München (Munich), Germany
In September 2001, I moved to Munich. Munich, in southern Bavaria, is the third-largest city in Germany (after Berlin and Hamburg), with 1.3 million people living in the city (2.3 million in the city and surrounding area).
Munich covers an area of 120 square miles, at a location of 48 degrees 8' 23" north, 11 degrees 34' 28" east. The average height is 1738 feet above sea level, which makes for some interesting weather. The current forecast is below.
We've got a tiny apartment near the city centre. See some photos here.
Even though it isn't the largest city in Germany, Munich is the tourist capital. Here are some of the highlights...
Marienplatz - centre of the Altstadt (old city) - is bordered by the towering spires of the Neues Rathaus (lew City Hall, left) and the Altes Rathaus (old City Hall, right) containing the Spielzeugmuseum (toy museum).
In the center of Marienplatz is the Mariensäule (St Mary's column) erected in 1638 to celebrate being spared by both the Swedish army and the plague. the figure at the top is the Virgin Mary, carved in 1590, which was originally housed in the Frauenkirche.
The late-Gothic-style Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), started in 1468 and finished twenty years later, is near Marienplatz, just off the main Kaufingerstrasse pedestrian mall. The 99-meter tall towers serve as the upper limit for any buildings in the Altstadt. In fact, the twin-towers (somtimes affectionately called the salt- and pepper-shakers) share fourth-place with the BMW museum in Munich's tallest building stakes.
A number of ornate, neo-classical buildings line the semi-circular Karlsplatz (also known as Stacchus, because the people at the time disliked Karl Theodor after whom the square was named) at the other end of Kaufingerstrasse.
The Karlstor (Karl's gate) itself is huge.
Near Karlsplatz is the Justizpalast (Justice palace).
BMW, which stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works), have their headquarters in Munich in the 99-meter tall tower pictured below. Another major tourist attraction, located right next to their headquarters, is the BMW Museum. The museum includes BMW cars, motorbikes, concept cars and planes as well as interactive displays and simulators.
Near the BMW museum is the Olympiazentrum, built to host the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
The Olympiaturm (Olympic tower), at 290m, is Munich's tallest building by far.
But, Munich's biggest tourist draw card is the Oktoberfest.
More information about Munich can be found here.