Munich

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Munich Town Hall, Germany

Munich is a popular tourist destination and has been described as Germany's secret capital. Centre of the city is the Marienplatz with the Old and the New Town Halls, its tower contains as attraction the Rathaus-Glockenspiel, an ornate clock with almost life-sized moving figures that show scenes from a medieval jousting tournament as well as a performance of the famous Barrel-makers' dance.

The Peterskirche is the oldest church of the inner city. Around this church Munich grew as a settlement of monks before the city was officially founded in 1158.

The Frauenkirche is the most famous building in the city centre. This is Munich's central cathedral and is famous for the brass onion domes that top the twin towers. The domes were added in the 16th century not matching the gothic style of the building and thus giving it a somewhat peculiar style-mix.

The city has several important art museums. Before World War I, it was also the site of the Blaue Reiter group of artists, many of which can be seen at the Lenbachhaus.

Other famous tourist attractions include the Deutsches Museum (Germany's largest science museum) and the English Garden, a garden park roughly in the centre of the city that contains a nudist area, jogging tracks and bridle-paths.

The Olympic Park with its stadium was built for the 1972 Summer Olympics which were held in Munich. The Olympic buildings are famous for their design, which was inspired by dew-covered cobwebs. Visitors can be elevated to the top of the Olympic Tower, which is also an important radio and TV broadcasting tower.

Perhaps Munich's most famous attraction is the Oktoberfest, a 2-week-long fair with many rides and several very large tents. The Oktoberfest was first held October 12, 1810 in honour of the marriage of crown prince Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities were closed with a horse race and in the following years the horse races were continued and later developed into what is now known as the Oktoberfest. Despite its name, Oktoberfest actually begins in September. It lasts two weeks and always finishes on the first Sunday in October.