Meandering around Munich

We landed in Munich right on time after our change in Istanbul. By the time we arrived at our hotel near the Hauptbahnhof, it was nearly 11:30 and we had been traveling for more than 35 hours. So the first thing we did was pass out.

Some of the splendid interiors of the Residenz

This morning the sky was threatening rain, which caused us to rethink starting our day with wandering around the old city. So after breakfast, just as it started to rain, we headed for the Residenzmuseum. Finding the entrance proved to be more difficult than one might expect owing to the vastness of the palace complex, the proliferation of marquees being set up for some kind of festival, and the wilderness of scaffolding that seems to shroud every major sight. However, find it we did, and we started with a long ramble through the rooms of the palace.

The Residenz was the home of the Wittelsbach rulers, all of whom were named Maximillian or Friedrich. A large portion of the building was destroyed during the Second World War and has been painstakingly reconstructed. It was difficult to know how to feel about it – is it more impressive or less that it isn’t original? Also, is it in poor taste for Americans to cavil regardless? Most of the rooms blend together in the memory as one sumptuous, silk-walled interior after another frosted with gilded ornamentation, hung with tapestries, and richly furnished. However, a few of the rooms really stand out. The Antiquarium is a long room with hundreds of busts of Roman emperors and a spectacular pink marble fireplace. There is also vault full of stunning reliquaries. One of the most interesting is a case made of silver, gems, and panels of cut glass containing the mummified remains of 3 babies said to be victims of Herod’s Slaughter of the Innocents. Then there is the Reichekapelle, or Ornate Chapel - one of the most aptly named rooms in the place. The ceiling is blue with gilt decorative elements while the walls are marble and porphyry with stucco panels depicting religious scenes polished to look like they are made of inlaid stone.

Treasury

Then, seeking to properly overload on astonishingly beautiful things, we moved on to the Residenz Treasury, or Schatzkammer. The original treasury was elsewhere in the building, the current version is housed in what used to be the kitchens. Inside there are over 1,000 jewel encrusted objects of breathtaking workmanship. Crowns, necklaces, cups, plates, personal devotional items, tableware, and personal grooming items, all wrought in gold or silver or precious stone then fitted with silver or gold. One of the more extraordinary objects, in a series of rooms dedicated to amazing objects, was a reliquary topped with an absolutely luminous representation of St. George and the Dragon. Several of the cases were themed according to the primary material from which they were crafted, lapis in one, malachite in the next, cut rock crystal after that. It was an amazing display reminiscent of the rooms of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. As we left we decided that it was perhaps for the best that we did the museum first because there was a definite crowd forming.

From the Reisidenz we walked down to the Vikualienmarkt, a combination farmer’s market and food court. Fortunately the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. Along the way we watched and listened to the Glockenspiel on the Neues Rathaus do its thing. We had a snack and made our way to the English Garden.

The English Garden

The English Garden is where Muncheners go to the beach. The weather, having become rather warm, brought out the sunbathers who were spread out on the banks of the creeks that flow through the park. The many paths wind along under large trees in an area larger than New York’s Central Park. Our wanderings took to the Chinesischer Turm which is also the site of Munich’s oldest beer garden. Just as we arrived, a Rolls Royce draped in flowers pulled up along with a fleet of motorcycles. It turned out that the restaurant next to the beer garden was hosting a wedding reception for some members of the Munich Area Hell’s Angels. (Seriously, the groomsmen were wearing their leather vests.)

We finished our day visiting the many churches around the old city. First we found the Theatinerkirke which is, like all things photogenic in Europe, encased in scaffolding. Next we went to St Peterskirke, the oldest church in Munich. It houses a curious reliquary which holds the reclining, gauze wrapped skeleton of St Munditia which has eyes painted over the orbits of the skull. As we left St Peterskirke the weather, which had been glorious, shifted rather dramatically from sunny to gusty hail storm causing all to run for the nearest awning. After 10 very exciting minutes, the rain let up and we hurried over to Heiliggeistkirke, a baroque church, where we lucked into an organ concert. We were unable to take any pictures afterward as the church is hosting an enormous sculpture by a contemporary artist that doesn’t permit photography. Next, we headed for Asamkirke where we were shut out by a sign indicating that a Mass was in progress. The same was true at the Frauenkirke with its twin onion shaped domes. We’ll have to try squeeze these two and the Michaelskirche in when we are next in Munich.

Tomorrow we are up and out early headed for the Alps which were stunning to behold from the plane last night.