First Two days in Berlin

Okay, we have a break before dinner tonight, so back to the blog. We left Wolfsburg yesterday morning and took a coach (thank goodness, no more trains!) to Berlin. Once in Berlin we enjoyed a guided tour of the city. This tour included the Brandenburg Gate, which is the former city gate and one of the main symbols of both Berlin and Germany. The Gate was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia. On the north side of the gate is the Room of Silence, which was inspired by the mediation room in the United Nations building in New York City. The Room of Silence was conceived after appeals from the East Berlin peace movement, and people from a wide range of religious and cultural backgrounds have passed through the Room to honor the peace movement since 1994.

The tour also took us past the Markisches Museum, which is Berlin’s city museum. This museum houses displays that dedicated to much of Berlin’s cultural history. Then we saw the Berliner Dom, which is a Baroque building with Italian Renaissance influences, and it is unusually ornate for a protestant church. The church has a reconstructed pipe organ that has more than 7,000 pipes.

After this, we took a one-hour cruise on the Spree River. Following the city tour, we had a group dinner.

Today, we began the day with the most amazing breakfast yet. We are staying the Hotel Berlin, and it has a bit of 70s Berlin theme, but the food is incredible. The breakfast buffet is the first we have seen that has so many meats, cheeses, breads, etc. Even sheep’s milk cheese! Yummmy!

Then we hoofed it over to Schloss Charlottenburg, which is the largest resident of the royal house of Hohenzollem in Germany’s capital city of Berlin. This Baroque palace is probably the first palace we have seen that we could possibly imagine living in. The palace was commissioned by Sophie Charlotte, wife of Friedrich III in the 17th century, and it was originally named Lietzenburg. When Friedrich III became KING Friedrich I of Prussia in 1701, the palace needed to be expanded. Consequently, Sophie Charlotte commissioned an architect to begin plans for an expansion of the palace, but she died four years later in 1705, and did not see the completion of the expansion. King Friedrich renamed the palace Charlottenburg in her honor, and one can see her monogram (SC) in the gilding in many rooms throughout the palace.
This afternoon, there were four student-led tours.

JEWISH BERLIN: Sarah McCary and Sarah Veal led the Jewish Berlin tour. According to the Sarahs, the Jews first arrived in Berlin in the thirteenth century, though many concede that the present Jewish community did not establish itself until 1671. During the years in between 1295 and 1671, they were often expelled from Berlin for various reasons but were always allowed to return after a period of a few decades. Finally, however, they were able to establish themselves as prosperous merchants and bankers, and though prejudice continued to exist, the Jewish people grew as a community. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were 110,000 Jews living in Berlin, and many of them were among the social and economic elite. This changed with the rise of the Nazi party, and there are many memorials throughout the city dedicated to the victims, more than 55,000 of whom were Berliners. Much like the city, the Jewish community has strived to rebuild, and this tour demonstrated much of what was before the Holocaust and what came after.

