As a tour guide I want to share with you The
Best Things To Do in Munich, Germany. I will show you main attractions, visit famous
breweries, stumble upon surprising discoveries and explore the amazing heritage of the most
popular city in Germany. Welcome to the capital city of Bavaria, the
largest German State. Old town is home to most attractions and this
bell tower, affectionately known as Old Peter, will give you the best overview of the historic
city centre. The 300 feet high bell tower has a viewing
platform, but there are 306 steps to get there. Tower belongs to the oldest parish church
built when monks founded the city in the 1100s. No wonder that the name of the city derives
from a German word for monk. Over the past 800 years St. Peter's church
has seen many reconstructions, but its main features include a ceiling fresco and a baroque
main altar with a golden figure of St. Peter. Interestingly in one of the side chapels is
a glass case with a skeleton covered in gold and decorated with precious stones belonging
to Saint Munditia. Just a stone's throw away is Munich’s main
square that has always been the heart of the city. Square got its name after a column in the
middle, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a protector of Bavaria. It was built as a gratitude to Mary for keeping
Munich safe while it was occupied by Sweden in the 1600s. Square also has not just one, but two town
halls. The Old Town Hall is from the 1300s and features
distinctive tunnels. With the rapid growth of the city in the 1800s
the Old Town Hall eventually became too small. That is why a new, impressive Town Hall was
built and it reflected the power and the wealth of Bavaria. It features a 280 feet high clock tower with
a viewing platform and this one does have an elevator. But the tower is famous for housing one of
the most popular Munich landmarks... the Glockenspiel. It’s worth planning a visit around its chimes
as 43 bells play music every day at 11 am, at noon and at 5 pm. While the bells can play different songs,
the figurines will always display the same two historical events. The upper floor shows a royal wedding from
1568 when this square hosted a jousting tournament and the Bavarian knight triumphed over his
opponent from Lorraine. The lower floor shows the Coopers' Dance,
when barrel makers were the first to get back to the streets to amuse the people after a
severe plague in 1517. By tradition the dance is performed every
seven years. Here is also Fish's fountain, the most famous
meeting spot in Munich. Also if you wash your wallet here on Ash Wednesday,
you will spend the rest of the year without financial worries. But your financial worries will grow worse
if you take a walk between the main square and Karlsplatz square. This pedestrian area is the most important
shopping area of Munich with beautiful shops. Shopping continues even underground where
you can find Europe's largest underground shopping center, a modern and stylish Stachus
Passagen. Besides lovely shops, the pedestrian area
offers great historical attractions and literally the biggest one is Munich’s Cathedral. The Massive 15th century church has huge twin
bell towers, a symbol of Munich. Twin towers are such an important landmark
that no new building is permitted to exceed their height. One of the bell towers offers the highest
vantage point in the old town and before you ask, yes, it has an elevator. Massive church has a simple, vast interior
split by a double row of 22 pillars. According to legend the Devil himself provided
money for the construction. His condition was that the building would
have no windows to celebrate darkness. When the Devil stepped into the church he
could see no windows, although there was light. After taking a few steps, the pillars revealed
the windows. Angry Devil stamped his foot, forever marking
the floor with his footprint. But Munich has even more popular places of
devotion, its world famous beer halls. And this is it, the Hofbräuhaus, one of the
world’s most famous taverns and the cradle of Bavarian beer culture. Every day huge crowds of people visit its
immense beer halls, especially during the Oktoberfest. According to the legend, the Duke of Bavaria
found the beer in Munich so bad that he commissioned his own state brewery. In 1589 The Hofbräuhaus brewery was built
to produce beer for Bavarian royalty. In the 1800s the Hofbräuhaus opened to the
public and it quickly became the centre of public and political life. The brewery was moved to the suburbs, while
the original building was remodeled to house beer halls. Its historical rooms are considered to be
the cradle of Bavarian tavern culture and in one of them Hitler even founded the Nazi
Party. 100 years old tables are reserved for the
regulars’ marked with a word Stammtisch as tavern has more than 100 active groups
of regulars who store their own personalised beer mugs in a beer mug safe shelf. Sure, old churches, old squares and old breweries
are expected in Munich. But the next three discoveries will surprise
you. First is an endless staircase called Umschreibung. It stands as a sculpture in the atrium of
an office building not far from Oktoberfest fairground. Two spiral staircases interlocked with each
other are creating a continuous loop in the form of a double helix. Structure is impressively balanced on one
point and represents a movement without destination. Another surprise is a popular summer beach,
although hundreds of kilometers away from the sea. River Isar has a popular section known as
Flaucher with wide pebbled shores that invite people to barbecues, swimming and relaxing. The area got its name after the bar-keeper
Johann Flaucher. In the 19th century this man changed the former
forester's lodge into one of the most visited beer gardens in Munich. Surprisingly the city centre of Munich has
some serious surfing. Artificial river Eisbach provides consistent
waves that attract surfers and onlookers all year round. The waves on the Eisbach river are at the
entrance to one of the biggest city parks in Europe, English Garden Park. The Park was designed in the style of an English
landscape park hence its name. Its landmark is a temple-like building called
Monopteros that stands on a man-made hill and offers a beautiful view of the city. Another park landmark is the Chinese Tower
