Munich Day 1: WWII and Beer

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Hello Everyone!
I arrived in Munich at 7:30 this morning off the overnight train from Amsterdam. Before I decided to come to Munich I didn't know anything about it other than it hosts Oktoberfest every year. (actually held in September.) Munich is actually the home of a rich history and culture, not the least of which is its involvement in the rise of the Third Reich. No surprise since it is right in the middle of Europe. The first thing I did once I checked into my hostel and got rid of my heavy bags, was to go on a free walking tour of the city center. This tour was very informative for someone who decided to come here mostly due to finding a cheap hostel and it has pretty castles nearby.
For those of you who are ignorant of European geography (like me) here is what I learned about Munich today:
Munich is the capital of Bavaria which is a German state, but not too long ago by European standards (a couple hundred years) Bavaria was its own independent country ruled by a monarchy. Bavaria is relatively prosperous place: home of Mercedes-Benz. Not to mention the killing they rake in from all the international tourists during Oktoberfest. (One glass of beer costs 10 Euros). One year while trying to rebuild the city after WWII, half of the proceeds of Oktoberfest were donated to rebuild an entire 11th century church.
Although Munich has been around for a thousand years or so its history is completely engulfed by its WWII heritage. The city was bombed to the ground, but unlike Rotterdam the citizens decided to restore all the original churches and buildings to their original historic glory. This of course requires a lot of money. (Thanks Oktoberfest.)
Most of the history that I learned on my walking tour was news to me. For example, in Munich on November 1923 Hitler tried to seize power and overturn the German government by holding several officials hostage and demanding their cooperation. His plan failed and he was imprisoned for 9 months.
Looking back on my public education the only things I remember about WWII history are that Hitler tried to take over Europe and exterminate an entire race of people. Then the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and America joined the war and saved the world. While that is a slight oversimplification,apparently there are some major details missing in my education which I am only learning now. This trip has really exposed my ignorance on so many levels. But I am trying to rectify that problem and learn as much as I can about history, art, even some science. (I draw the line with math.)

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Photos

Maypole
Apparently if someone steals your maypole you have to throw a party for them to get it back. (This seems odd to me.)

glockenspiel
Three times a day these mechanical figures move around. I was told there are youtube videos of them. I of course don't need to look them up because I can see it in person. ;)

Marienplaz monument
This monument is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who was supposedly responsible for saving Bavaria from the destruction of the Protestent army.

St. Peter's Church
Originally built in 1158 this Roman catholic Church was rebuilt with funds from Oktoberfest.

Closeup of the cannonball
This is the actual cannonball from a medival war. After the Allies bombed the church a citizen found it and kept it until it could be restored to the church after the war.

Munich Opera house
This building burned down 5 times and was rebuilt 5 times.

Theatine Church with two towers
This tower along with its twin are the only part of a church that otherwise was bombed to the ground in WWII. This was deliberate as the Allies used the towers as a reference point to know where to bomb the city.

Currently a Toy Museum
This is where Hitler was when he heard about the assassination of Ernst vom Rath. Using this as an excuse he ordered the Nazi troops to destroy Jewish homes and synagogues 25,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps. This is called 'Kristallnacht' or the Night of Broken Glass.

Comments

[jennys mom]

wow...lots to see
wow, there's lots to see over there. what kind of 'toys' did hitler play with, besides guns and clubs.? How can there be enuf toys for a museum... i'm glad they rebuilt the original historical city. it's beautiful. Why are the leaning houses called leaning houses? they don't appear to be leaning...

[Denise]

Ironic that beer money was used to re-build churches. So Catholic!! Dee

[Jimmy]

I heard somewhere its a crime in Germany to deny the holocaust happened, so watch what you say over there. (At least in German)

[Tom]

Holocaust denial falls under German Criminal Code Section 130 "Agitation of the People". Subsection 1 reads: Whoever, in a manner that is capable of disturbing the public peace: 1. incites hatred against segments of the population or calls for violent or arbitrary measures against them; or 2. assaults the human dignity of others by insulting, maliciously maligning, or defaming segments of the population, shall be punished with imprisonment from three months to five years.

[jawilso]

illegal
My tour guide said today that it is illegal to do the Hitler salute. If you are in Germany on a visa, you can be instantly deported and denied future entrance to Germany. Although no one looked at my passport when I got to Germany. The last time anyone checked my passport was on the France/England border.

[jennys mom]

maydays
the maypole looks elaborate. Could u get one for the neighbors? We can go swipe it and get a free party for ourselves! why is the title WW11 and Beer? Where's the beer part?