This tour included the following stops: Lunch at a Jewish Restaurant; Neue Synagogue [Built by the architect Eduard Knoblauch and consecrated in 1866, the Neue Synagogue was the largest in Europe at the time of its construction. Today, it serves as a museum with exhibits dedicated to the Synagogue and its congregants. ]; Jewish Community Center [The Community Centre of the Jewish Community of Berlin houses the Jewish “Volkshochschule”, an institution dedicated to adult education, and the Library of the Jewish Community. In the courtyard, a memorial has been erected in honor of the more than 58,000 Jewish Berliners who were deported during the Holocaust]; Grosse Hamburger Strasse [Prior to World War II, Grosse Hambuger Strasse was one of the main streets in the Jewish quarter and included the city’s oldest Jewish cemetery. After Hitler’s rise to power, however, it became a collection point for the Jews]; Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt [Factory owner Otto Weidt employed many Jews in his workshop and endeavored to protect his employees, most of whom were deaf or blind, from deportation. This museum is dedicated to this heroic citizen, and it is also the location of the Anne Frank Center and the Silent Heroes Memorial Center]; Museum Ephraim-Palais – In 1850, Prussia updated its constitution to give Jews full citizenship. To celebrate, Veitel Heine Ephraim, a Jewish banker, constructed this building. Today, the museum contains prints from the Stadt Museum collection and houses special temporary exhibitions on Berlin's artistic, cultural, and political history]; “Fabrikaktion” Memorial on Rosenstrasse [This memorial is dedicated to a 1943 factory raid in which 11,000 Jews were rounded up and deported. However, several men who had into non-Jewish families were released from the deportation center after their wives protested in front of the building for days]; The Empty Library on Bebelplatz [Bebelplatz is a square best known as the venue for the Nazi’s first official book burning bonfire in May of 1933. Over 20,000 books were burned in order to destroy “the Jewish mind and the whole rotten liberalist tendency.”]; and Holocaust Denkmal [this is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and it is Berlin’s primary place of remembrance to those who died in the Holocaust. The memorial consists of about 2,700 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern that covers 19,000 square meters. Below ground, there is an information centre and Holocaust exhibit.]

EAST/WEST ARCHITECHTURE: Reid Bolus and Lauren Milleville led a tour on Berlin Architecture: East and West. Berlin was divided into East and West Berlin from 1949 to 1990. The city was split with the erection of the Berlin wall in 1961, and remained so until 1989. The German Democratic Republic (the Soviets) occupied East Berlin, while West Berlin was inhabited by the Federal Republic of Germany and controlled by the Western Allies: America, Great Britain, and France. The architecture during this time (1949-1990) reflects the great degree of segregated thought, ideals, and political partisanship existing between East and West Berlin. East Berlin’s architecture is characterized by large, blocky, clean-cut buildings. There is a great lack of artistic flare, preferring to keep things simple yet bold, showcasing elements of Stalinist and Nazi grandiosity. West Berlin’s architecture, in striking contrast, developed a freer form. The buildings have a modern appeal, with lines of chic curvature and amorphous silhouettes.

Their tour included the following stops: The East Side Gallery [At 0.62 miles, the East Side Gallery is the longest preserved piece of the Berlin Wall. This section of the wall has been turned into a visual spectacle with 106 politically-charged airbrush paintings by 118 artists from 21 different countries. The works are an expression of hope for a better and different future following the deconstruction of the wall, highlighting the true significance of this once 96 mile slab of concrete that separated West and East Germany]; Karl-Marx-Allee [Karl-Marx-Allee was popularly dubbed the first Socialist street of Berlin, and therefore initially regarded with a great deal of contempt by the Western Allies. It was built in the 1950’s and originally named Stalinallee, until 1961 when it was renamed Karl-Marx Allee. It was the showcase for the grand designs of Socialist Realism and provided the backdrops for soviet tanks, marching soldiers, and the annual May Day Parade. Today it is recognized for its unique architecture as it relates to the style of the German Democratic Republic (signature style of East Berlin)]; and Alexanderplatz [After WWII this square became the heart of East Berlin and was used as a display of Socialistic architecture. One building of interest in the Fernsehturm (Berlin TV Tower) which was built by the GDR government to demonstrate the strength and efficiency of the socialist party system and is Europe’s second tallest structure at 368 meters!

ART & CULTURE IN WEIMAR BERLIN: Chandler Lawson and Raquel Barlow led a tour on Art & Culture in Weimar Berlin. Following World War I, a new form of democratic government, known as the Weimar Republic, was officially enacted in 1919 and lasted until the rise of the Third Reich in 1933. The Weimar Republic saw both economic struggle with hyper-inflation and unemployment, as well as advancement in the realm of arts and culture. Berlin’s population exploded to 3.8 million people, and the city transformed into the cultural and artistic hub of Germany. Art, music, architecture, theater, radio, and film became highly influential to the people during the “Golden Era” of the Weimar Republic, particularly those of the low and middle-classes. The tour primarily highlighted the ambiance of this era’s culture through exploring the medium of film. Expressionism was the primary idea seen throughout cinematography in the 1920s and mirrored an overwhelming public desire for change rather than resistance and the importance of the individual over political machine. Film was popularized and served an important purpose to German culture because it gave fulfillment to Germans who sought escape from reality in the form of a fantastical and mystical world. Arts and culture in Weimar Berlin freed individuals from frustration, oppression, and class conflict and introduced them to a flourishing, fast-paced culture of progressive and intellectual thinking.

