Munich is the capital of
Bavaria – a storybook land
of princess castles, medieval
walled towns and old-world
beer gardens. The city means
business, with more millionaires
and executives in suits than
most other German cities,
but if you want to wear your
Lederhosen
(traditional leather
breeches) that’s fine, too.
BREAKFAST SAUSAGE
Munich is the only city in
Germany to have its own sausage
for breakfast, the Weisswürst.
The chalky ‘white sausage’ is made
from minced veal and can only be
eaten before midday. The Bavarian
way of gobbling up a Weisswürst is
to slice off the top, then suck
out the insides!
SEPTEMBERFEST?
Munich’s world-famous beer
festival, the Oktoberfest, is
actually held in September.
The first event in 1810 celebrated
the wedding of Prince Ludwig of
Bavaria. Today more than 6 million
people drink 6.5 million litres
(1.4 million gallons) of beer
during the 16-day festivities.
Munich’s lord mayor starts
the proceedings by bashing
a wooden tap into a keg
and shouting "‘O’zapft is!
"
(‘‘it’s tapped!’’) as the
beer gushes out.
MUNICH
MOTORS
Petrolheads can get excited
about the old and the new
in Munich. The world’s first
car, a Karl Benz three-wheeler
from 1886, is parked up in the
Deutsches Museum. The city
is also home to the futuristic
BMW World. The main BMW
headquarters are located
next door and the gleaming
chrome tower is designed to
look like a 12-cylinder
car engine.
VERSATILE
VEG
King Frederick the
Great of Prussia brought
Kartoffeln
(potatoes) to
Germany in the 1700s.
In the 18th century they
were used to warm up
hands, like mini hotwater
bottles. The Potato
Museum in the city
exhibits a host of
other surprising uses.
In 1755, a man called
Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky
even decorated his
Christmas tree with spuds!
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
The Schäfflertanz
(Barrel-Makers Dance) can only be seen once every seven years. Twenty dancers, two hoop
twirlers, two clowns and a flag bearer perform intricate steps holding green garlands above their heads. The
tradition goes all the way back to 1517, when barrel-makers danced through the streets to celebrate the end
of the plague in Munich. Don’t want to wait seven years? You can see 32 painted life-sized figures do the
traditional jig every day in the glockenspiel
(metal xylophone) at the New Town Hall.
RIVER SURFING
There’s a massive surfing scene in Munich,
but not a beach in sight. Instead urban surfers
hang ten in Eisbach Creek. The waves were
made when engineers submerged concrete
blocks in the water upstream in the Isar River.
The blocks were intended to slow the river
down, but they also created a rush of swirling
rapids. It's fast, it's furious, but at least there’s
no risk of a shark attack!
FIVE SEASONS
Munich has four seasons like
every one else – and then
Starkbierzeit
(strong
beer season). This fifth
season rolls out the
city’s darkest, most
intense ales, as well
as its mightiest
men. The strong
men compete
at lifting a stone
weighing over 250kg
(550lb). It’s no mean
feat – the achievement
is the same as holding
a Bengal tiger above
your head!