Munich — The Meistersinger Secret

Your quest for the Meistersinger's secret begins on Marienplatz, Munich's central square since its foundation in 1158 by Henry the Lion. The Neues Rathaus, built between 1867 and 1908, and the Column of Mariä Himmelfahrt, erected in 1638 after the Thirty Years' War, frame this vast 24,000 m² esplanade. It is here, facing the Altes Rathaus, a Gothic edifice from 1474 with its 56-meter tower from 1480-1490, that the first puzzles immerse you in the Gothic and Baroque heritage of Bavaria's capital. The Toy Museum it houses since 1983 may provide clues to decipher the ancient symbols of this city.

Continue your journey along Sendlinger Straße, a historic shopping street laid out in the 13th century. The Sendlinger Tor, a city gate rebuilt in 1899 in Neo-Gothic style (63 meters high), marks the southern entrance to Munich's Altstadt. This artery, witness to the Battle of Sendling in 1705, retains Baroque and Rococo facades restored after 1945. It will lead you to the Viktualienmarkt, a market established in 1807, famous for its Maypole renewed every 7 years since 1705 and its 140 stalls of fresh produce. The fountains with statues of local figures might whisper clues about popular Munich culture.

The itinerary then takes you to Peterskirche, Munich's oldest parish church, mentioned as early as 1158. Rebuilt in Gothic style in the 14th-15th centuries and redecorated in Baroque in the 17th, its tower, the Alter Peter, 91 meters high, offers a panoramic view of Munich since 1365. After climbing its 306 steps, the panorama over the city's rooftops and the Bavarian Alps will inspire you. Not far, the Frauenkirche, a flamboyant Gothic cathedral begun in 1468 and completed in 1525, with its two twin 99-meter towers and Renaissance domes, is a symbol of Munich's resilience, faithfully rebuilt after the 1944 bombings.

Your tour of the city center's tourist circuit leads you to Platzl, a small historic square where the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl stands. Founded in 1589 by Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria, this brewery is a major venue for Bavarian culture and traditional music. The current building, in Bavarian Neo-Renaissance style, was built in 1896 and can accommodate 1,200 people. It is here, amidst songs and laughter, that you will collect fragments of melodies that will bring you closer to the Meistersinger's secret, for Munich, Bavaria's capital, has always had its heart beating for the world, as its modern tourist motto states.

Finally, your journey concludes at the Heilig-Geist-Kirche, a Gothic church built between 1392 and 1494. Its Baroque interior, remodeled in the 17th-18th centuries, houses altarpieces by Bavarian painters from the 15th-16th centuries. Restored after 1944, it was reconsecrated in 1948. The 12th-15th century historical monuments you have explored, from the UNESCO-adjacent Marienplatz to this church, will have revealed flamboyant Gothic architecture and Bavarian cultural heritage. You will not only have discovered Munich with your family but also uncovered an ancient secret, taking with you a piece of Munich's history and its Meistersinger.