Their tour included the following stops: Filmmuseum Berlin [Located in the Sony Center this museum boasts several exhibitions of German film and television. The tour will highlight exhibitions of the films “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920) and “Metropolis” (1927), as well as film in the Weimar Republic and a tribute to the famous actress of the roaring 20s, Marlene Dietrich. The museum has permanent as well as temporary exhibits of artifacts, images, personal letters and papers of film greats, art designs, sets and costumes, and a collection of scripts from Germany’s most famous filmmakers]; Theater am Potsdamer Platz [After visiting the Sony Center film museum, we will walk to the theater square dedicated to Marlene Dietrich. Berlin’s largest musical stage can be seen here, as well as the theater complex which serves as the main forum for the Berlinale. The Berlinale is a world renowned film festival and Berlin’s largest and most exciting cultural event held every February. This film festival has strengthened the international appeal of Berlin and its culture since the 1920s]; and Café Cinema [A unique aspect of this café is the decorations from past films influential to German culture making the atmosphere enjoyable and relevant.]

MUSICAL BERLIN: Tony and I went on the Musical Berlin tour led by Taylor Perkins and Kimberly McDonald. The German speaking world is well known for the high quality of its music. On this tour, we were able to visit the stomping grounds of some of the finest ensembles in the world. Berliners hold their music in such high regard that it is home to no less than three opera houses and seven symphony orchestras. Over time, Berlin has become the music capital of northern Germany. The musical tastes and attitudes of this part of Germany have set it apart from other musical centers such as Vienna farther south. When asked why he preferred conducting the Berlin Philharmonic to the Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan (who directed the Berlin Philharmonic for 35 years) retorted, "If I tell the Berliners to step forward, they do it. If I tell the Viennese to step forward, they do it. But then they ask why." A central theme of this tour will be the public apathy toward the music of J.S. Bach during the years after his death in 1750 and the revival of his music that was begun by Felix Mendelssohn in 1829.
We were able to admire the magnificently eccentric structure of the Philharmonie, home of Karajan’s beloved Berliner Philharmoniker, an ensemble that is repeatedly in the top tier of numerous best orchestra lists. The Philharmonie, which was built between 1960 and 1963, pioneered a new concept for concert hall design and is known for its architecture and excellent acoustics. Next door is the Musikinstrumenten-Museum which houses violins of the Cremonesi masters Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivarius, numerous pianos, clavichords, organs, fortepianos, guitars and harpsichords. One item of special significance to our theme is a harpsichord that was likely owned by the Bach family. Concrete proof of the ownership is no longer extant but the harpsichord itself is a symbol of J.S. Bach’s baroque musical style that went out of fashion at the time of his death. His music lay neglected for nearly eighty years until a revival performance of his St.Matthew Passion by a young Felix Mendelssohn at the Berlin Singakademie (housed in a building now dubbed the Maxim Gorki Theater). This performance had the effect of reestablishing Bach’s work as one of the high points of Western music. We will get a chance to admire this Neo-Classical Schinkel design (also Berlin’s oldest concert hall) after a walk from the Musikinstrumenten-Museum. Violinist Niccoló Paganini and pianist Franz Liszt have also performed here. Down the street we will see another Schinkel design, considered one of his greatest, in the Konzerthaus Berlin. We were able to go inside and tour this concert hall (home of the Konzerhausorchester Berlin) where Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony had its Berlin premiere and Wagner conducted his opera The Flying Dutchman. Kimberly (despite having lost her voice) navigated this tour exceptionally well, and Taylor demonstrated his outstanding knowledge of music history. We could not have been prouder of these two students and the fine job they did leading this tour of musical Berlin. After the tour, we made a stop at the Fassbender & Rausch Chocolatiers. This shop includes a chocolate volcano, a large chocolate Titanic, and a large chocolate Brandenburg Gate. If you know me well, you know I left with chocolate. Mmmmm!

