[Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles about Munich and covers museums and music. Virtual tours of both Munich and the BMW Museum are at the bottom of the page.]

The letter “B” is not found in “Munich” but it might as well be.  The letter B is everywhere in the city, whether it’s on the street (BMW), in a restaurant (Bier), or in a political discussion (Bayern, or Bavaria).  It’s probably the most important letter in the city as a result.

Munich is one of four cities where I have lived and, as my university town, holds a special place in my heart.  It is such a vibrant, diverse city and I know it so well that I have found it almost impossible to write about it, so I am doing it in sections.

Without a doubt, Munich (München) is a study in contrasts. It is the modern and hip capital of staunchly conservative Bavaria, a city where the modern constantly bumps into the old, and a high-tech center with an entrepreneurial spirit where world-class established firms such as BMW and Siemens are also headquartered.

The city is also a polarizing force, whether it’s Bayern München, the premier Fußball (soccer) team, the region’s Catholicism and strong Bavarian identity (the state of Bavaria is formally known as Freistaat Bayern, or the Free State of Bavaria), or just the city’s affluence.

For many years, Munich has lived in Berlin’s shadow. The capital city, with its anarchic attitude and cutting-edge club scene, is hip. Munich, on the other hand, is stodgy and decidedly unhip, at least according to the stereotype.

Three years ago, the International Herald Tribune and Monocle magazine named Munich the best place to live in the world and they were apparently on to something.

Munich is a quintessentially livable city.  It’s clean, has efficient and inexpensive public transportation, a very low crime rate, and benefits from an excellent location near mountains and lakes.

The Bavarian capital is a major destination for beer lovers, history buffs, car lovers, and music fans alike.  It boasts restaurants, concert halls, parks, dance clubs, science and art museums and, yes, beer gardens.

Its Baroque and Rococo architecture and stunning parks captivate visitors of all ages and it is home to some of Europe’s finest museums.

MUSEUMS FROM A TO Z

Museums run the gamut here from art to automobiles to science and technology to zoology.

The BMW Museum is one of the most popular attractions in Munich, alongside the Alte Pinakothek, the Deutsches Museum, and the BMW Welt.  The museum opened shortly before the 1972 Summer Olympics and was designed by Prof. Karl Schwanzer, an Austrian architect who also designed BMW’s neighboring four-cylinder headquarters building.  It was renovated as part of the development of the BMW Welt and reopened in 2008 with significantly increased exhibit space.

The museum presents almost a century of BMW’s history and heritage in seven thematic blocks covering design, company history, technology, motor sport, motorcycles, the BMW brand, and BMW’s cars.

In the original section of the museum, visitors ascend a spiral walkway to see the individual exhibits.  An escalator at the top brings them back to the ground floor.

The BMW Welt is BMW’s “experience and delivery center” which opened in October 2007.  In addition to its primary mission, the handover of new BMWs to customers at the factory, it presents a variety of exhibits on BMW technology and BMW automobiles.

Over five million people have visited the BMW Welt since its opening, making it the most frequently visited attraction in Munich (admission is free).  Designed by Prof. Wolf Prix, a principal at the Viennese design firm Coop Himmelb(l)au and a student of Prof. Karl Schwanzer, the building’s architecture, including the striking Doppelkegel (double cone) and the flying cloud roof, represents a new order in design yet the BMW Welt is harmoniously integrated into the context of the surrounding BMW buildings and Olympic Park architecture.

The BMW Welt is connected to the BMW Museum by a bridge and the BMW plant tours start in the Welt as well.

The BMW Welt staff can deliver up to 250 cars per day to customers who typically pay several hundred euro for the privilege. (Editor’s note: the author was the first customer to take delivery of a BMW in the BMW Welt on the first day of deliveries, 23 October 2007).  Those taking delivery typically plan an entire day for such an undertaking, receiving an extensive multimedia orientation for their new vehicles prior to a dramatic delivery on the premiere level of the Welt, and then taking a factory tour.  The private and exclusive Premium Lounge is reserved solely for these customers and their guests.

The Welt features several restaurants and cafés run by Do & Co, an Austrian restaurant and catering firm.  It also has shops and a multimedia auditorium for concerts and events.

The Alte Pinakothek is the city’s most important art museum and the neoclassical building houses thousands of paintings from the 14th to the 18th century, with ca. 900 on display at any given moment.   Here the visitor will find significant works by Dürer, Rembrandt, Rubens (the Alte Pinakothek has more Rubens than any other museum), and Van Dyck.  The Italians are well represented by da Vinci, Giotto, Raphael, and Titian, among others.

