Snow Falling on Karolinen

And while the snow was falling in the mountains, there was no shortage of it in Munich either, as the sudden flurry here shows. This seems to be the snowiest Winter that many locals can remember in Munich, but I have yet to see any statistics to prove it. Behind the couple, you see the 95-foot black Obelisk, designed by the architect to King Ludwing I, Leo von Klenze, who also created the Residence. Made from melted cannons, the monument erected in 1833 the more than 30,000 Bavarian soldiers who died in Napoleon’s campaign against Russia. The Obelisk is the centerpiece for Karolinenplatz, a large platz that was originally designed to be Odeonsplatz. It is now the heart of the Maxvorstadt neighborhood, and home to several old Bavarian mansions. The most notable is number 5, which once housed the Bruckmann family, home to a wealthy printer who introduced Adolf Hitler to the Industrialist and bankers who provided substantial financial support for the Nazi regime (as this was the center of Nazi Munich). Ironically, today those buildings are now home to bank offices, rather than the bankers themselves, and one of the buildings now houses the America House, which focuses on promoting American culture in Bavaria.