Munich, the capital of Bavaria, the largest city in southern Germany and the third largest city in the country. An ideal destination for a weekend away. But if you are tired of the busy city, there is also plenty to do in the Munich area. Not only is there history in the area, such as the Andechs Monastery or Schloss Schleissheim, but also the natural beauty of Lake Starnberger See is just around the corner. And then there is the Dachau concentration camp, located near Munich, an impressive experience. There are many sights, romantic towns, beer-brewing monasteries and beautiful lakes in the Munich area. However, the four sights highlighted here are all within a 25 kilometer radius of Munich and are easily accessible by car, public transport or even bicycle. Ideal for those who want to escape the city during a weekend getaway or who want to make a stopover while traveling.
Andechs Monastery
History
Andechs Monastery is located on the site of the former Andechs castle, on top of a ‘holy’ mountain. In 1391 it was decided to establish a monastery on this site, years after the castle had been destroyed. Several important relics were stored in the monastery, making the place a place of pilgrimage. The many visitors created a need for an inn. Of course, people also had to drink at the inn and that is why the monastery brewery, for which the monastery is still known, was founded.
Beer brewery and catering industry
The Andechser Monastery Brewery is owned by the Abbey of Sankt Bonifaz from Munich and Andechs. More than 100,000 liters of beer are brewed every year. The saying on the label reads: Genuss fur Leib und Seele. Translated this means: Pleasure for body and soul. The monastery sells seven different types of beer, namely Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel, Andechser Vollbier Hell, Andechser Spezial Hell, Andechser Bergbock Hell, Andechser Export Dunkel, Andechser Weißbier Hell and Andechser Weißbier Dunkel. The beers are brewed locally but consumed throughout Germany and even as far away as Russia and Japan.
The monastery has a restaurant with beer garden. From the beer garden you have a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and the Ammersee. The beer brewed on site, Andechser, is of course served here. This beer is accompanied by local specialties from the butcher’s shop and bakery that also belong to the monastery. You can also take a tour of the brewery.
Accessibility
The monastery is best reached by car via the A95, the A952 and then from Starnberg onto Andechserstrasse or via the A96 and then inland via Grafeling. There is also a bus (line 958) from Tutzing, which can be reached by S-bahn from Munich.
Schloss Schleissheim
History
Schloss Schleissheim is located just north of Munich near the village of Ober-Schleissheim. It actually consists of two different houses, the old and new Schloss Schleissheim. The old one was built in 1598 and consists of a building surrounding a courtyard, the Wilhelmshof. The new Schloss Schleissheim was built west of the old castle and consists of one large main building. The intention was to build a courtyard around here too, with the dimensions of the new castle being a factor of two larger than the old castle, but the new castle was never completed.
Museum and garden
The castle is furnished as a museum and can be visited. There are various exhibitions and the interior of the castle is impressive. The garden is also worth a visit, it is one of the few castle gardens that has not been adapted into the English style, but can still be visited in the original Baroque style.
Accessibility
Ober-Schleissheim can be reached by S-bahn, line 1 to the airport. The castle is also easily accessible by car from the A99, the ring road around Munich. But the best part is cycling to the castle from Munich. From the center the route takes you through the outskirts of Munich, via an old airport towards Ober-Schleissheim and the castle.
Lake Starnberg
The Starnberger See is a large lake, about 25 kilometers south of Munich. The town of Starnberg is located on the north side of the lake. The lake is ideal for water sports such as swimming, sailing and surfing. The area is also great for cycling and walking.
From Munich, Starnberg and the western shore of Lake Starnberger See can be reached by S-bahn. This S-bahn, line 6, stops after Starnberg in Pocking, Feldafing and Tutzing. The eastern bank can be reached by regional train, there is a station in Seeshaupt. The A95 motorway, from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, runs along the east side of Lake Starnberger See. Just before the lake, the A952 highway splits from the A95 and takes visitors directly to the city of Starnberg.
Dachau
History
The Dachau concentration camp is located near the city of Dachau. Today the former camp is located on an industrial estate, during the war it was a few kilometers outside the city of Dachau. The camp was established in 1933 and initially opponents of the regime were imprisoned there. Over the years, however, Roma, homosexuals, criminals, resistance fighters and especially Jews were also imprisoned. The Dachau camp operated until 1945.
In addition to the main camp in Dachau, there were also many smaller camps affiliated with Dachau in Munich and the surrounding area. These were often located close to factories where prisoners were used as forced laborers.
The camp was liberated by the Americans on April 29, 1945. In the years 1933 to 1945, a total of 206,200 people from thirty countries were detained in Dachau. Dachau’s death toll is 25,613 in the main camp and another approximately 10,000 people in the subcamps.
KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau
Nowadays the site is used as a museum and memorial site, which can be visited freely. The old central building has been converted into a museum where many photos, letters and other materials can be found that give an impression of life in the camp. There is also an extensive exhibition about the war and other concentration camps in Europe. Two barracks have been rebuilt on the site. Only the foundations of the other barracks can be seen. Three chapels and a Jewish memorial have been built at the very back of the site. The gas chamber and crematoria can also be seen here, just outside the rectangular camp area. The gas chambers have never been used for the systematic killing of people, but have only been tested a few times. In the grove, right next to the gas chambers and crematoria, lie the ashes of the thousands of people who died here.
Accessibility
Dachau is easiest to reach by car via the A8 towards Stuttgart. You can also get to Dachau by S-bahn, take the S2. Bus 726 runs from Dachau station to the entrance of the concentration camp. A visit is not recommended for young children.