ENGLISCHER GARTEN

Description

Essentials about the Englischer Garten in brief

New York City has Central Park, London has Hyde Park and Munich has the Englischer Garten (English Garden). Stretching northward from downtown Munich along the Isar River, the garden is by far the most popular recreational area for Munich residents and a real attraction for tourists as well. With an area of 375 hectares, the Englischer Garten is one of the largest inner-city parks in the world. Every year, 3.5 million people come to the park to relax, sunbathe, walk, jog, bike, ride, boat, surf, barbecue, picnic, play music and, of course, drink beer. Hardly any other city park in the world offers its visitors as many possibilities as the Englischer Garten.

The history of the Englischer Garten

Historically, the Englischer Garten dates back to the Palatine Elector Karl Theodor, who inherited Bavaria when the Bavarian Elector Maximilian III died childless in 1777. Karl Theodor decreed in 1789 that military gardens be established in every garrison town of the Bavarian army. These gardens were intended to keep the soldiers usefully occupied in peacetime and to teach them agricultural skills, but they were also to be accessible to the general public. The suggestion came from the Massachusetts-born Bavarian Secretary of War, Benjamin Thompson. The site for the Munich gardens was intended to be the western Hirschanger area, today’s Schönfeldwiese in the southwest of the Englischer Garten. That same year, work began on the park.

On August 13, 1789, Karl Theodor ordered that the area east of the military gardens be transformed into a people’s park. Today, this date is generally regarded as the actual founding day of the Englischer Garten in its present form. It was the first park of its kind in Europe. The public park was initially called “Theodor’s Park”, but soon the name “Englischer Garten” prevailed, a programmatic designation for the contemporary new garden style that followed nature’s model (in distinction to the geometric, “French” Baroque garden). On April 1, 1792, the park was opened to the then approximately 40,000 citizens of Munich. In 1799, the Englischer Garten was expanded to include additional areas, and in 1800, grounds of the now defunct military gardens were added.

The sections of the Englischer Garten

The Englischer Garten is divided into a northern and a southern part by the Isarring running through the park. The southern part near the center is called “Englischer Garten” in the narrower sense. It roughly corresponds to the park laid out at the end of the 18th century. The southern part is the much busier part of the park. It is here that the park’s most famous buildings are located: the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower), the Monopteros and the Japanese Tea House.

The northern part of the Englischer Garten is also called Hirschau. This designation goes back to the former abundance of game in the Isar floodplains north of the city. The Hirschau was laid out from 1798 to 1804 as a northern continuation of the Englischer Garten up to the Aumeister beer garden. In contrast to the heavily frequented southern part of the Englischer Garten, large parts of the Hirschau have the character of a quiet city forest.

The waters of the Englischer Garten

The Englischer Garten is also a very watery park. At the southern end of the garden, the Schwabinger Bach and the Eisbach enter the park, join and then flow separately again. The Oberstjägermeisterbach branches off from the Eisbach, so that a large part of the Englischer Garten is traversed by three streams running roughly parallel. Several small streams serve as cross-connections between these streams and the Isar. In addition, there is a relatively large standing body of water in the Englischer Garten in the form of the approximately nine-hectare Kleinhesseloher See, which lies immediately south of the Isarring.

The buildings in the Englischer Garten

There are four buildings worth mentioning in the Englischer Garten:

Rumfordhaus (Rumford House)

Rumfordhaus is a neoclassical building in the southwest of the garden, named after Benjamin Thompson, who held the title “Imperial Count of Rumford”. Rumfordhaus was built in 1791 (a year before the Englischer Garten was opened to the citizens of Munich). It first served as an officers’ mess and was later used for courtly purposes. The dilapidated building was renovated after World War II and turned into a recreational home for children and young people. Today it is known as the Nature and Culture Meeting House.

Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower)

The 25-meter-high wooden building in the style of a pagoda was erected in 1789/90 on the model of the Great Pagoda in the royal palace garden Kew Gardens in London, which was twice as high (which in turn was based on a majolica pagoda of the Chinese emperor in Beijing). The Chinesischer Turm burned down several times throughout history, most recently in 1944 after bombing raids. However, it has always been rebuilt true to the original.

At the Chinesischer Turm is the second largest beer garden in Munich with 7,000 seats. During Advent, a Christmas market is held at the tower. Near the Chinesischer Turm is a popular children’s carousel in the style of the Biedermeier era.

Monopteros

As early as the beginning of the 19th century, the idea of a pantheon in the Englischer Garten to honor Bavarian personalities was discussed. In 1831, the decision was finally made to build a circular temple, a Monopteros, and work began a year later. On a mounded hill, a round temple about 16 meters high was created in the classical-Greek style. In 1836 the structure was completed and the hill was partially planted. Today, the Monopteros is a popular vantage point, offering a great view over the roofs of the tallest buildings in downtown Munich.

Japanisches Teehaus (Japanese Tea House)

On the occasion of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and the city partnership with the Japanese city of Sapporo (the venue of the Winter Olympics) that has existed since then, a Japanese teahouse and a Japanese garden were created at the southern end of the Englischer Garten. The teahouse is located on a small island in the Schwabinger Bach, which widens into a small lake there. Tea lovers can attend a traditional Japanese tea ceremony in the teahouse.

The Englischer Garten as a leisure paradise

The Englischer Garten is a huge leisure paradise in the middle of the city. Especially for athletes of all disciplines, the park is an Eldorado. Cyclists and joggers can make their rounds on the park’s 78-kilometer network of paths. For horseback riders, there are specially created bridle paths. Slackliners can use the thousands and thousands of trees to string their ropes. The Englischer Garten even offers enough space for soccer, badminton and Frisbee players. Those who prefer to be out on the water can take a rowboat or pedal boat across the Kleinhesseloher See. And even surfers get their money’s worth in the Englischer Garten. The so-called “Eisbachwelle” in the Eisbach of the same name is one of the most famous urban surf spots in the world.

In winter, when there is enough snow, the Englischer Garten is transformed into a popular cross-country skiing area. Ice skating is permitted on the frozen Kleinhesseloher See. And the hill at the Monopteros is ideal for tobogganing. By the way, it is considered the oldest ski slope in Bavaria. The first attempts at skiing took place here as early as 1888 (secretly at night, of course).

Eating and drinking in the Englischer Garten

If you prefer to stop off at a beer garden instead of exercising, you’ll be spoiled for choice in the Englischer Garten. In the beer garden at the Chinesischer Turm, there is usually still a seat available on a bench even on nice summer days. With 7,000 seats, the beer garden is also the second largest in the city. The beer garden at Kleinhessseloher See is also very popular because of its beautiful view of the water.

But there are also two other very large and well-known beer gardens in the northern part of the park (the Hirschau). The Hirschau beer garden is located directly on the southern border of the Hirschau and seats 2,500 guests. The Aumeister beer garden forms the northern end of the Englischer Garten and is best reached by bicycle. And if you’re less in the mood for “simple” beer garden fare and prefer more dignified dining, the Seehaus at Kleinhesseloher See or the Restaurant am Chinesischen Turm are the best places to go.