World City Guide

Culture

Munich can boast an impressive cultural pedigree. It is significant that the head office of the German cultural organisation, the Goethe Institut, is based here. The city was a major centre for the arts during the 19th century, under the patronage of Ludwig I and II. At the beginning of the 20th century, Munich found itself at the forefront of the new Expressionist movement. Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group, founded in 1911 by Russian-born Wassily Kandinsky and Munich-born Franz Marc, is considered a seminal influence in the development of modern art. Other members of the group included August Macke and Paul Klee. The most important works of the group are on permanent show at the Stdtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Luisenstrasse 33 (tel: (089) 2333 2000; website: www.lenbachhaus.de).

The English-language monthly Munich Found (website: www.munichfound.de) provides cultural listings information. The tourist office also puts out a useful monthly programme.

In addition to the box offices mentioned below, the best general source for tickets is Mnchen Ticket (tel: (089) 5481 8181; website: www.muenchenticket.de). Mnchen Ticket has a counter in the tourist information office in the Rathaus, Marienplatz.

Music: Munich’s musical heritage is dominated by the imposing figure of Richard Wagner, who composed many of his works for Ludwig II. His successors, Richard Strauss and Carl Orff, were both born in Munich. In addition, Mozart often performed in the city and Gustav Mahler conducted the world premiere of his eighth symphony here, in 1910. Nowadays, Munich boasts three international orchestras – the Mnchner Philharmoniker (website: www.muenchnerphilharmoniker.de), the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (website: www.br-online.de/kultur-szene/klassic/pages/so) and the Bayerisches Staatsorchester (website: www.staatsorchester.de).

The Gasteig, Rosenheimer Strasse 5 (tel: (089) 480 9880; website: www.gasteig.de), is the city’s main cultural and performing arts centre, which includes the Konzertsaal, the Carl-Orff-Saal and the Kleiner Konzertsaal. The Nationaltheater, Max-Joseph-Platz 2 (tel: (089) 218 501), is the home of the Bavarian State Opera (website: www.bayerische.staatsoper.de) and hosts the annual international Opera Festival in July. Opera and chamber music can also be enjoyed in the Staatstheater am Grtnerplatz, Grtnerplatz 3 (tel: (089) 202 411 or 2184 1960 (tickets); website: www.staatstheater-am-gaertnerplatz.de), and in the lavish 18th-century Rococo surroundings of the Altes Residenztheater, Residenzstrasse 1 (tel: (089) 296 836), usually known as the Cuvillis-Theater, after its original designer. Tickets for the Nationaltheater, Staatstheater and Cuvillis-Theater are available from a central bookings hotline (tel: (089) 2185 1920).

Theatre: Classic German drama is performed by the Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel (website: www.bayerischesstaatsschauspiel.de) at the Residenztheater, Max-Joseph-Platz 1 (tel: (089) 218 501 or 2185 1940, for bookings). The Mnchner Kammerspiele, Maximilianstrasse 26-28 (tel: (089) 2339 6600; website: www.muenchner-kammerspiele.de), is one of the most important theatres in Germany and counts the young Bertolt Brecht among its former dramatists. The company will be performing at other venues, until renovation work is completed in spring 2003. Brecht also worked at the Deutsches Theater, Schwanthalerstrasse 13 (tel: (089) 552 340 or 5523 4444 (tickets); website: www.deutsches-theater.de), which now stages popular shows and musicals. Experimental theatre venues include Theater im Marstall, Marstallplatz 4 (tel: (089) 2185 1940), and Teamtheater Tankstelle, Am Einlass 2a (tel: (089) 260 4333).

Circus-Krone (tel: (089) 545 8000; website: www.circus-krone.de), the world’s largest touring circus, performs in a permanent big top, at Zirkus-Krone-Strasse 1-6, during the winter.

Dance: Immobile but enchanting, the carved figures of the Moriskentnzer (Morris Dancers) by Erasmus Grasser (1480) are a highlight of the Stadtmuseum (City Museum), St-Jakobs-Platz 1 (tel: (089) 2332 2370; website: www.stadtmuseum-online.de). More lively is the Bavarian State Ballet (website: www.bayerisches.staatsballett.de), which performs at the Nationaltheater, Max-Joseph-Platz 2 (tel: (089) 218 501). The group hosts an international ballet week in spring each year.

Film: About 50 films are produced in Munich each year. The city has connections with some of the key directors in new German cinema, including Rainer Werner Fassbinder of Lili Marlene (1980) fame, who studied drama here, and Werner Herzog, who was born in Munich in 1942. Both directors worked at the Bavaria Film Studios, in Geiselgasteig, which were founded in 1919. Visitors can enjoy a tour through the film studios (see Key Attractions). Films set in the city include white-knuckle-ride thriller Das Experiment (2001), based on the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment, and Carnival Story (1954), the high-wire, old-world romance directed by Bavarian born Kurt Neumann, who is probably more famous for his later work, The Fly (1958).

The Filmmuseum in the Stadtmuseum, St-Jakobs-Platz 1 (tel: (089) 2332 4150; website: www.stadtmuseum-online.de), has a monthly schedule of classic and arthouse films dedicated to a particular director, actor or genre. Most films are shown in the original language. There is a huge IMAX screen at Forum der Technik, Museumsinsel 1 (tel: (089) 2112 5170; website: www.fdt.de), while Cinema, Nymphenburgerstrasse 31 (tel: (089) 555 255; website: www.cinema-muenchen.com) has a strong programme of international and English-language screenings.

Cultural Events: Oktoberfest takes place at the end of September each year, on the Theresienwiese (known as the Wiesn). It is an orgy of beer, men in lederhosen, women in dirndls (traditional dresses), drunken tourists, oom-pah bands and terrifying fairground rides, all centred around 14 huge beer tents representing the city’s breweries. The 16-day festivities are opened by the Lord Mayor, who taps the first barrel with the exclamation ‘O’ zapft is!’

More high spirits are on display during the January-February Fasching, Munich’s carnival season, characterised by fancy dress balls. A sedate alternative is offered by the three traditional street markets/fairs (Dult) that are held annually (April, July and October) on Mariahilfsplatz, in the Auer district (website: www.auerdult.de). In December, Marienplatz is transformed into the world-famous Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market). Bavarian choirs sing from the town hall balcony and a huge Christmas tree illuminates the scene. The summer (June-July) and winter (November-December) Tollwood festivals (tel: (089) 383 8500; website: www.tollwood.de) provide a popular mix of theatre, opera, music and modern circus performances.

Literary Notes: Thomas Mann moved to Munich as a young man and worked for the satiric journal, Simplicissimus, before taking up writing as a career. His first great novel, Buddenbrooks (1900), was finished in the city. The 20th-century writers associated with Munich include Siegfried Sommer, who wrote Und Keiner Weint Mir Nach (And Nobody Weeps For Me, 1996), and Alfred Andersch, author of Sansibar oder der letzte Grund (Zanzibar or the Last Reason, 1999), who was born in Munich in 1914 and spent a short time in the concentration camp in Dachau, for his left-wing views. Young visitors will enjoy the works of Erich Kstner – Emil und die Detektive (1929), otherwise known as Emil and the Detectives, and Das doppelte Lottchen (1949), which was filmed as Two Times Lotte (1950).