Maxstraße

Aptly named after Maximilian II, with his statue seen in the background, Maximilianstrasse houses both government and the city's swankiest shops. On a Sunday afternoon it turns into another place for people to enjoy a stroll or bike ride.

Isarinsel

Despite getting off to a slow start, due to the rain, the Isarinselfest appears to have been a success. There were many family activities for those with young children, including an art contest for children's rights, a circus school, stone carving, journal making, and like all festivals in Munich, plenty of beer, fest foods, and music for the adults.

Smoken Stroll in Lehel

Just across from the great Hofgartenkaserne building, the old military facility built in 1801 that sits at the edge of the Hofgarten, is the neighborhood of Lehel. It's one of the most desirable neighborhoods in town, as it's literally a stone's throw from the Altstadt, English Garden, and the Isar River. I caught this picture on a little side street called Pilotystrasse, which has a line of old but remodeled apartments. I remember viewing one when we first moved to Munich, and it was a renovated attic on the 6th floor with views overlooking the residence and just about every spire in downtown. Spectacular. Non functional, as the attic was literally pieced together, but spectacular all the same. Despite a roar of traffic that surrounds Lehel on Franz-Joseph-Strass-Ring, Prinzregentenstrasse, and Widenmeyerstrasse (three of the busiest in Munich), once you are 100 meters into the winding streets of Lehel, it's quiet and peaceful.

Escaping the City Without Leaving

When is a neighborhood in the center of town not quite in the center of town? When it’s Lehel, the neighborhood that wraps around the East side of the altstadt. I used to think it amounted to only the postage stamp blocks surrounding St. Anna church, but it turns out that it drapes the entire East side of the city. I love this area as you can easily walk into the Alstsadt, but each of the sections of the neighborhood have its own personality – from North Lehel (North of Prinzregentenstrasse), mid-Lehel (between Maximillianstrasse and Prinzregentenstrasse, and the south side from Maximillianstrasse. Lehel is said to be the city’s oldest neighborhood outside of the Altsatdt, also often referred to as Vorstadt – or urban neighborhood. As the neighborhood includes the Bayerisches National Museum, the Haus der Kunst, and the upscale shopping street of Maximillianstrasse, it is also quite culturally rich. But what I love most about this neighborhood is how you leave the main boulevards and you feel immediately like you’ve exited the center of the city and relish the true heart of a residential neighborhood.

A Place of Peace

A few weeks ago I shared with you a photo of one of the monks from St. Anne’s Church in the neighborhood of Lehel. I found myself back there recently, and I have to say it’s one of the most relaxing centers of Munich. Where the church meets the main road (which is an overstatement, as it’s barely one lane each direction), you have a mix of cafes and restaurants and people coming about. However, you can find a seat next to the church and chill there all day. There are kids playing in the plaza. People riding their bikes through the neighborhood. And friends chatting over a coffee. I came across this interesting sculpture just outside the cloisters, which are across the street from the church. I looked all over for a plaque explaining who it was dedicated to, but there was no description. Like the monks who find themselves in anonymous prayer, this monk stature was meant to represent the many monks who have made St. Anne’s their home. The Cloister was built in 1727, and like the church was destroyed during WWII. For the church, only the façade remained standing. Both were rebuilt in the early 50s, and renovated once since then. Stop by some time when you get the chance.

Studying the Classics

A quick glance at Munich’s Wilhelmgymnasium, a well-known secondary school just outside the Altstadt. A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in many parts of Europe, where students study classics like Latin, English and Ancient Greek. The word gymnasium was used in ancient Greece, meaning the combination of both physical and intellectual education of young men. Today the gymnasium prepares pupils to enter University for advanced academic study. The Wilhelmgymnasium is the oldest grammar school in Munich, and has had many famous graduates, and has been rated the best of all schools in Bavaria. I actually knew little of this when I took the photo. I just liked how this classic image fit into the urban scene.

Oh Brother, Where art thou?

In Lehel, of course. One of the brothers at St. Anna’s monastic church walks from the church to the Kloisters across the street. The scene seemed just a little out of place, but it turns out the church has a long history within Bavaria, as it was the first Roccoco church in old Bavaria (from it’s pre-1803 boundaries), built in 1727. Like many things in Munich, it was badly damaged during WWII, and the reconstruction was lengthy. However, in the course of the work, the church’s beautiful Roccoco façade, which was concealed since 1853 by a Neo-Romanesque faced built over it, was re-discovered. Although this neighborhood is small, it’s a great side of Munich with the community coming together in front of the church square – with lots of cafes and restaurants that spill out across the sidewalks.