Indian Chief Travel Guides

Odeonsplatz

The roads on both side of the Neues Rathaus eventually lead to the Odeonsplatz. At the east side is the huge Residenz complex. At the south is the Feldherrnhalle (Field Marshalls’ Portico), erected in the 1840s as a copy of the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy. It has statues of General Tilly (Thirty Years’ War) and General Wrede (Napoleonic Wars), guarded by Bavarian lions.

The Theatinerkirche (Theatine Church, or officially, St Kajetan), Theatinerstraße 22, is an excellent example of Late Baroque architecture. It was built in 1663-88, with the Rococo façade added a century later by Cuveliés. The interior is mostly white and well lit with a cupola 71 m (240 feet) high. The stuccowork is particularly fine. The crypt contains the graves of 25 members of the Wittelsbach dynasty.

North of the Odeonsplatz is the monumental Ludwigstraße, commissioned by King Ludwig I in the early 19th century when he made Munich a major European cultural center. The huge Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Byzantine buildings are interesting but add no life to area. Once past the Siegestor (Triumph Arch), the street becomes alive as Leopoldstraße, lined with cafés and the good life expected from the Schwabing neighborhood.