburg Palace

Inside Nymphenburg Palace

Nymphenburg Palace

Inside Nymphenburg Palace

Inside the Nymphenburg Palace

Nymphenburg Palace

Schloss Nymphenburg

Schloss Nymphenburg

Nymphenburg Palace

ZOB Munchen

Column of St. Mary (Mariasäule) on Marienplatz in Munich, with the Frauenkirche towers visible behind. Erected in 1638 by Elector Maximilian I to commemorate the end of the Swedish occupation during the Thirty Years' War. The golden statue depicts the Virgin Mary trampling a serpent.