The Alte Pinakothek is one of three Pinakotheken (the others are the Neue Pinakothek, which exhibits 19th century works, and the Pinakothek der Moderne, which showcases 20th and 21st century art).  The galleries are located in the Kunstareal, an art district that also includes the Glyptothek, the Staatliche Antikensammlung (both specializing in Greek and Roman Art), and the Lenbachhaus, among others.

The Deutsches Museum, located on the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) in the Isar River, is the largest science and technology museum in the world.  Here one will find many firsts including the first automobile (Benz, 1886), the first diesel engine (1897), the first electric dynamo (Siemens, 1866), and the laboratory bench at which Fritz Straßmann and Otto Hahn split the first atom in 1938.  Last year the museum added a new wing, the Zentrum Neue Technologien, devoted to pioneering nano- and bio-technology.

Children and adults will appreciate the thousands of buttons to be pushed, levers to be cranked, and gears to be turned.  They will leave with an understanding of how countless things work.

Schloß Nymphenburg was the summer home of the imperial Wittelsbach family. While its exterior, which evolved over time since construction began in the 17th century, is subdued baroque, the interior reflects the taste and thinking of various rulers including the Gallery of Beauties commissioned by König Ludwig I., who commissioned three dozen paintings of the most beautiful women of the period, including the Schöne Münchenerin (pretty Munich girl) and a portrait of Lola Montez, a dancer whose relationship with the monarch caused a scandal that eventually factored into the Revolution of 1848.

The Schloß is situated on the 200-hectare Nymphenburg Park, as are several pavilions.   The Amalienburg, built as a hunting lodge for Kurfürstin (electress) Amalia in 1734, has a graceful but plain façade and a splendid rococo interior.

The Münchner Stadtmuseum (Munich Municipal Museum) is really multiple museums in one.  Located downtown on St.-Jakobs-Platz, the museum features exhibits about local arts and traditions.

The photo museum on the second floor documents the history of photography starting with its invention in 1839.  The musical instrument collection on the fourth floor is one of the world’s best.

For the record, there is a Zoologische Staatssammlung München, which houses the world’s largest collections of butterflies, ca. seven million.  Its library and temporary exhibits are open to the public.

MUSIC

The Bayerische Staatsoper is one of the world’s great opera companies and it is known for mounting some of the most beautiful productions in Europe.  Current productions include Aida, Carmen, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and Tosca.   The Nationaltheater is also the home of the Bayerische Staatsballett.

The Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra) is the internationally renowned orchestra of the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Radio) and is one of three major orchestras in Munich [the others are the Münchner Philharmoniker (Munich Philharmonic) and the Bayerisches Staatsorchester (Bavarian State Orchestra)].

The Symphonieorchester’s goal for the 2010/2011 season is to present “fascinating music drawn from beyond the beaten repertoire paths while never losing sight of the need for widespread appeal.”  It performs in the Philharmonie am Gasteig and the Herkulessaal in the Münchner Residenz.

The chief conductor is Mariss Jansons and guest soloists and conductors for the season include Andras Schiff, piano, Seiji Ozawa, conductor, Lang Lang, piano, Riccardo Muti, conductor, Esa Pekka-Salonen, conductor, Bernard Haitink, conductor, and Franz Welser-Möst, conductor,

IF YOU GO…

Alte Pinakothek
Barer Straße 27, Munich
Tel. +49 (89) 23-80-52-16
www.pinakothek.de

BMW Museum
Petuelring 130, Munich
Tel. +49 (89) 38 24 45 65
www.bmw-museum.de

BMW Welt
Am Olympiapark 1, Munich
Tel. +49 (180) 2 118822
www.bmw-welt.del

Deutsches Museum
Museumsinsel 1, Munich
tel. +49 (89) 21-791
www.deutsches-museum.de

Münchner Stadtmuseum
St. Jacobs-Platz 1, Munich
+49 (89) 233-22370
www.stadtmuseum-online.de

Schloß Nymphenburg
Schloß Nymphenburg 1, Munich
Tel. +49 (89) 179-080
www.schloesser.bayern.de

Zoologische Staatssammlung München
Münchhausenstraße 21, Munich
Tel. +49 (89) 8107 0
www.zsm.mwn.de

MUNICH HOTELS

The Charles Hotel, Munich, Germany

Holiday Inn München City-Nord

Kempinski Airport Hotel München

Kempinski Vier Jahreszeiten Munich

Mandarin Oriental, Munich, Germany

TOURS AND AIRPORT TRANSFER
Rolf Raffelsieper – BMW Pick-up Service
E-mail rolf.raffelsieper@yahoo.de
Tel. +49 171  825 1492

A VIRTUAL TOUR. MUNICH, GERMANY
Photographs by Jonathan B. Spira

BMW MUSEUM VIRTUAL TOUR (IN TWO PARTS)
Photographs by Jonathan B. Spira

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.