Like other cities working their way through coronavirus, Munich tourist numbers have dropped through the floor in recent months. This is on the back of annual city boasts of how every year Munich has ever increasing numbers of tourists. The truth, however, for many people who live in the city is that there are numerous plus points from having so few people here. Of course, any business related to the influx of huge numbers of tourists will see it differently. Quite rightly. But for other residents, the city has an unusual relaxed air about the place that is hugely attractive.
This picture suggests a sunny Marienplatz about to be engulfed with clouds. There are plenty of people around, but nothing like the usual numbers.
The area around the Feldherrnhalle (German) is particularly interesting, with it flanked on one side by the former Wittelsbach royal palace, the Residenz, and the unmistakeable Theatinerkirche. The approach, along Residenzstraße, showcases two lions perched on plinths. Tradition dictates that locals (and nowadays visitors) touch the noses of the lions for good luck (albeit not such a good idea during the current pandemic)
This is the spectacular scene that greets visitors as they reach the Feldherrnhalle (left), flanked by the Theatinerkirche on one side and the Residenz on the other (out of shot, behind me as I took the photo).
Built by ‘star architect’ of his age, Friedrich von Gärtner, for King Ludwig I, between 1841 and 1844, the Feldherrnhalle is located on the southern edge of Odeonsplatz. Clearly modelled on Florence’s Loggia dei Lanzi, an ‘open air gallery’, it is one of numerous Munich buildings inspired by Italian neo-classical style.
The magnificent baroque Theatinerkirche is another example of Munich architecture that reached across the Alps to Italy for inspiration. Designed by Italian Agostino Barelli, it was built (started 1663) to celebrate the birth of Elector Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy’s child and heir to the throne. Barelli’s successor, Enrico Zuccalli, added the two towers in 1690. Decades later, great Munich artist/architect François de Cuvilliés transformed the the church by giving it its beautiful Rococo facade, finished in 1768.
The Feldherrnhalle was just one of many Munich places the Nazis instrumentalised, particularly as it was where the party’s 1923 coup collapsed in a hail of bullets. A photo of a young Adolf Hitler celebrating the outbreak of the First World War on 2 August 1914 appeared in the 1930s, apparently taken by Heinrich Hoffman. Though the photo appears in countless respected books and exhibitions, its veracity is disputed, with good reason considering Hoffmann was Hitler’s official photographer and the original is thought to no longer exist.
Odeonsplatz has long been a place where locals head to for public events, from art events and concerts to speeches and demonstrations (it was an early place for the Munich branch of Extinction Rebellion to hold events).
Metres from the Theatinerkirche is the Hofgarten, the former court garden and part of the Residenz (seen in the left of the image). The garden was developed over centuries and the Italian influence is again clear, such as with the round pavilion, the garden layout and in the image here, an arched arcade decorated with works of art (German) that served as propaganda to highlight the ‘greatness’ of the House of Wittelsbach. Now open to the public, the Hofgarten is a favourite Munich location for a stroll, or for a coffee or meal at the Tambosi restaurant garden - with travel so restricted and discouraged, summer 2020 is the perfect time to be here, when Munich is open, but much more relaxed than it usually is.