Munich Youth Travel Conference
Catherine took the opportunity to explore Munich on a recent trip to a youth travel conference and has written a blog on her experience:
Day 1 - Exploring the historical centre
It had been 6 years since my last visit to Munich and I was keen to reacquaint myself with this beautiful city. As the Bavarian capital, it’s a wonderful mix of old and new, Bavarian traditions and medieval beer halls, alongside modern industry.
I took some time to explore with my own city walk through the Altstadt (old town). It was a sunny day with clear blue skies so a perfect time to walk the streets of the historical centre.
My first stop was Marienplatz in the heart of the city. This central square is dominated by the stunning Rathaus (town hall). It’s a central meeting place and many guided tours start from here.
It’s very popular with tourists and crowds gather twice or three times to watch the glockenspiel high up on this building where motorised figures dance and twirl to music and re-enact scenes from Munich’s history. This happens at 11am, midday and, also 5pm (March to October). It’s a very charming tradition in the city. The Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) also encloses this central square and currently serves as the centre for city council activity.
Just a short stroll around the corner and I arrived at the Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Blessed Lady), a beautifully restored gothic cathedral with two distinctive towers on top.
I then walked up past Max-Joseph-Platz and the stunning outside façade of the Residenz München Museum to Odeonsplatz. This is a large early 19th Century square which is lined with ornate buildings. It’s very impressive and leads through to the beautiful Residenz München gardens and the famous Englischer Garten Park.
The Englischer Garten is one of the biggest urban parks in the world. It’s very centrally located for such a large park and provided you’re lucky with the weather, it’s a chance to get away from the crowds and enjoy the many paths, lakes and wooded areas.
The Germans really embrace the outdoors and there were many locals on bikes, jogging or just catching a walk on their lunch break. I walked to the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) where they have an outside café, beer garden and indoor restaurant. I walked up to the famous Monopteros (temple like round building) which has a stunning panoramic view of the city. It’s well worth the climb! Here, there are many locals and tourists soaking up the beautiful surroundings and sunshine. I also spent some time watching the surfers on the Eisbach wave near the Haus der Kunst Museum. It’s quite a sight to see surfers on their lunch breaks surfing a river in a landlocked city!
After visiting the English Garden, I headed back towards Marienplatz and its neighbouring Viktualienmarkt. This is a lively food market with a wide selection of foods, including traditional Bavarian. As well as food stalls, there are also indoor cafes, and I particularly love the seafood at this market. It was a great place to grab a bite to eat and practice ordering food in German!
The beer halls
Munich is world famous for its beer halls, full of tradition and Bavarian charm. I finished off my walking tour with a Weissbier in the Hofbrauhaus, the most well-known of these halls. It was built in 1589 when Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria, decided to open his own brewery. It’s always very busy and full of atmosphere with a German Oompah Band playing regularly. We can a book a table for school groups to enjoy classic Bavarian food here. I tried a pretzel as big as my head!
I also tried alternative beer halls during my stay, such as the Lowenbrau. This felt less busy with tourists which can be more pleasant. At this beer hall, the Oompah band walked around the dining tables which was good fun!
Day 2 - A haunting past
Over 50% of the city was sadly destroyed during World War II, which explains the amazing mix of old and new architecture but is also a stark reminder of the city’s troubled past. It was here that Adolf Hitler rose to power and became Nazi Party leader.
Munich and the rise of Hitler
It’s sadly not difficult to find examples of Third Reich history in the city and many of our history groups will book a Third Reich Tour where they will learn how the Nazi movement and Adolf Hitler rose from a humiliated, defeated nation at the end of WWI.
Munich was the birthplace of Nazism and it’s quite disturbing to know that Adolf Hitler announced the Nazi party’s 25-point programme at the Hofbrauhaus on 24 February 1920. On this date the German Workers’ Party changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP). The meeting took place in the upstairs Festsaal (Festival Hall). As I drank my beer at the Hofbrauhaus on Day 1, I did wonder how many tourists sipping their beer were aware of this fact.
Dachau
The guided tours of are a very strong reminder of this haunting past. On Day 2, I booked a tour of Dachau Concentration Camp, and this started from Marienplatz. Our group of eight had an excellent guide who accompanied us to the camp via public transport. This involved a journey on the U-Bahn to Dachau station and then a public bus directly to the camp.
Our guide then walked us through the grounds of the former concentration camp, the historical buildings and exhibition areas. On route to the camp our guide explained the camp was opened in March 1933 and the first established by the Nazis. It was used as a training facility for SS camp guards and due its success became the model for all concentration camps built afterwards. It existed for twelve years with more than 200,000 prisoners, and historians estimate at least 41,500 died here, either murdered, or from the consequences of imprisonment such as hunger, illness or torture. American troops liberated the camp on 29th April 1945, so it was the only camp in operation throughout the Third Reich.
Before entering the camp, we arrived at the Visitors Centre. It includes a bookstore, information counter where you can pick up audio guides and free leaflets, toilets and café. We then entered the camp through the main entrance gate carrying the infamous Nazi slogan ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ (‘work sets you free’). We walked through some of the original building and historical sites of the camp including the original prison barracks and detention cells, the roll call area, mass graves, an execution range and the original crematorium building with fumigation cubicles and the gas chamber. All surrounded by barbed wire fences and guard watchtowers.
