Trip to Bavaria 2007 - Munich

Before leaving Oberammergau we had a specially arranged private tour of the Passion Play Theatre. We were shown the backstage area with its thousands of costumes and a local guide gave us many interesting tidbits of information such as…: The "Hair Decree" – On Ash Wednesday in the year of the play, all the men in Oberammergau taking part in the play are requested to let the hair and beards grow. Policemen and men in the military are given special permission to not shave. She also told us how shopkeepers would be busy in their stores and then close so that they could run to the Play, change into their costumes and then go onstage to play their part and then quickly rush back to work to reopen their stores.

Following our tour of the theatre we boarded the bus for the drive to Munich. Our first stop was Marienplatz with the Old and New Town Hall, and the Gothic Frauenkirche. Marienplatz is the heart of the city of Munich. In the Middle-Ages, the square used to be a market place as well as the place where tournaments and festivities took place. Important public events such as tournaments or executions were still held here. The square is dominated by the New Town Hall. The monumental, 79 meter high town hall was built between 1867 and 1909 in Flemish Gothic style to alleviate the overcrowded Altes Rathaus nearby.
The original Old Town Hall was completely destroyed by fire in 1460. Between 1470 and 1480, the old town hall was rebuilt in Gothic style. The building was completely destroyed again during the Second World War, but rebuilt afterwards following the original 15th century plans. East of the Marienplatz is the landmark which features on most of Munich's postcards: the Frauenkirche or Church of Our Lady. The foundation stone was laid in 1468. Its distinctive domes, which were built in 1525 would serve as a model for many of Bavaria's towers. The church is huge but simple. Much of the original gothic interior has been destroyed or removed.
After lunch we met with a local guide for our tour of Germany’s "secret capital". Stops along the way included the Olympic Stadium and Nymphenburg Palace. Located just west of Munich, the Nymphenburg Palace was commissioned in 1664 by Elector Ferdinand Maria, to celebrate the birth of his son, Maximilian Emanuel. However, the palace didn’t maintain its original state for long. A total of five Wittelsbach rulers had their hand in changing or adding to the palace. Max Emanuel, the young man for whom the castle was built, was the first to make additions, in the year 1700. He added galleries and pavilions, extending the sides of the Nymphenburg Palace. Soon stables were added to the south and even more buildings to the north. Further additions continued, especially throughout the 18th century. The facade was extended to an impressive width of 600m (1968 ft). A circle of ornate Baroque mansions, known as the Schlossrondell, was erected under Emperor Charles VII Albert. The enormous Grand Hall or Steinerner Saal, was added during the reign of Elector Max III Joseph.

After checking into our hotel (Arabella Sheraton Westpark) we went to the Hofbrauhaus for traditional German entertainment, dinner and a HUGE stein of beer.