Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE WHITE ROSE
Open resistance to the Nazis was rare during the Third Reich, where arbitrary terror meted out by
the SA and Gestapo served as powerful disincentives. In 1942, however, a group of medical stu-
dents, led by Hans and Sophie Scholl, formed Die Weisse Rose (The White Rose), which aimed
to encourage Germans to wake up to what was happening around them.
Members acted cautiously at first, creeping through the streets of Munich and smearing slogans
such as Freedom! or Down With Hitler! on walls. Growing bolder, they printed and distributed
anti-Nazi leaflets, reporting on the mass extermination of the Jews and other Nazi atrocities. One
read: We shall not be silent - we are your guilty conscience. The White Rose will not leave you in
peace.
In February 1943 Hans and Sophie were caught distributing leaflets at the university. Together
with their best friend, Christian Probst, the Scholls were arrested and charged with treason. After
a summary trial, all three were found guilty and beheaded the same afternoon. Their extraordinary
courage inspired the award-winning film
Sophie Scholl - Die Letzten Tage
(
Last Days of Sophie
Scholl
; 2005).
MAXVORSTADT
'Museums and universities' pretty much sums up Maxvorstadt, meaning that you'll likely
be spending some time in this delightful district. The Pinakotheken and Brandhorst art
museums form the unrivalled
Kunstareal
, the Glyptothek displays its precious antiquit-
ies, and the hallowed
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität
and venerable
Kunstakademie
(Art Academy) bustle with studious activity. The area has been a hotbed of culture since
the early 20th century; painters Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky had their studios here
and Thomas Mann used to talk literature with kindred colleagues in smoky coffeehouses.
Today students shape the neighbourhood feel, and cafe-, bar- and boutique-lined streets
such as Türkenstrasse and Schellingstrasse are places to catch the boho spirit.
Maxvorstadt was the first city expansion, conceived by Maximilian I around 1805 but
not really taking shape until his son, Ludwig I, put his mind - and money - to it some 20
years later. Flashy Ludwigstrasse is just one reminder of the legacy of this king who
dreamed of turning Munich into a city of art and culture, an Athens on the Isar. The grand
boulevard links Odeonsplatz with the Siegestor, where Maxvorstadt spills over into
Schwabing. The remarkably uniform and well- proportioned row of neoclassical piles is a
credit to court architects Klenze and Gärtner.
Alte Pinakothek
ART MUSEUM