Tonight Tony and I are having dinner with Nikki Wooten and Taylor Perkins. Some of the other students have made reservations at a restaurant for a group dinner. It probably will involve sausage and beer. My trainer is going to KILL me when we get home. Seriously. But we are having a great time. Again, thanks for following us!

Joanie and Tony

Full Day in Wolfsburg

We will begin by admitting that we were not thrilled by the idea of adding a tour of the Volkswagen plant to our trip. After all, it is a car factory, right? Well, even after hearing that the Volkswagen philosophy combines great technology with fine art, we still were not convinced. Well, seeing is believing. This place is fantastic. When you enter the Autostadt, you see this huge aluminum globe, which is designed to symbolize the idea that Volkswagen is world-wide. Below the glass floor are several hundred small globes that each show various world statistics. Truly astounding. The Autostadt is marketing center where visitors can purchase a Volkswagen and come to pick up the vehicle and even enjoy a sort of pick-up ceremony.

The Autostadt includes a small track for visitors to test drive their vehicles under a variety of conditions, and the cost to do this is in the range of about $35. They also have a smaller track where they can teach children to drive in miniature Beetles, and the kids get little driver’s licenses with their pictures on them. There are two glass silos that about 200 feet tall, where they store newly purchased Volkswagens. It is here they keep the cars for buyers after they have been washed and polished so they can be kept clean and free from the outdoor elements until the buyer pick-up ceremony. We got to watch the robots lift cars up and move cars down in these silos. Our tour guide said that having the tall silos was more cost efficient than using all the land that would be required to park cars in parking lots. Makes sense. The Pavilions at the Autostadt include the product lines that under the Volkswagen umbrella. These include: Bentley, Skoda, Audi, and SEAT.

We then toured the actual factory. Wolfsburg is a small town that was founded in 1938 primarily to house the workers at Volkswagen. The plant and related facilities employ 48,000 people, which is about 8,000 more than the population of Cleveland, Tennessee. Wow. Much of the work in the factory is done by robots that have to be calibrated multiple times a day. When you think about the precision involved in making sure that each robot is perfectly calibrated and timed to coordinate with the other robots, it is stunning to think about the delicate balance of art and technology that are involved in this process, too. We cannot wait to see what the plant in Chattanooga will look like. Several people guiding our tour were excited to see Tony’s “Chattanooga Lookouts” shirt, and they would say, “You know we are coming to Chattanooga!” We would explain that was why we were here, and they were thrilled to know Chattanooga was excited to have them. One VW rep even asked, “Do you think we will start selling more cars in the US now?” We had to answer YES, because after our tour, we all wanted to buy Volkswagens. No kidding.

Anyway, we still need to tell you all more about our first day in Berlin yesterday and what we have done today, but we wanted to get something posted to keep you all up to date. Again, everyone is well even though it is very cold. Some colds are going around, but nothing serious, and we do have a doctor on the trip, so that is nice.

Will post again tonight.

Joanie and Tony

Germany Update

We have had some Internet issues here in Berlin which is why there has been a delay in posting. We are off to breakfast and tour right right now, but as soon as we get back we ill update you on the past two days. Again, everyone is well and we are having fun. The students are asking, "Has my mom or dad made a comment?" They are enjoying knowing that you all are reading the blog, too!

