City of Contrasts

Munich is somehow very modern, yet well rooted in its history. It is filled with elegant turn-of-the century buildings, yet also with 1960s square boxes. Munich is vibrant, filled with college kids and cafes, yet ordinary people wear traditional Lederhosen and dirndls for Octoberfest. It’s a city that is formal in business, yet casual in social settings. In this picture you see that contrast in the Munich RE Group’s corporate headquarters. The modern glass façade is the “South 1” building, labeled as an office landscape of the future: ecological, transparent and modern. In the reflection is the historic main headquarters, constructed in 1913 to accommodate 350 employees, which were spread out over six locations. Ironically, the Munich RE Group, one of the world’s largest reinsurers, is now spread out to 6 buildings again. One of their buildings is on Leopoldstrasse and houses the famous “Walking Man” statue constructed by the American artist Jonathan Borofsky, who also designed “Hammering Man” in front of the Seattle Art Museum.