History is not my strong suit. I can learn speeches, song lyrics, and
lines from movies, but lists of dates and treaties and names? Nope.
Part of the problem is that I need more personal interaction with all
that data—some way to feel connected to it.
If the History Channel had been
around when I was growing up, that would have helped. Transforming facts into
stories gives them staying power with me.
European history, in particular, is tough. It covers millennia of nobility and monarchs (with their repeating
names!), not to mention the alliances, wars, and strategic marriages.
Then there are
the shifting national borders, and countries that have been passed back and
forth like a real-life game of Risk.
When I'm sightseeing, my mind starts to wander with these myriad details.
In Hamburg, the story was a bit more straightforward. Important
port and center of commerce, independent status, city history shaped by water,
wealth, and worldwide trade.
At first glance, Munich looked to be more complicated because of its
royal connections and accompanying intrigue. Since our river cruise last year
and my explorations to date, however, I’ve been seeing some of the
same names and events pop up.
So, I thought I should take a step back for a big-picture view of
Bavaria’s past, and see if I find remnants of it in Munich today. But that
doesn’t mean this is going to be a distillation of how the House of Wittelsbach ruled Bavaria as dukes, prince-electors, and kings. *
This recent foray was mostly an excuse for one of my favorite
sightseeing pastimes…palaces! Luckily, the Wittelsbach clan had two in Munich:
the Residenz in what is now the
city center, and a summer home, the Nymphenburger
Schloss, approximately 7 km to the northwest.
Residenz
The residence evolved from a castle that was first built in 1385, into an impressive palace
complex that was added to and remodeled by generations of Wittelsbach rulers. It was heavily damaged in WWII, but many of the furnishings survived, and it has been carefully reconstructed.
Of all the palaces I've visited, this one offered (by far) the largest number of rooms to walk through. It's the largest city palace in Germany, and took me nearly three hours to see, even though I skipped much of the audio guide detail.
Completed in the late 1600s, the Nymphenburg palace and grounds were expanded to
their current dimensions in the mid-1700s. The palace complex also includes a porcelain museum and carriage museum (separate tours).
As lovely as the palace is, the grounds were the highlight for me, with approximately 445 acres of landscaped lawns, forest groves, waterways, and four park "pavilions" (separate tours) which are the equivalent of small estate homes.
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View of the main wing and entrance of the Nymphenburg palace. |
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A view of the palace's Great Hall. |
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The Marstallmuseum is housed in the old stables and
includes carriages, sleighs, and elaborate riding harnesses.
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This figure in the Porcelain Museum
summed up the feel of my palace visits. |
In all seriousness, Munich has been dubbed the land of "Laptops and Lederhosen." There is a fervent commitment to tradition and a paradoxical embrace of technology.
In a lot of ways, the energy in Munich reminds me of what I felt when we first moved to Silicon Valley in fall 2000. You had the feeling that anything could happen, and anyone could be a part of making it happen.
Finding the balance between the past and the present seems to be Munich's strength; it's what gives this city Old World charm and New World currency. And in the land of fairy tales and castles, that kind of magic certainly makes sense.