Joanie and Tony

Munich Top Lists

Top 5 things we will miss about Munich:
1. The Hofbraühaus
2. Our beloved tour guide, Michael Borio, the best tour guide ever. Seriously.
3. The Bavarian clothing that so many people wore.
4. The beer – best beer ever!
5. The sausage – again, best ever!

Top 5 things we will NOT miss about Munich:
1. The half-shower in our hotel bathroom
2. The sex shops on every street – Sexy Land, Erotic World, etc. They were dark and sad-looking places.
3. The even sadder looking casinos – small, dark, smoky and depressing. They were the least inviting places we have ever seen.
4. The lack of diversity. Other than some Asians and Arabs in the part of town where we stayed, we really saw very few people of other ethnicities. We were probably there almost 48 hours before we saw any black people. It was weird.
5. That lack of sunshine. It was overcast every day, but right now this may be good to protect from the volcanic ash, but it gets depressing after a while.

Munich to Wolfsburg

Ah, Tuesday. Usually, I do not think of Tuesday as a particularly rushed day of the week. On a typical Tuesday, I work out, I go to work, I actually get some work, grade some papers, get home at a reasonable hour, usually have dinner with Tony, maybe watch some television, get some work done at home and go to bed. Today, was anything by typical in Germany. I could not sleep, so I got up early and went to breakfast. I was the first there, and after being around so many people every day, it was nice to have some hot tea and read a bit before the chaos of the day. Having packed and checked out, we soon planned to head to the main train station in Munich – Hauptbaunhauf München – to get on a train as a part of our trip to Wolfsburg. As we said out goodbyes to our guide in Munich, Michael, we got some photos with him. Of all the tour guides I have had on all the trips I have taken over the course of my life, none of them matches Michael. He is truly one in a million. Each of the students even gave him a small tip, and he was so touched he blushed and blurted out, “My face is lighting up like a street lamp!” What a hoot!

So the train pulls into the station, and we have about 5 minutes to haul ourselves and all of our luggage onto the right train cars, find our seats and start stowing the (heavy) bags overhead. What an ordeal! If it had not been for some of the students like Albert Vaughn, Taylor Perkins, Tyler Walker, and Marko Bajic, I am not sure what we would have done. So, we rode in relative peace for about three and a half hours until we arrived at our next stop. We had about 90 seconds to unload ourselves and our tightly stowed luggage jump off the train, and them within a few short minutes our next train pulled up. Of course, by the time this train stopped, most of us were back by car 18, and most of us had seats in car number 5. Again, with only about 60 seconds to get ourselves and our luggage onto the train, we started to run towards car 5 until it became evident many of us would never make it as we were hauled substantial loads of luggage. Consequently, many students followed my lead and just jumped onto the nearest train car they could reach – luggage and all. I will not even describe the hell we then endured as we dragged our big old bags through crowded train car after crowded train with scowling passengers sometimes hissing at us – only to get to our car and discover that four of the seats that we had been assigned did not exist!

About 90 minutes later, we did FINALLY arrive in Wolfsburg. We had a “guide” who stood near a tall cage that was meant to haul our luggage to the bus for us – if we so desired. Since most of us had been hauling luggage all day, we chose to continue hauling, but about 10 people allowed the “guide” with the cage to haul the luggage. So, we get to the bus, and Tony helps the bus driver load the luggage we hauled ourselves. Next thing we know, the bus driver takes off, and kids are screaming in the back of the bus that there is still luggage on the sidewalk, and that the man with the cage of bags is standing there watching the bus drive away. The bus drives makes a U-turn in the middle of this tiny road and goes back to the get the backs. Less than a mile a later, the same driver hit a curve, and left us all wondering what in the world we had gotten ourselves into.

