Daniel Swartz

 Back in Munich after a year away.  I lived here for 5 years, and it’s a little strange coming back each and every time.  Insignificant memories come back after looking at anything from a building corner, a stairway to the U-Bahn, faces of people on the street, sounds usw…   

 Marienplatz is the heart of Munich.  It serves as a meeting place for friends, for street performers to earn their keep, demonstrations, taking in a tan by the water fountains and for tourists and their fascinations with Glockenspiels.  It’s come a long way from originally serving as a square for jousting tournaments back in the Middle Ages.    

 During World War II, most, if not all, of Germany’s cities were flattened by Allied bombing runs, especially at the war’s end.  I have read that one of the few buildings that consistently survived in any city was the city’s “Rathause” or City Hall.  Why?  They served as navigation beacons for bomber pilots coming in to drop their payload.  In this picture is Munich’s City Hall.  No GPS in those days…   

Munich’s ‘Frauenkirche‘ or ‘Cathedral of Our Blessed Lady’ just off of Marienplatz.   You ever wonder why a church devoted to the virgin Mary has two bell towers?     

Something that you’ll see every spring and summer in Bavaria (and Austria) is the rich display of flowers hanging from every balcony.  And all year around is the pigeon nets that hang around every statue…     

Munich is a city rich in architecture both ancient and modern.  But some of it can be rather bleak in nature, some of it next to the most beautiful architecture the city has to offer.    

The main attraction in Marienplatz is the Glockenspiel.  Every few hours of the day, the clock reenacts portions of Munich’s history.  It might be a good idea if they retune the bells every few decades or so.    

 Street performers in Marienplatz is a constant year round.  Expect anything from conservatory students hacking through crowd favorites to Mongols, xylophonists, accordianists, folk musicians, the unusual and so much more.      

Munich has one of the best subway systems in the world.  During my five years living in Munich, I never had to own a car, as the subway, trains and trams took me everywhere I needed to go.  If only the US had such transportation…  

Munich is an old city, this year celebrating its 850th birthday.  The original boundaries of the city contained a series of gates that allowed people in and out of the city.  This gate, at Sendlinger Tor, was first build in the year 1318.

One cannot talk about Munich without mentioning the high amount of rainfall every year.  It has been said that Munich has more rain in a year than that of London, which I find almost impossible to believe.  But when it rains in Munich, it often pours and hard.  London’s rain is a bit more spread out…  But to live in a city with the 8th best quality of life in the world, one learns to live with it.