It was another beautify day in Munich. We had a nice lunch at Kennedy’s Bar & Restaurant to start. The open-air beer gardens are pretty fantastic. A great place to pause for a bit so as to take your time and relax while you tour the city on foot. Must keep hydrated.
You never know what you are going to encounter or what will be around the next corner…unless you peak on Google Maps.
The street musicians were entertaining. Sadly, this is the only one I took video of.
We were all over the city center this day touring the beautiful churches. The architecture was simply stunning – both inside and out.
Church of Our Dear Lady
photo credit – https://www.muenchen.de
The Frauenkirche (Full name: German: Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau, English: Cathedral of Our Dear Lady) is a church in the Bavarian city of Munich that serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freisingand seat of its Archbishop. It is a landmark and is considered a symbol of the Bavarian capital city.
The church towers are widely visible because of local height limits. According to the narrow outcome of a local plebiscite, city administration prohibits buildings with a height exceeding 99 m in the city center. Since November 2004, this prohibition has been provisionally extended outward and as a result, no buildings may be built in the city over the aforementioned height. The south tower which is normally open to those wishing to climb the stairs, will, on completion of its current renovation, offer a unique view of Munich and the nearby Alps. -wikipedia
Each church had their own policy on photographs. Even when not permitted, it was hard not to snap at least one…or two as it were. I wish I would have recorded more of the organ playing. It was pretty amazing and filled the entire 200,000 m³ volume of the cathedral.
St. Johann Nepomuk
photo credit – https://www.muenchen.de
St. Johann Nepomuk, better known as the Asam Church (German: Asamkirche), is a Baroque church in Munich, southern Germany, built from 1733 to 1746 by the brothers, sculptor Egid Quirin Asam, and painter Cosmas Damian Asam as their private church. It is considered to be one of the most important buildings of the southern German Late Baroque.
The church was built without an order, as a private chapel for the greater glory of God and for the salvation of the builders. This allowed the brothers also to build in line with the ideas of independent contractors. So for example Egid Quirin Asam could watch the altar through a window of his private house next to the church (Asamhaus). Egid Quirin Asam designed the church as Beichtkirche (confession church) for the youth. So the small church has seven confessionals with allegorical scenes. – wikipedia
The front of the church blends in nicely to the homes on either side. This was the smallest church we toured. It was arguably the most colorful and ornate in my opinion. The ceiling alone was so magnificent.
St. Peter’s Church
photo credit – https://www.muenchen.de
Before the foundation of Munich as a city in 1158, there had been a pre-Merovingian church on this site. 8th century monks lived around this church on a hill called Petersbergl. At the end of the 12th century a new church in the Bavarian Romanesque style was consecrated, and expanded in Gothic style shortly before the great fire in 1327, which destroyed the building.
After its reconstruction the church was dedicated anew in 1368. In the early 17th century the 91 meter spire received its Renaissance steeple top and a new Baroque choir was added.
The parish church of Saint Peter, whose 91 meters high tower is commonly known as “Alter Peter” – Old Pete – and which is emblematic of Munich, is the oldest recorded parish church in Munich and presumably the originating point for the whole city.
-wikipedia
This church is massive; I cannot imagine this built hundreds of years ago. It would be a marvel today with modern equipment! So much artistry, craftsmanship and talent.
It was remodelled in 1724–30 by Johann Georg Ettenhofer (de) (vaults, renovation of pillars); in the interior are Rococo frescoes and stucco ornament by the Asam brothers. After the demolition of the hospice buildings in 1885, Franz Lšwel added three bays at the west end of the church and gave it a Neo-Baroque facade. The church suffered severe damage during World War II and its interior furnishings were largely destroyed; extensive rebuilding and restoration was carried out after the war. The interior of the church was renovated in 1991. – wikipedia
This massive church is directly adjacent to Viktualienmarkt (more on that later). Most of these churches in/near the city center sustained significant damage during WWII. Unless it was pointed out, it was almost impossible to ascertain what had been damaged. The vaulted ceilings, columns and frescoes in this church were wonderful.
St. Michael’s Church
photo credit – https://www.muenchen.de
The church was built by William V, Duke of Bavaria between 1583–97 as a spiritual center for the Counter Reformation. The foundation stone was laid in 1585.
In order to realize his ambitious plans for the church and the adjoining college, Duke William had 87 houses in the best location pulled down, ignoring the protests of the citizens. The church was erected in two stages. In the first stage (1583–88), the church was built by the model of Il Gesù in Rome and given a barrel-vaulted roof by an unknown architect, the vault being the largest in the world apart from that of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, spanning freely more than 20 meters.
When the church was built, there were doubts about the stability of the vaulting. But it was the tower that collapsed in 1590, destroying the just completed quire. Duke William V took it as a bad omen and so planned to build a much larger church. The second phase of construction continued until the consecration of the church in 1597. Friedrich Sustris built on to the undamaged nave a new quire and a transept and a magnificent facade. -wikipedia
This church was quite large as well, but very much different in design having significantly less barrel vaults in the ceiling. St. Michael is the first renaissance church north of the Alps. It was trend-setting for the baroque church building in southern Germany. The main altar was pretty amazing; they all were in every church though.
We had another beer break a little later in the afternoon at what became a favorite stop of ours – Hackerhaus. Cold refreshing beer and terrific food. The yellow jackets are not very nice here – or anywhere in Munich. Cover your beer and don’t mess with them; otherwise someone is liable to get stung. So sorry Megan.
The history of the firm dates back to the 15th century. The brewery was known as “Prew im Haggenviertel” until the 18th century. On 16 August 1738, brewer Simon Hacker acquired the brewery and gave it its new name – “Hackerbräu” – the Hacker Brewery. – http://www.hackerhaus.de/
The 15th century townhouse owned by the family since 1892 is the the oldest weinhaus in the Munich. It was a beautiful evening and we ate outside. My apologies for the marginal iPhone photos, but you will get the gist of it. We started with a Watermelon Gazpacho soup – wow, that was amazing. The Wiener Schnitzel, Fried Potatoes (not pictured) with Lingonberry-Horesradisch Cream was so delicious. The Pear-Bacon-Cabbage Ravioli was very unique and absolutely out of this world as was the Truffled Chicken Pie. Desert – oh my – Lavender creme brûlée with marinated pears and sugar crust and raspberry sorbet. I do not recall what all the cheeses where, but the Sweet and Spicy Fig Mustard Glaze that came with it was a hit. It turns out that the chef was from Austin, TX, the same city our travel companions live in. Small world. To cap of the evening our amazing waiter poured us a round of peach schnapps not available on the menu; brought out for special occasions. We were celebrating our travel companions recent marriage. Perfect end to another incredible day in Munich.
Watermelon Gazpacho
Wiener Schnitzel
Pear-Bacon-Cabbage Ravioli
Truffled Chicken Pot Pie
Lavender Creme Brûlée with Marinated Pears and Sugar Crust and Raspberry Sorbet
Wonderful…I so much enjoy your photos and stories about them.
Emily
Thank you
Wow… This post brings back a lot of memories! The churches were stunning and again, the food was delicious!