Munich: A Metropolis of Past and Present

After getting my traveling sea legs underneath me with a trip to Amsterdam, I felt a bit more prepared for my trip to Munich. I knew very little about the city before going, and certainly was not aware of the big city-feel it offers.

Although Munich’s history dates back many hundreds of years, it is most prominently known in the modern mind for its role the first and second World Wars and for being the birthplace of Hitler’s Nazi regime; the beer hall where he first attempted to seize power is located in the city. After heavy damage in WWII, the city was rebuilt but retained most of its original structure. Today it is regarded as one of the safest, cleanest and most thriving cities in Europe.

Although the city may have undergone a dramatic modernization after the war, I recognized a diverse mixing of the past and present that makes Munich a must–see destination for tourists. The atmosphere in Munich is built upon a great pride in the German identity. You can find natives dressing in traditional German clothing while eating original German cuisine in the many beer halls and gardens located throughout the city. Nowhere is this identity more apparent than at the famous Hofbrauhaus. Although regarded by some as being extremely touristy, I got the sense that the crowd was equal parts natives and visitors. The bands, dancers, drinking, and food combine to provide the quintessential German social experience.

A unique aspect of the city that I noticed was a mixing of new and old architectural structures. The Marienplatz is exemplary of this phenomenon. Here you can find the city square with the Old and New Town Halls as well as the famous Glockenspiel. What struck me were the modern stores that have actually been installed within the New Town Hall. I thought such an ornate and visually spectacular structure would remain untouched, but in the vein of Munich’s combination of new and old, shopping is intertwined with a very historical experience. This can be seen along the various “royal avenues” where such places as the state parliament and National Theatre are found in close proximity to modern venues.

On my sobering visit to the Dachau concentration camp, I gained a greater sense of the modern history for which Munich is so well known. The beautiful, sunny day was no deterrent from giving me feelings of overwhelming sadness and awe during my experience at the camp. Seeing the actual physical structures of the camp helped the Holocaust’s atrocities become much more real and vivid in my mind. Dachau, the first large-scale camp, served as a model for all other camps built during the war. The experimental nature of the camp’s activities provided for shocking and disgusting practices that would be repeated throughout the rest of the Holocaust. The most interesting aspect of my visit to Dachau I found not within the camp itself, but rather when I left. It was hard for me to understand how native Germans, some of whom likely lived during the Nazi reign, could live and raise their children in close proximity to a place that represents such a reprehensible national history, as they do in the suburbs around Dachau. This was just another example of the natural and accepted mixing of past and present indicative of Munich. The people playing basketball a few hundred feet away from the concentration camp simply accept their history as part of their identity, even if it may not be a proud part.

Munich is a modern city with a distinct and rich past. Today it is home to a multitude of foreign populations that contribute to the character of the city through entertainment, cuisine, arts and other facets. The commonplace German identity represented by beer halls and enormous pretzels is present and will remain in the future, but the influx of foreigners is important in the globalization and modernization of the city. Munich is able to maintain a balance of old and new in a unique and inviting way. For the tourist looking for a true and historic German experience within the comforts of modern life need look no further than Munich; I certainly enjoyed what the city, and the sampling of beer halls, had to offer an eager traveler such as myself.