| Munich and music |
History |
Architecture |
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| Bayerische
Staatsoper / Nationaltheater
Built between 1811
and 1819, the Nationaltheater which seats 2,101 is one of the largest
theatres in Germany. Destroyed by fire in 1823, it was rebuilt between
1957 and 1963. Neoclassical in style, it is considered one of the finest
in Europe. Gasteig (Philharmonie) The Philharmonie at the Gasteig was opened on 10 November 1985 by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra led by its conductor Sergiu Celibidache. With this the Bavarian capital, forty years after the destruction of the Tonhalle, once again had a major concert hall and the Philharmonic Orchestra a new “roof over its head”. With seating for 2400, the Philharmonie is part of the Gasteig culture centre, inspired by the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Barbican in London. In addition to the Philharmonie, the centre has the 600-seater Carl Orff Hall for concerts, conferences, theatre productions and films. The Gasteig was built to plans by the Raue, Rollenhagen, Lindemann and Grossmann group of architects. It took seven years to build. Prinzregententheater Built between the 19th and 20th centuries, it was originally intended for the performance of Wagner’s operas. Designed on the model of the Bayreuther Festspielhaus, the architecture of the Prinzregententheater is typical of the 1900s. After the war and the resulting damage suffered by the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Prinzregententheater was used as a substitute concert hall. It is today used more particularly for the performance of Baroque operas. Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz This theatre has changed its name many times: “Popular theatre for the shareholders of Munich” in 1865, “Royal Popular Theatre” in 1870, “Gärtnerplatz Royal Theatre” in 1873, “Bavarian State Operetta” in 1937. It was inaugurated with Holiday and What We Want by M. Schmidt, the establishment’s first director who, keen to devote himself to the popular repertoire, quickly went bankrupt. King Ludwig II of Bavaria bought the premises and introduced the operettas of J. Strauss and Karl Millöcker and Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann. Today, with its classical architecture, the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz stands in the heart of one of the city’s more working-class districts, and a vast repertoire from Mozart to Wilfried is performed along with contemporary pieces. Münchner Philharmoniker Founded in 1893,
it was originally named after its founder: Franz Kaim. In 1908, it became
the Konzertvereins Orchester. The famous Munich Philharmonic Orchestra,
currently directed by Christian Thielmann, presents an interesting and
highly diverse programme. Among its musicians it numbers some of the
most gifted and famous in the world. Thanks to subsidies from Bavaria,
ticket prices are still modest, guaranteeing access to everyone. |
Munich
is one of Europe’s youngest cities. Founded in 1156, the town’s
proximity to a monastery gave Munich its name and its emblem. Mönchen,
which means monk in German, became München and a flag featuring a
monk became its emblem. The town was founded by Henry the Lion, Duke of
Saxony, when he received the Duchy of Bavaria from Frederick I Barbarossa.
He burnt down the archbishop’s bridge built to carry salt from the
Bad Reichenhall mines when residents refused to pay taxes on the salt.
He then built a new bridge upstream from the old one close to a Benedictine
monastery that had existed since the 8th century. A village grew up around the bridge and took the name München. Permission granted by Henry to mint coins and hold a market very soon led to the town’s expansion. In 1180, Otto de Wittelsbach, whose family reigned over the region until 1918, became Duke of Bavaria. The city’s status took on greater importance in 1255 when the Duchy of Bavaria was divided in two and Munich became the capital of Upper Bavaria. Following a fire in 1327, Emperor Louis IV had Munich rebuilt and designated the town a place of imperial residence in 1328. It nevertheless took 450 years for the influence of Munich to become that of a major city in economic, cultural and political terms. The scourges that ravaged Europe in the 17th century also affected Munich. Devastated by the Thirty Years War and the bubonic plague, the city fell into the hands of Gustav II Adolf of Sweden. Between 1651 and 1679, in the reign of Elector Ferdinand Maria of Savoy, monuments were built in the Italian Baroque style, but it is to his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy in particular that we owe these buildings which are today the pride of the city. The true development of Munich took place from 1705 onwards with the Habsburgs who added significantly to its influence when it was declared Napoleonic capital of the kingdom of Bavaria in 1806. In the reign of Ludwig I of Bavaria, Munich became renowned as a city of art. The talents of architects such as Leo von Klenze and Friedrich von Gärtner found expression here. The technological advances of the 19th century were not long in arriving in the city. Electrical lighting was introduced in 1882 and the city continued to develop its infrastructure. After the First World War Munich was the scene of a Communist revolution. In November the Communists took power and established the Soviet Republic of Munich, which was overturned on 3 May 1919. In the years that followed Munich became the base of Hitler’s National Socialism movement. Hitler’s attempted coup d’état, better known as the Beer Hall Putsch, failed and the leader was imprisoned. In 1938, the city gave its name to the famous agreement between Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlain and Daladier, leading to Germany taking control of the Sudeten territory. It was also in Munich that the White Rose (Die Weiße Rose) resistance to Nazism began. After the Second World War the city was rebuilt during the American occupation and its economic and cultural development resumed with the establishment of many businesses and the opening of museums. Munich is today one of Germany’s most dynamic cities and an essential place to visit. With its rich history and its Bavarian culture it today attracts many visitors wishing to follow in the footsteps of Richard Strauss*, the Empress Sissi or Albert Einstein. *R. Strauss was a German composer and conductor, born in Munich on 11 June 1864. He is not related to Johann Strauss (the Elder and the Younger). Strauss worked in almost every musical genre (symphonic poem, opera, Lied, Ballet…). He died in Garmish-Partenkirchen on 8 September 1949, leaving a vast repertoire, one of the most well-known airs of which is taken from “Thus Spake Zarathustra”. |
The
development of the city of Munich can be divided into three periods and
each stage of this construction was influenced by the architects of the
time. Between 1158 and 1800, the city of Munich gradually changed from being a trading centre to a residential town. This period began with the construction of the foundations and the building of the first fortified wall. There followed a period of major expansion as far as the outer perimeter. The city’s main historic buildings date from this period. Indeed, once the city was declared a city of residence of the prince electors a great deal of building took place to provide residences for important figures. As a result 17th-century buildings of Gothic influence exist side by side with typically Italian Baroque style churches or Italian Renaissance gardens. The 1800-1860 period represents the new Munich, a period during which the city experienced a kind of renewed foundation. The demolition of the fortifications opened the way for urban expansion. Suburbs were created and provided new areas for the population to live. The provincial city was turned into the capital of a territorial principality. In addition to this urban development, the city was marked by the influence of the architects Leo von Klenze and Friedrich von Gärtner. In the second half of the 19th century, Munich became a major city. To handle its growing population, a development plan for the entire city was drawn up in the early 20th century. Finally, the third major period of construction or rather reconstruction of Munich was the war and post-war period, following the bombing that seriously damaged the town. After the war, Munich was obliged to choose between radical modernisation or reconstruction of the city along the lines of its former appearance. It opted for a moderately conservative reconstruction. Munich, whose population reached a million inhabitants in the 1970s, had to develop its infrastructure in order to turn the city into a modern metropolis. The 1972 Olympic Games was a high point in the city’s development. Moreover, various buildings reflect the city’s determination to turn towards modernity and through the Neue Pinakothek or the BMW Tower the architects have allied the resolutely traditional spirit of the city with the dynamism of a great metropolis. |
Munich,
Capital of Lyric Art
Some
Highlights / Food & Drink / Things to Do / Web Sites
| Food & Drink |
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| Starters
- Leberkäse
Main Dishes - Weißwurst
Cheese - Obazda Desserts Apfelstrudel |
DRINKS Beer - Bocksbeutel : Wine |
Müncher
Festspiele (Munich Opera Festival) Munich holds its opera festival every year between July and September. This festival is designed to showcase the fascinating world of opera and its extraordinary repertoire. Set up by the Bayerische Staatsoper, this festival each year brings enthusiasts and visitors together to experience the magic of a great spectacle. www.bayerischestaatsoper.de The Oktoberfest
or beer festival The
Maibaum (Maypole) tradition Schäfflertanz
or Coopers’ Dance time The folk
song and dance tradition Spielart Christkindlmärkte |
| Web Sites | ||||
| The
Alte Pinakothek
The Alte Pinakothek
houses a vast collection of paintings and sculptures and illustrates
the history of European painting from the 14th to the 18th centuries
through masterpieces by the great masters (Dürer, Rembrandt, Rubens
and Leonardo da Vinci). The Neue Pinakothek A modern building containing modern collections, the Neue Pinakothek is one of the greatest museums of 20th and 21st-century fine art. A tour of the museum’s 12,000 m² of galleries offers you masterpieces of modern art (paintings, sculptures, design or architecture). The BMW Museum The famous German car manufacture also has its own museum of striking futurist architecture. In terms of collections, the museum’s exhibition entitled “Zeithorizont” recounts the history of the pioneers of the automobile. The exhibition also covers contemporary car-related themes. The opening of “BMW World” is planned for the winter of 2006. The Deutsches Museum The Deutsches Museum of science and technology is one of the biggest such museums in the world and houses an impressive collection. With sailing boats, locomotives, robots ... there’s something here for everyone. Worth remembering: the museum has two further branches: the centre for transportation technology and the aeronautical section |
Hotels
Restaurants Haxnbauer
am Scholastikhaus Chesa Deutsche
Fiche Gasthof
Obermaier Kneipe Brandtner
Casper Ca Va
Gasthaus
udn Biergarten Maxhof Gasthof
Sollner Hof Hundskugel |
Munich'
Tourist Web sites
: Recipes
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