We have checked into a lovely 4-star hotel, Hotel an der Wasserberg. After a quick dumping of bags into rooms, we headed back to the bus and checked out some Wolfsburg history. We visiting the Wolfsburg Castle, but honestly, after seeing Neuschwantein Castle yesterday, Wolfsburg Castle hardly compared. Then we went to the Kunstmuseum of modern art where we experienced a current exhibit by James Turrell who is a light and space artist. As modern art goes, I suppose his work is interesting (I am not a fan of most modern and contemporary art, which I am sure, appalls Dr. Townsend), but this might have been interesting if I had ANY depth perception at all. Combined with the fact that I have epilepsy, and I have been dealing with vertigo most of the trip, I just felt a strong compulsion to get the hell out of there! The students found it very cool, though, so that is fantastic.

At this point, it had been 11 hours since most of us had eaten, so eagerly boarded our coach back to the hotel for a lovely 15-minute “freshening up” period before we re-boarded the coach to head out to a group dinner. Candidly, I still do not know where we ate. I can tell you that we were all so hungry by the time they served our food we would have eaten just about the anything. The first course was some sort of soup in a beef stock with an onion flavor. It included matzo balls, onions, tofu and something else that I did not recognize. Nevertheless, I ate it all. Next course was a salad that was fairly standard followed by a third course of huge steaks with mushrooms, garlic butter, some sort of tomato, and baked potato. The final course was the sweet part – a chocolate covered pear with ice cream and wafers. One of the students at our table mistook the pear for a potato and got lots of teasing for thinking the restaurant would serve a chocolate-covered potato. In any case, a good time was had by all, but we got back to hotel really late, and after such a hectic day, we all had to get some much-needed sleep. Now we are heading to breakfast and then a tour of the enormous Volkswagen plant here in Wolfsburg.

Thanks again for following us. We have loved hearing from you!

Joanie and Tony and the rest of UHON

Last Day in Munich

Today began with another amazing breakfast. Andrew Phillips and Tony took a 3-mile run this morning, then I looked up at breakfast and noticed Andrew and John Moser sitting a table with two elderly Italian ladies. We teased them that Andrew and John "bagged some bags" at breakfast!

Then we boarded a bus for a day trip to the Austrian border. We were planning to tour several castles. One was Castle Hohenschwangau, which was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. King Ludwig II was the son of Maxmillian II and the grandson of Ludwig I. Ludwig I loved the ladies, and he died at age 86 of syphillis. He had many mistresses. Maxmillian II (son of Ludwig I and father of Ludwig II) was a severe father who raised his sons -- Ludwig II and Otto -- with stern hand and very little love. Ludwig II, unlike his grandfather did NOT like the ladies, and he never married. His relationship with parents was never close, and his mother never set foot in the fairy tail castle he later built when he was King of Bavaria -- Castle Neuschwanstein. I have included a picture of Castle Neuschwanstein, and if it looks familiar, that is because Walt Disney used it as the model for Sleeping Beauty Castle at both Disney Land and Disney World. Much of Neuschwantein is influenced by composed Richard Wagner, although it was never completed.

King Ludwig II was king from 1864 until his death in 1886. Some allege his committeed suicide, but the common belief among people in Germany is that he was murdered. A fisherman who claims to have seen a bullet wound on the King was mysteriously killed two weeks later. King Ludwig II should have been succeeded by his brother Otto, but he was incapacitated by mental illness after service in the military, so their uncle Luitpold had Otto locked away and basically forgotten and neglected, and Luitpold became the Prince Regent of Bavaria. Official paid by the Wittelsbach family will tell you that Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria, was very kind and loved by the people, but everyday Bavarians will tell you that most Bavarians hated Luitpold and still hate him because they believe he had something to do with King Ludwig II's alleged murder (and King Ludwig II was much beloved) and he had much to do with Ludwig's brother Otto's neglect.

We then briefly visited the Church of the Meadow then returned to the hotel. Tomorrow, we take a train to Wolfsburg for a two-day visit there -- to visit Volkswagen, among other things, then we head to Berlin. Weather is still chilly and a bit rainy, but everyone is well.

Thanks for all of your feedback.

