Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(LMU; 218 00;
www.uni-muenchen.de
; Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1; Universität)
Bavaria's oldest university, the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität started out as political
football for its rulers. Founded in Ingolstadt in 1472, it moved to Landshut in 1800 before
being lassoed to Munich in 1826 by newly crowned King Ludwig I. It has produced more
than a dozen Nobel Prize winners, including Wilhelm Röntgen in 1901 and Theodor Hier-
sch in 2005.
The main building, by Friedrich von Gärtner of course, has cathedral-like dimensions
and is accented with sculpture and other art work. A flight of stairs leads to a light court
with a memorial to
Die Weisse Rose,
the Nazi resistance group founded by Hans and
Sophie Scholl. To get the full story visit the small
DenkStätte
(
Offline map
Google map
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1; admission free; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 11.30am-2.30pm Sat
Apr-Oct)
in the vaulted space behind.
CHURCH
Ludwigskirche
(Church of St Ludwig; Ludwigstrasse 20; 8am-8pm; Universität)
The somber twin-
towered Ludwigskirche, built by Friedrich von Gärtner between 1829 and 1844, is a
highly decorative, almost Byzantine affair with one major showpiece: the
Last Judgment
fresco by the Nazarene painter Peter Cornelius in the choir. It's one of the largest in the
world and an immodest - and thoroughly unsuccessful - attempt to outdo Michelangelo's
version.
Karlsplatz
( Karlsplatz, Karlsplatz, Karlsplatz)
Karlsplatz and the medieval Karlstor form
the western gateway to the Altstadt and the pedestrianised shopping precinct along
Neuhauser Strasse and Kaufinger Strasse. The busy square was laid out in 1791 as an ego
project of the highly unpopular Elector Karl Theodor.
When he named it for himself, locals were even less impressed and insisted on referring
to the square as Stachus, possibly in memory of a pub that had been displaced by the
square's construction. The huge fountain in the centre is a favoured meeting spot, but
Karlsplatz is really at its most magical in winter when an outdoor ice-skating rink brings
out young and old.
SQUARE
