About Munich…

Monocle, the urbane lifestyle magazine founded in 2007, has named Munich, Germany the most livable city in the world in 2018. In this twelfth edition of its Quality of Life Survey, Monocle scoured the globe for cities, big and small, that combine healthy work-life balances with happy residents and effective public services. Munich jumps up from third place in 2017, replacing Tokyo in the top spot in this year’s survey.

Munich strikes a strong balance between a city that’s fun to live in yet runs like a well-oiled machine. The city’s public transportation is comfortable and clean, the streets are safe and well-maintained, and its airport, which offers connections to over two hundred international destinations. As a result, Munich is highly international; with eighteen universities attracting international students and a higher percentage of foreign residents than Berlin, Munich has preserved its rich Bavarian roots while enabling other cultures to thrive, too. As Monocle’s Robert Bound explains, “Beer gardens remain the classic summer hangout. The city’s proximity to the Alps, as well as lakes and rivers, means that hiking, skiing, cycling and sailing have been favored pastimes for over a century. Plenty of public space means that everybody gets to enjoy their city.”

More Information about Munich (incl. City Guides): Official Munich Homepage and various City Guides.

The Neue Rathaus (New Town Hall)

The Neue Rathaus (New Town Hall) is a magnificent neo-gothic building from the turn of the century which architecturally dominates the north side of Munich’s Marienplatz.

The mayor’s office

It’s construction of brick and shell limestone was completed by Georg von Hauberrisser between 1867 and 1874. The swift growth of the city soon required that annexes be built, which were erected between 1899 and 1903 and run along Dienerstraße, Landschaftstraße, and Weinstraße. The Neue Rathaus is the seat of the mayor’s office, the city council, and the headquarters of the city administration.

Experience the beer garden culture

There is nowhere else where you can feel the Munich conviviality as strongly as in one of its many beer gardens. As soon as the first rays of sunshine start warming things up in spring, people are drawn to the shade of the chestnut trees, where they enjoy a little snack. Visitors can bring their own pretzels, obazda (a Bavarian cheese delicacy) and fresh salads; cool beers can be bought there. If you want to be even more comfortable, you can always bring a cushion with you to sit on the beer bench with.

The Munich lifestyle in the English Garden

When winter gives way to spring, it seems like nearly everyone in Munich is drawn to the Englischer Garten(English Garden). Fortunately, there is enough space for everyone to sit on the wide expanse of the lawn. People meet up in the Englischer Garten to have a cold end-of-the-workday beer, to play football or simply to enjoy the sun. You can also frequently listen to amateur musicians at spontaneous concerts – in the Monopteros, for example. And in between, it’s very relaxing to take a boat out on the Kleinhessseloher See. The Englischer Garten simply embodies the joys of spring.

Museums in Munich…

There is a variety of museums in Munich… Just two examples below:

1. The biggest museum for modern art in Germany is being constructed in the immediate vicinity of the Alte and Neu Pinakothek: the Pinakothek der Moderne. In this building on around 15,000 m², four outstanding collections will offer an extensive overview of fine applied arts of the 20th century right up to the present

2. The trio of BMW Welt, the BMW Museum and BMW Group Plant has developed into one of the most popular days out in Bavaria. BMW Welt is located in front of the BMW Group Headquarters, and it unites the past and present in a single venue.

…starts the day after MODELS 2019!

Oktoberfest 2019 – the next „Wiesn“ – will take place from September 21 to October 6, 2019. 

The most important information can be found here.

Palace Neuschwanstein

The royal castle of Ludwig II near Füssen is one of the most visited castles and fortresses in Europe. The architecture and interior furnishings reflect the historically and eclectically oriented ideals of the Bavarian “fairy tale king”.

In addition to the king’s luxuriously furnished living and presentation rooms, rooms furnished in medieval style for the servants and the historic kitchen can also be viewed. Construction of the castle was not completed during the king’s lifetime. After the death of Ludwig II in 1886, the square tower and the knights’ house (“Ritterhaus”) were finished in a simpler fashion. Other sections of the building, like the keep and the chapel designed by Christian Jank, remain unfinished. Especially in the summer months, up to 10,000 visitors daily flock to the formerly isolated refuge of Ludwig II.

Along with Schloss Neuschwanstein, Schloss Linderhof and Schloss Herrenchiemsee are considered the “Ludwig castles” and are some of the most popular getaway destinations in Bavaria.