Day 3 in Munich

Today was really fantastic. We started with student tours. One group -- led by Albert Vaughn and Christina Brosius -- took a Science, Technology and Design in Post World War II Munich Tour. Their tour included the following:

Tour Description:
Germans are well known throughout history for being leaders in chemistry (Walther Nernst), physics (Albert Einstein, Max Planck), engineering (Karl Benz, the car guy) and architecture (Leo von Klenze). The domination of these disciplines are manifest in every walk of German life, from the layout of the Munich public transportation system to the clever architecture used in modern day. The tour objective is to highlight two major museums of science, technology and design and one of the premier scientific and technological research institutions in Europe. Combined, these institutions will showcase the drive for perfection and intellectualism that made possible Germany’s bounce back from the devastation of WWII to become a world leader in modern science, technology and design.

Tour Sites:

1. Pinakothek der Moderne
This museum represents a conglomeration of four major museums under one roof, two of which are the Die Neue Sammlung, the world's first museum of design, and the Architekturmuseum der TU München. Representing a wealth of design and architectural technology exhibitions, both historical and modern, this museum offers us the opportunity to see how design developed through the second half of the 20th century. Notable permanent exhibits include "Motor Vehicle Design," "Design Vision," and "Computer Culture," and several famous photography exhibits. The building itself is a shining example if modern design and architecture. Entrance to the Pinakothek der Moderne is €1,00.

2. Technische Universität München
Conveniently located just a block from the Pinakothek der Moderne, Technische Universität München (TUM) is among the most highly acclaimed universities in Germany, having produced 16 Nobel Prize winners since its founding in 1868. TUM is consistently ranked among the top German institutions in architecture, business administration, chemistry, civil engineering, computer science, electrical and information engineering, geosciences, mathematics, mechanical engineering, physics, and process and chemical engineering. Much of TUM was heavily damaged from WWII; from 1949 to 1954 the main building of the university was reconstructed under the direction of famed architect Robert Vorhoelzer (one of TUM’s alumni). TUM administration has been contacted to request a special tour for our group. We are currently waiting to hear back from them. If we do not hear back from TUM, we will take a quick foot tour of the campus before heading to the next tour stop.

3. Deutsches Museum
This is the world's largest museum of technology and science and the largest museum in Munich. It houses exhibitions on over 50 fields of science, totaling nearly 28,000 exhibited objects. It was built in 1903 by the request of the Association of German Engineers (an organization dating back to 1856). Since this time three other museums have been build and affiliated with the Deutsches Museum. Unfortunately, the museum which specifically highlights according to their website “Research and Technology in Germany after 1945” is located in Bonn, about four hours away from Munich. By the end of WWII, much of the museum and its exhibits were damaged from allied bombs. The history of the reconstruction of the museum has become part of one of the exhibits: “Exhibition on the History of the Deutsches Museum”. To those attending our thread we highly recommend they visit this exhibit. We will end our thread here; entrance to the museum is free for students.


The second student tour this morning was led by Michael Allen and Andrew Phillips and was designed to feature 1972 Olympics and Its impact on Germany and Munich. It included the following:

The tour examined the impact that the 1972 Olympics, had on Munich, and it included a visit to the Olympic stadium and park as well as the Olympic village. The 1972 games saw the conflict of the cold war being played out in the sports arena. The games are also infamously known for the terrorist attack by a group of Palestinian radicals who took hostage and killed eleven Israeli athletes. While this event obviously had an affected the relationship between Israel and Palestine, it also changed West Germany’s foreign relations policy, as it became more aggressive in its foreign policy. The tour will also look at the economic impact that the Olympics had on the city and how it has had a lasting effect.

Olympic Stadium 2
The Olympic Stadium was visited because it was the center point for the games.
Olympic Village This is where the Munich Massacre started. It gives the participants a better understanding of what went on during the hostage situation

Olympic tower
The Tower was visited because it gives the participants the opportunity to see the path the Terrorist took on their way to the airport. It also gives the participants a view of the entire city show how the city as a whole affected by the games. This is where the economic impact on the city will be discussed.