from the late 1700s. Around a wooden tower with five floors is
the second largest beer garden in Munich with about 7,000 seats. The 25 metre tall tower was built as an observation
deck. Tower was destroyed during World War II and
rebuilt in its original style although it no longer serves as an observation deck due
to security reasons. But one of many Munich city parks hosted the
opening and closing ceremonies of the summer Olympic Games in 1972. Unique Olympic Stadium with its world-famous
tent roof was used for the opening and closing ceremonies and now hosts cultural and sport
events. Here is also a green Olympic mountain rising
above the Olympic lake. After World War II Munich was heavily damaged
and the area was used as a rubble dump. But the Olympic Games gave the opportunity
to transform a mountain of debris into a green mountain with a 360 observation deck. But the best view of Munich and the Alps is
from the highest building in the city and one of the highest towers in Europe. The TV tower, known as Olympic Tower, has
a viewing platform 190 meters above ground that provides the widest and most spectacular
panoramic view and can be visited daily from 9 am to 11 pm. Right next to the Olympic park are the headquarters
of world famous car and motorcycle brand BMW. The complex is marked by a distinctive skyscraper
and futuristic architectures of BMW Museum and BMW World. The BMW Museum is inside a famous circular
building opened in 1973. It shows more than 100-year history of the
company, exhibits of cars, motorbikes and engines, tracking milestones and BMW’s design
from its roots to present day. The museum is connected to another masterpiece
of modern architecture, BMW World. Here you can see the latest BMW cars and motorbikes
and you can also tour the factory. Back in the old town is a hidden gem, widely
overseen by tourists. It’s this church from the 1700s that was
built as a private chapel by two brothers. But due to its crazy interior it soon became
a public church named after the two brothers. As a private chapel it could avoid restrictions
that normally apply to churches and if you peek inside you will see why. Unfortunately it’s absolutely crazy and
over the top Baroque interior can be seen only from the entrance. Still, you can see almost everything from
the iron gates, although there are so many details that you’ll never be able to see
them all. Sitting area of the church represents earth
and is relatively dark and gloomy, but the higher up you look the brighter the church
becomes. The brightly lit top level opens onto the
sky and is dedicated to God and eternity. As the seat of the Bavarian kingdom Munich
has an impressive Royal palace. Its western side opens up to this square with
a boulevard, and both of them were commissioned by King Ludwig I.
King Ludwig was a fan of Italian architecture and art as can be seen from a replica of the
Loggia dei Lanzi from Florence. It is dedicated to the Bavarian army as it
houses bronze statues of Bavarian generals. Opposite to the Royal palace is the striking
bright yellow facade of Theatiner Church also in the style of the Italian Baroque. Square opens up towards the city's grandest
boulevard, royal avenue of Ludwigstrasse that used to serve for state parades. And this was the seat of the Bavarian kingdom,
the largest inner-city palace in Germany. The Munich Residence was the seat of government
and residence of Bavarian dukes, electors and kings for more than 400 years, until the
end of the First World War. Much of the Residence was destroyed during
the Second World War, but it was gradually reconstructed and refurbished to its original
state and once again reflects the power and wealth of the Bavarian monarchs. It is one of the largest museum complexes
and to see its 130 rooms will take some time. King Ludwig I expanded the Residence complex
and decorated it in his bellowed Italian Renaissance style. At the ticket office you won’t find guided
tours, but you can go around on your own using a free audio guide. Be sure to check an amazing barrel-vaulted
banquet hall with frescos, created to show off the extensive Royal collection of antiques. You also shouldn’t miss a Treasury with
a collection of jewels spanning more than 1000 years, including the Crown of Princess
Blanche, the oldest-surviving royal crown of England. Worth checking out are also beautiful Royal
Gardens known as Hofgarten. They are surrounded by impressive arcade-style
passages decorated with frescoes and home to the German Theatre Museum. At the centre of the park stands a pavilion
from the 1600s, popularly known as Diana Temple. This is a very popular and relaxing park with
free entrance. On the outskirts of Munich are the most impressive
remains of royal splendour that dominated Bavaria over centuries. One of the largest royal palaces in Europe
served as a summer residence of Bavarian kings and its width even exceeds the famous French
Versailles. When founded in the 1600s, a lavishly-decorated
Baroque-style palace was built on the open field outside the city. You can visit the interior to admire well
preserved exquisite decoration and furnishings of the era. The highlights include a Rococo-style ballroom,
the Queen's Bedroom with the bed on which famous King Ludwig II was born, and a collection
of portraits of beautiful women admired by Ludwig I. The palace also houses various museums including
one of the world's most important collections of court carriages and the world's largest
collection of porcelain. The enormous garden surrounding the Palace
is based on the French gardens of Versailles with a symmetrical layout and the magnificent
grand staircase. The rest of the park is predominantly an English
landscape park with romantic little castles, pavilions, lakes and bridges. At the ticket office you can get an audio
guide, but there is also a Park app that helps you discover the property. There's a lot to see here, so be prepared
to do a lot of walking and to spend at least half a day. But besides amazing attractions, you should
also explore Munich’s amazing food and beer in the top right corner. Also check my favourite Munich’s tours and
experiences in the description below. My name is Rok, Super Thanks for the thumbs
up and for watching and see you next time.
