Munich

Munich was the second stop of our trip. It was awesome here: great weather, clean streets and plazas, everyone outside riding bikes--it really seemed like everyone owned one! Apparently, English-speaking residents refer to Munich as "Toytown" because it is an unusually clean, well organized, and relatively crime-free city. There is also tons of history here! From the very early Bavarian days to its involvement in Nazi Germany to the heavy damage it endured during World War II. So, here are some pics...

The Marienplatz is a large square at the center of Munich. It is where the Old and New City Halls are located, Altes Rathaus and Neues Rathaus, respectively. This square is where we would get drinks and sit outside after walking a lot. At a bar just off the Marienplatz, we celebrated my sister's birthday at midnight with an awesome Australian, Matt. We got everyone in the bar to sing her "Happy Birthday," which somehow turned into chanting her name, "Kristina! Kristina!" Good times!

This is Theatinerkirche and Residenz, which are right by each other and Feldenherrnhalle. The Munich Residenz is the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs. It is the largest city palace in Germany and, now, is open for visitors to see its architecture, decorations of 130 rooms, and displays of various royal collections. Below are my mom and sister in one of its ten courtyards; this one is called Kaiserhof, the emperor's courtyard.

The Feldherrnhalle is a monument built in the 1840s after the example of the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence; it is a symbol of honor for the Bavarian Army. Less than a hundred years later, in 1923, it became the scene of Adolf Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch. (Putsch is the German word for a military coup d'etat.) During this confrontation, Hitler and his followers marched into Feldherrnhalle to overthrow the Weimar Republic and seize power. The revolt failed, with four policemen and sixteen marchers being killed in the process. Hitler was arrested for high treason and sentenced to five years in a cushy prison, where he wrote Mein Kampf. Hitler's arrest was a huge setback for the Nazi Party, which was virtually unknown outside of Munich at that time. Sadly, this resistance would not prevent what was to come.

Now begins the dark chapter of this city's deep history... In 1933, the Nazi Party rose to power and Munich was referred to as the "Capital of the Movement." That same year, the Nazis began to build the first concentration camp; its location was Dachau, a small town about 10 miles from Munich. The Dachau Concentration Camp became the prototype for all Nazi concentration and death camps. We went on a guided tour here, where it has been turned into a memorial site for its victims. The entrance door to the camp reads: "Work will set you free." This was both a cover (for the Dachau locals who, supposedly, had no idea what was truly going on inside the camp walls) and a mocking (to the prisoners, who had no chance of leaving, neither through work nor anything else.) The next few photos show a recreated barrack and the cemented lots of where 31 more used to stand. Each barrack was made to house 250 prisoners, however, 1,200 were forced to live there. Needless to say, rampant disease and malnutrition caused most of the deaths here. (At this camp there was also a gas chamber disguised as a shower block; supposedly, it was never used though.)

Not only were one-third of the prisoners here Jewish, but Dachau also served as the central camp for Christian religious prisoners, where at least 3,000 Catholic priests, deacons, and bishops were imprisoned. In memory of these prisoners, there are Jewish, Catholic, Russian Orthodox, and Protestant memorials at the back of the camp. Near these memorials, just on the other side of the north wall, is the Carmelite convent. Its buildings were constructed with rooftops resembling those of the barracks; it is said that the nuns here wanted to be close to this place of suffering as part of their life devoted to God.

During its twelve years as a concentration camp, Dachau imprisoned over 200,000 people from more than 30 countries; up to 43,000 deaths were recorded. Two-thirds of the prisoners were political prisoners--anyone who voiced opposition to the Third Reich; one-third of the prisoners were Jews. Other victims included criminals, gypsies, homosexuals, communists, atheists, and various religious leaders. All prisoners had to wear a triangular badge made of the color that represented the type of prisoner they were; Jewish prisoners wore an additional yellow triangle to create the Star of David. These labels created a hierarchy among the prisoners and the guards used this to turn them against each other. One of the memorials below depicts prisoners' badges on a connected chain, to represent unity among them all.

American troops liberated the Dachau Concentration Camp on April 29, 1945. They were stunned by what they saw, victims barely beyond skeletons. Some were so disgusted by what had been happening here that they started shooting some of the German camp guards after their surrender; some American soldiers even allowed the newly-freed prisoners to shoot their former guards. This is referred to as the Dachau Massacre. Immediately after the liberation, soldiers also forced local citizens to see for themselves the conditions at the camp. The Dachau residents were shocked to see the bodies of the victims and the dire state of the survivors; they claimed no knowledge of the activities at the camp.

Finally, the Dachau Memorial Site was created to honor the victims and survivors of the concentration camp. It is also to remind everyone of the atrocities done to human beings by their fellow man; and, especially, it is to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Below is another monument at the camp; in five different languages, it reads: "NEVER AGAIN."

Back in the heart of Munich, there are many famous churches, especially in the Gothic style. Below are just two of them: Peterskirche (St. Peter's) and Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Dear Lady.) St. Peter's is the oldest recorded parish church in Munich and is presumably the originating point for the whole city. The Frauenkirche was built between 1468 and 1488; however, much of it had to be rebuilt after it was bombed during WWII. It serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and has been the seat of its Archbishop for almost 200 years. Joseph Ratzinger was this Archbishop from 1977 to 1982, before becoming Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.

Right inside Frauenkirche is the "Devil's Footprint." Legend has it that the devil agreed to finance the church as long as it was built without windows. When the church was done, the builder brought him to a spot in the entrance where no windows were visible because they were blocked by the 22 inner columns. When the devil realized he had been tricked, he threw a tantrum and dug his foot into the ground--leaving his footprint burned into the tile--then, flew out the door in a rage. The wind blowing around the church is said to be Satan, trying to get in the side windows.

Finally, the Hofbräuhaus is probably the most famous beer hall in Munich. The establishment is over 400 years old, dating back to 1589 when Duke Wilhelm V founded it because he was not happy with the beer from Munich's other breweries. There is a famous anthem about the Hofbräuhaus that repeats: "Eins, zwei, drei, g'suffa," meaning: "One, two, three, chug!"  

Below is the Isar river near our hotel; some cute streets on our way to the Hofbräuhaus; then the fam and Matt having dinner and drinks in Hofbräuhaus's biergarten. Matt, the aforementioned Australian, was on the tail end of a 7-month long trip around the world. Welcome back to reality, my friend! I hope you are setting up camp in the city you wanted.

 

Prost!!