GERMANY: MUNICH

May 24-25, 2025

Munich, the third-largest city in Germany (after Berlin and Hamburg), has a population of 1.6 million and is the capital of Bavaria. However, strolling around in the Old Town area (below left), we didn't feel like we were in a huge city as there is a lot crowded into a very walkable area. 

The most dominant building in the Old Town square is the neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus,  or New Town Hall (below right).

 It is called the NEW Town Hall because it replaced the 14th-century OLD Town Hall (seen below) in 1874.

The New Town Hall has an impressive 400 rooms.

But what it is best known for is its mechanical Glockenspiel, which twice a day uses 32 life-size figures to re-enact scenes from Munich's history. See my four-minute video of part of the action here.

Well, we were in a new city and that could only mean one thing: Time for ice cream!

In addition to several ice cream shops, Munich has a popular food market, full of great places to eat. We enjoyed this fountain featuring Elise Aulinger, a popular early 20th-century German folk singer and actress. The 1977 sculpture is entitled "Feasting at the Market."

There are quite a few beautiful churches within walking distance of the main square. Perhaps the most important is the Frauenkirche, or Cathedral of our Dear Lady, which is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and the seat of its Archbishop. It was erected in just 20 years during the 15th century, and the two 323-foot-tall towers were completed in 1525 and have since become the symbol of Munich.

Picture from Wikipedia

The first visitors encounter inside the cathedral is this war memorial and cenotaph (empty tomb) of German King and Holy Roman Emperor Ludwig IV, who is buried in the crypt beneath the cathedral. He had built a tomb in the chapel for his deceased wife and was later interred next to her.

The church has a strangely modern feel with its clean lines and unadorned pillars.

Modern bas relief images of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI (who was Archbishop here from 1977 to 1982) add to the modern feel.

The church suffered heavy damage during World War II, but it was rebuilt after the war, with the final restoration completed in 1994. This is a photo that was hanging up in the church, showing the caved-in roof and damaged towers.

I'm guessing the stained glass windows are post-World War II additions.

Several of us paid a small fee to climb to the top of one of the towers for a panoramic view of Munich.  Okay, NOW I believe it has 1.6 million people.

The Neue Rathaus and Old Town Square are visible below left, and the yellow Theatinerkirche is on the right:

From the top of one tower we had a good view of the second tower of the Frauenkirche Cathedral (left) and of St. Peter's Church (right):

On the way out we noticed the famous "Devil's Footprint" near the cathedral entrance. Legend has it that the cathedral's architect cut a deal with the devil to fund construction. The architect agreed that there would be no windows so that the church would be a place of darkness, but then he cleverly positioned the columns to block one's view of the many windows when first entering the church. When the devil realized he had been tricked, he stomped his foot in anger, leaving this print.

Back outside, we noted there was a demonstration calling for a regime change in Iran. Interesting that the main sign was in English.

Next we visited the Baroque Asamkirche, or St. Johann Nepomuk Church, built between 1733 and 1746 by the two Asam brothers, one a sculpture and the other a painter. 

It has one of those "WOW!" interiors.

The high altar includes this beautiful crucifix depicting God the Father above the cross and cherubs and angels surrounding the body of Christ:

Another beautiful crucifix and an ornate gold and silver reliquary is part of the high altar.

St. Peter and St. Jerome occupy their own niches:

Sensory overload! It was good to go back to the real world . . . where German men wear traditional German clothing while they shop like it is no big deal.

Next up, St. Peter's Catholic Church, aka "Old Peter." This is Munich's oldest parish church, founded as a monastery in the 700s, which is about 400 years before Munich itself was founded. It has been rebuilt numerous times over the centuries, including after a fire in 1327 that completely destroyed the building and after Allied bombing during World War II almost completely destroyed it. The tower, originally built in the 17th century, is 299 feet tall and has EIGHT clocks. Meticulous rebuilding/restoration of the church began in 1946 and was mostly completed by the 1950s, although additional touches continued to be added for years.

This is another "WOW" church, a wonderful blend of Gothic and Baroque architecture. I love the statue on the right depicitng St. Jude Thaddeus, on of Jesus' Twelve Apostles who is known as the patron saint of desperate or lost causes. (We all need him, right?) He holds a picture of Jesus in his left hand and a club--the instrument of his martyrdom--in his right.

I love the tradition of lighting candles found in most Catholic churches and many Protestant churches. Along with stained glass windows, it is one of my subjects of "holy envy."

There are three more notable figures: St. Andrew, below left, with his X-shaped cross, Jesus after his resurrection, below right . . .

. . . and St. Joseph, the often unsung hero who is always a favorite of mine, carrying the Christ child:

And finally, the last church of our tour--the Heilig-Geist-Kirche, or Church of the Holy Spirit, another interesting mix of architectural styles.

Photo from Wikipedia

If this were the only church in the Munich Old Town area, it would have seemed much more spectacular, but even Wikipedia only gives cursory information on this gorgeous church (although the article in German on the German Wikipedia page is much, much more detailed).

The Baroque statuary is gorgeous. I especially like the one on the right depicting Jesus and God the Father crowing the Virgin Mary the Queen of Heaven.

Munich was much more charming than I expected, and the density of sites in the Old Town area makes it very fun to visit.

We also had a tour of the World War II sites in Munich, but before that, we took a guided tour to Dachau, which will be my next post.