Our guide then showed us certain parts of the large indoor exhibition located in the former maintenance building. The information panels are in German and English, and the exhibits include the journey of a prisoner from arrival, life in the camp and whether they survived. It also looked at the design of the camp and the events which led to its development, the evolution of the concentration camp system and what happened at the end of the war.
We ended our visit to the exhibition and camp with the documentary film shown several times a day in English. It covers the history of the camp and is very moving. We left with time to reflect on the journey back to Munich. It’s a very sombre and emotional tour which will stay with me for a long time.
Third Reich Tour
After spending the morning in Dachau, I took part in a Third Reich Walking Tour. Our group met at the same Marienplatz starting point. We stopped at the beautiful Feldherrnhalle with three archways hosting bronze sculptures honouring Bavarian military heroes. This location and the surrounding Odeonsplatz was the site of the Munich Putsch on 9 November 1923. This was Hitler’s unsuccessful attempt to pull off a military coup and overthrow the Weimar Republic.
We then made a stop at the White Rose Memorial Monument. The White Rose resistance movement was made up of students who were mostly attending the Ludwig-Maximilians University in the city. They rejected the Nazi policies and ideologies being imposed upon the German youth. They practiced non-violent resistance including distributing leaflets and spreading political graffiti. Their leaders, Sophie and Hans Scholl were arrested, interrogated and executed by the Gestapo.
We then took the short walk to the Haus der Kunst (House of Art). An example of Nazi architecture with the founding stone laid by Hitler in 1933. It was to be a symbol of National Socialist art policy and ‘House of German Art’.
We then made our way to Königsplatz. This stunning square displays the Propylaen Gate and Glyptothek (Archeological Museum) and was the site of Nazi Party’s mass rallies. Two Nazi party buildings can still be found next to this square, including the Fuhrerbau (leader’s building), an administrative building where the Munich Agreement was signed in 1938. Nazi book burnings also occurred here.
Just a short work from Königsplatz, we ended this very informative and engaging tour at the Square of the Victims of National Socialism, located close to the grounds of the destroyed Gestapo headquarters and torture prison. It’s a moving memorial with an eternal flame.
The tour ended here, and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about Munich’s critical role in the rise of the Third Reich and see many of the sites where key events occurred.
Day 3 - Industrial city
Munich is the capital of Bavaria and is a major industrial hub in Germany. It’s particularly successful in industries such as vehicle manufacturing, high tech, engineering, IT and financial services.
There is nowhere better to showcase this industrial might than the impressive BMW global headquarters. It’s easy to get to on public transport and it’s well worth a visit. On Day 3, I took the S-Bahn to visit both BMW Welt and the neighbouring Olympic Park. The BMW complex includes the main factory and the headquarters, located in a high-rise four-cylinder tower. This tower is an architectural landmark in Munich and stands next to the bowl-shaped BMW Museum and BMW Welt. I had previously visited the museum which is a must for car lovers and tells the story of its history as a vehicle manufacturer with antique cards, motorcycles and engines.
On this visit, I spent time in BMW Welt. This is a free exhibition and event space where you can explore the latest models from the BMW Group vehicles including BMW, BMW Motorrad (Motorbikes), MINI and Rolls-Royce. It’s a very impressive showcase of these very smart vehicles located in a futuristic building, with robot assistants! It also offers a robot run coffee stops, café, and BMW merchandise shop.
Sport
After visiting BMW Welt, I spent time in the neighbouring Olympic Park. This vast and beautiful park of rolling hills, paths, water ways and sports venues were built for the 1972 Olympics and is well worth visiting in combination with the BMW site. It’s free to visit the park, just admission charges to visit the sport venues. It’s great to see that many are still used, including the ice rink, aquatic centre, stadium and the Olympic halls now show many concerts and theatre shows.
The sports venues are built in keeping with the rolling hills with a tensile membrane tent-like roof. Various tours are offered within the park, including an Architectural Tour to understand the ideas behind this famous roof and how it was erected. Roof climb tours are also offered which must offer amazing views!
I paid the small entrance fee to wonder through the famous Olympic Stadium. As a football fan, I was keen to see this iconic stadium which was not only used for the Olympic Games but was then home to FC Bayern Munich until they moved to the futuristic Allianz Arena in 2005.
You approach the Olympic stadium from the top and the stadium is then built into the hillside. You can walk around the top of the stadium and take the steps down into much of the seated areas. I downloaded an audio guide via the Olympic Park website and learnt much about the stadium’s history and iconic sporting events. It’s well worth visiting but I did read that the stadium will be closed from October 2025 due to renovation work for an estimated 20 months and therefore no stadium tours or visits will be possible during this time. A real shame but it is a very old stadium which clearly needs this modernisation. In the meantime, the Allianz Arena tour is well worth doing and I enjoyed this when I previously visited the city.
Sadly, it was then time to make my way back to the airport. There’s only so much you can manage in a few days, but I hope this inspires school and college groups to consider Munich for future adventures! I really enjoyed taking the time to revisit the city and remind myself of its beauty and the wonderful visits on offer. It’s the perfect place to immerse yourself in German culture and traditions whilst being able to focus on a range of subjects from history, German language, business studies, art, among many others. There are also so many places to visit in the surrounding countryside, such as the city of Nuremberg, Berchtesgaden & the famous Eagles Nest, and the beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle. It’s also so close to travel by coach or train over the Austrian border for a day trip to Salzburg.
Adaptable Travel offer a variety of exciting Munich tours, please click here for more information.
