This is the Neues Rathaus is has served as Munich's city hall since 1874. The gothic architecture is beautiful, and at 5:00 every day the Glockenspiel chimes a beautiful song instead of just marking the time. You can take an elevator up to the top of the highest tower, which I have some pictures of a bit later.
This is the Karlstor, a structure which one served as an entry gate into the city of Munich, built in the early 1700s. There are several other gates like this in the city, all beautifully restored. I was very excited about the medieval/Renaissance style drawings on the sides.
Of course I had to take a picture with the gate, because I was very excited about it.
This is Sendlinger Tor, another of the old gates to the city. This one is directly next to the main building of the Ludwig Maximillians Universität, where I will begin studying in October.
This is the interior of Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), one of the oldest churches in Munich. (Built in 1488.) It's hard to see in this picture, but all the windows are made with stunning stained glass depicting saints, the Virgin Mary, and the trial and death of Christ. We were lucky enough to be here while a service was going on in an adjoining chapel; the sounds of organ music and Latin singing set the mood perfectly.
This is the grave of Ludwig IV von Bayern (Louis IV), Holy Roman Emperor 1328-1347, which is inside the Frauenkirche. The picture doesn't do the ornate and beautiful stone the cenotaph is made from justice.
This is the Frauenkirche as seen from the highest tower of the Neues Rathaus. Restoration work is currently being done on one of the towers, which is what the white scaffolding is for.
This is another view from the Rathaus tower. From this angle you can really appreciate all the beautiful buildings in the city, my friends and I stayed up here for a long time looking around, contemplating how lucky we were to be living in such a beautiful and historic city. The building in the center left of the photo is the Altes Rathaus, which served as Munich's city hall from about 1310 until the Neues Rathaus was finished in 1874. The Grand Hall in this building was also the site of a famous speech made by Joseph Goebbels (the propaganda minister for the Nazi Party) which incited Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass), a pogrom against the Jews of Germany which took place on 9 November 1938.
This is the exterior of perhaps my favorite building so far, the Michaelskirche (Church of St. Michael). This statue depicts St. Michael slaying a demon. The church was built in 1583 and was a central location in the Counter-Reformation.
This is the interior of the Michaelskirche. Not even a thousand pictures could properly convey the feeling you get when you step inside this building for the first time. Every detail is so sharply rendered, the wall is covered with beautiful Baroque style paintings of Saints and Apostles, the golden carvings surrounding the altar sparkle in the sunlight, and the beautiful geometric patterns on the ceiling draw the eye towards various shrines to Saints and the Virgin Mary. There is something eerie about being in a church like this, one feels almost as though it is alive. After being inside it seems obvious how this Church was a spiritual stronghold of the Counter-Reformation; in every way it is the product of thousands of years of Catholic tradition, all of which seems somehow contained by the crucifix that stands on the altar, the point to which all eyes are drawn. This building is truly beautiful in a way that cannot by words or pictures be properly explained.
In case it isn't already clear, I'll say now that I'm having a wonderful time in Munich, and I still cannot believe that I am lucky enough to live in such a beautiful and historic city. I have fallen completely in love with this place, and I can't wait to see more of the amazing things Munich has to offer.
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