GERMANY: Munich – Birthplace Of Octoberfest
I’m sorry to inform you that there is going to be more Hitlery stuff to deal with, but there will be beer and fantasy castles as well. We’re going to wrap up Germany on a high note before we move on to Salzburg.
The Old Town Hall
STATUE OF ST. MARY – The Swedes warned the reigning King at the time that they were going to invade in about two years. So the locals set about building a wall around the city to deter them. Unfortunately, the Swedes decided to come a year early when the wall was just 2 feet tall and merely stepped over it. It was at this time that the monarch took off. As it was there was little resistance. The Swedes just enjoyed themselves for a while until they were offered a lot of gold and jewels just to go away. Unfortunately, this was not enough to satisfy them, so what else do you reckon the city of Munich had to offer them? That’s right, beer! 250,000 liters of it! Satisfied with this arrangement, the Swedish buggered off back to Sweden.
It was right around this time that the king came skulking back to Munich, with the tall tale that he had gone to pray to St. Mary to spare the city, and sure enough, it was spared. The king thought that since he had done such a good job praying, a statue of him should be erected in the square outside the Town Hall. The people decided that St. Mary deserved the credit, and the result was the monument you see above.
Animatronic Figures That Play Out Some Of Munich Culture To Ringing Bells
The Town Hall and the pair of church towers in the distance were spared during WWII due to the fact that they were used as points of reference for Allied bombing raids. As it was, 90% of Munich was destroyed in the war. Hitler had his architects record all of the buildings through drawings and photographs so that if anything was destroyed, it could be rebuilt. The U.S. was in charge of Munich after the war. The United States supplied the funds and Munich the records so that Munich could be rebuilt to a degree of its former self. This is why Munich retains more of its former charm than say Berlin or Hamburg.
BAYERISCHER HOF – Another five-star hotel catering to the rich and famous. It hosted Michael Jackson on a number of occasions, and the owner was good friends with him. For a good time after his death, there was a shrine outside of his hotel. It started to be a nuisance so he moved it to a park adjacent to the hotel.
Now the statue of this musician of great renown has the shadow of pedophilia hanging over it. Fans tend the flowers and keep everything in order.
Notice the “Not Guilty Forever” card.
This is the square where Hitler’s brownshirts tangled with police as part of the Beer Hall Putsch in November of 1923. His gang of 2,000 had taken hostages at the Bürgerbräukeller, the largest beer hall in Munich, and then marched to the Odeonsplatz where they encountered police which resulted in the death of 16 Nazis and four police officers. Hitler was arrested two days later and was eventually charged with treason which usually carries the death penalty. He used his trial as a platform for his ideas. Some of them resonated positively, and that combined with his war hero status he was convicted of treason with a sentence of five years in prison. He ended up serving only nine months. Around ten years later he would take power and fill the square with soldiers staging one of his many rallies.
A nice example of trompe l’oeil painting on a restored building.
These gold-colored stones signify a path that some of the brave people of Munich chose to take in order to avoid having to give the Nazi salute to a memorial for the Nazis who died in the Odeonsplatz around the corner.
A Memorial To The German Soldiers Who Died In WWII
The White Rose Revolt – The group co-authored six anti-Nazi Third Reich political resistance leaflets. Calling themselves the White Rose, they instructed Germans to passively resist the Nazis. The core of the White Rose consisted of five students — Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans Scholl, Alex Schmorell, Willi Graf, and Christoph Probst, all in their early twenties — also members were Hans and Sophie’s sister Inge Scholl, and a professor of philosophy, Kurt Huber. Eventually, they were caught and executed for treason. Pictured above are Sophie & Hans Scholl and Christof Probst.
The White Rose Memorial
Hofbrau Haus – One of Munich’s Great Beer Halls
Hitler Staged Events Here
Hitler’s Office Building
A Favorite Location For Some Of Hitler’s Rallies
The Löwenbräu Keller & Beer Garden
Assorted Bratwurst & A Stein Of Strong Löwenbräu – Time For A Good Hitler Cleansing
The Augustiner Beer Garden
The Travel Zealot Indulging In The Authentic Beer Garden Experience
Walking home during the 10 pm sunset. Then I slept my way through most of the next day.
Trying to salvage a little of the day, I visited the park which had this interesting feature.
Surfing in a City Park.
A Memorial To All Of The People Killed By Hitler’s Madness
A night shot of the area Hitler filled with his militaristic displays.
After the terrible hangover and all of the Hitlery stuff, I decided that Dachau would probably finish me off and leave me with an unfortunate last memory of Germany. I quite frankly was Hitlered out. It was time for some fantasy.
Nymphenburg Palace – Childhood home of Ludwig II.
Maypole Crowned With A Swan
CASTLE NEUSCHWANSTEIN – King Ludwig II’s Masterpiece
Neuschwanstein Castle – The inspiration for the castle at Disneyland.
Castle Neuschwanstein – The Real Magic
Recent Comments