Top 10 Berlin Sights

Near Marienplatz is the Frauenkirche (“Dom”). With its height of 99 m and its two towers with onion-shaped domes, it is the landmark of Munich and dominates the city center together with the New City Hall. The Frauenkirche was constructed between 1468 and 1488 in late Gothic style due to plans of Jörg von Halspach in order to replace an older church. In 1525, the towers received their copper domes in Renaissance style. Although the design of the Frauenkirche is quite simple, this catholic cathedral is an amazing building.

Also next to Marienplatz, there is the “Viktualienmarkt”, Munich’s largest fruit and vegetable market where you can get nearly everything you want including spices, exotic fruits as well as Bavarian specialities. For a brilliant view of the city, you should visit Munich’s oldest church and probably its origin, St. Peter, also called “Alter Peter” at Viktualienmarkt. If you manage to climb about 300 steps to the top of the tower, you might even see the mountains around Munich when the weather is clear. After this exhilarating experience, the beergarden in the middle of the Viktualienmarkt is a great place to recover and regain your energy.

North of Munich’s historic city center, there is the Odeonsplatz with the beautiful church St. Kajetan (Theatinerkirche) of baroque style and the Feldherrnhalle. In 1790, crown prince Ludwig decided on the construction of the Odeonsplatz instead of the northern city gate  as well as a luxurious main road to the north of Munich and put Leo v. Klenze in charge of the design in 1816. In addition, he wanted to  design the exit from the Residenz to the royal path (now Briennerstrasse) to the Nymphenburg Castle in a more attractive way. The "Feldherrnhalle" at the Odeonsplatz was designed by Friedrich v. Gärtner on the model of the Logga dei Lanzi in Florence and is a victory monument for the Bavarian army and its generals.

Also directly at the Odeonsplatz is the Residenz that  used to be Munich’s city castle and residence of the Bavarian dukes, electors and kings as well as the entrance to the Hofgarten, a small garden with a gate by the famous architect Leo von Klenze. Although quite small, the Hofgarten is Munich’s most central garden and very suitable for a break during your sightseeing or shopping tour in the center of Munich.

When you leave the Hofgarten in north-east direction, a path leads directly to the English Garden. With an age of more than 200 years and a size of about 4 km², the English Garden is the oldest and largest park in Munich. The English Garden is not only a must-see place for all visitors to Munich but is also a great park for relaxation and leisure activities. There are quite a few amazing sights in the park such as the Chinese Tower with its’ huge beergarden, the artificial lake “Kleinhesseloher See”  as well as the highest viewpoint of the park, the Monopteros.

After enjoying your time in the English Garden or the beergarden at the Chinese Tower, you should explore other areas of Munich, maybe on the following day. The Königsplatz (constructed between 1817 and 1862) in the Munich area Maxvorstadt was created by Karl v. Fischer and later by Leo v. Klenze on the model of European classicism which in this case was the Acropolis in Athens. This square is highly impressive and there are also quite a few exhibition halls in its buildings such as the Glyptothek with antique statues. If you want to explore more exhibitions, you should head for the Alte, Neue and Moderne Pinakothek as well as the Lenbachhaus which are important exhibition halls in Munich near Königsplatz.

If you still have time left, the Nymphenburg Palace in the west of Munich in the district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg is really worth a visit. The history of the origins of the brilliant Nymphenburg palace of baroque style and its gardens covers a period of more than 300 years. Because a successor to the throne, Max Emanuel, was born in 1664, the elector Ferdiand Maria and his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy put the Bolognese architect Agostino Barelli in charge of constructing a summer residence with a small ornamental garden for her. In the park of the Nymphenburg Palace, there are quite a few important places to visit such as the Amalienburg and the Pagodenburg. Next to the Nymphenburg Park, there is the Botanical Garden of Munich, one of the most important botanical gardens throughout the world.

nother important, but very different and rather modern park is the Olympic Park in the north of Munich. In the summer of 1972, the XX. Olympic Games were held in Munich. For this purpose, the Olympic Park was created between 1966 and 1972 on a barren area. One of the most striking features of the Olympic Hall, the Olympic Stadium and the Swimming Centre is their common tent roof constructed of acrylic glass and designed by the German architect Günther Behnisch. With a size of 3 km², the Olympic Park is the second largest park in Munich and despite its still artificial character, it is quite popular not only for sports, but for other leisure activities and events as well.