The third student-led tour was Medieval Munich. Since Tony and I went on that tour, that is where some of our pictures come from. In included the following:

Medieval times of Munich are critical to the understanding of Munich, as it was during this period that Munich was established. In the 8th Century, what is now Munich was a monk settlement. The city gets its name from this origin, "ze den munichen" which means "home of the monks." In 1150, it was Henry the Lion, Duke of Bavaria, that put Munich on the map. Henry destroyed the bridge that was controlling the salt trade and built a bridge over the Isar. He then granted the monks the right to mint and establish a marketplace in this area. In 1180, the Wittlesbach family was given Munich by the Emperor of Germany, which caused Munich to grow into a thriving city. It was established as the capital of Bavaria in 1255 and major elements of a city were constructed. It was Ludwig IV of the Wittlesbach family that expanded Munich's territories and attracted scholars and merchants from around Europe. Ludwig IV became the Holy Roman Emperor in 1328, and Munich became an Imperial Court. However, after Ludwig IV's death, the Bavarian territory was divided and the strength of the Bavarian territory was weakened. Munich was further weakened in 1348 when the Black Death arrived. It was towards the end of the Medieval period in the 15th Century that Munich saw the construction of amazing architecture, now icons of the city such as the Frauenkirch and the Altes Rathaus. The remnants of Medieval Munich are the building blocks of modern day Munich, a city built on trade and strengthened by leaders with great ambitions for Bavaria.


Alter Hof (1253-1255).
Old Town (North)
Fortified residence built for the Wittelsbachs to protect from both outside invaders and rebellious citizens. Legend states that in the Monkey Tower Ludwig IV was carried off as a baby from a monkey from the royal menagerie. After a long time of coaxing the monkey, baby Ludwig was returned. In the later Middle Ages, the Alter Hof was used for administrative offices.

Peterskirche (12th century)
Old Town (South)
The Mönchen basilica formed part of the monastery from which Munich received its name. In the late 13th century, it was replaced with a Gothic style church. It was not until the 14th century that the famous single tower was built, which is the highest point of the Old Town.

Altes Rathaus (1464)
Old Town (South)
The original town hall, which was built in 1310, was replaced by the building which stands today in 1464. Since 1983 it has been the home of the Spilzeugmuseum (Toy Museum).

Isartor (1337)
Old Town (South)
This gate is the entry point on the southeast side of the city and the only reminant of the city’s original fortifications. The arcades (built in 19th century) are decorated with friezes depicting the triumphal procession of Ludwig IV of Bavaria after his victory at the Battle of Ampfing in 1322.

Karlstor (Neuhaus Tor)
Old Town (South)
Originally known as Neuhauser Tor, this gate stands at the western entrance. The gate’s new name is in honor of Elector Karl Theodor, who recommended that the towers be preserved during the demolition of the old walls in 1791.

Frauenkirche (1468-1488)
Old Town (South)
The largest Gothic building in southern Germany, the Frauenkirche is one of the oldest and most notable sites in Munich. The twin towers can be seen throughout the city. By law, no new construction can block the view of the church. It is also the site of Ludwig IV’s grave, which is surrounded by the figures of four kneeling knights.



Tony led a tour late this afternoon entitled, "Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch." It included stops at the a plaque honoring an electrition who tried to kill Hilter, the Hofbrauhaus, and the Odeonplatz. The tour is described as follows:

The putsch was an attempted coup by the Nazis in Munich in November 1923. If the putsch had been successful, Hitler and the Nazis might never have come to power in Germany. The consensus of historians is that, even if Hitler had succeeded in taking over Bavaria, he would quickly have been put down by the Weimar government, resulting in his disgrace and the end of his political career. The failure of the putsch made Hitler something of a cult hero in Germany. His trial for treason in 1924 gave him a venue to publicize his socio-political views, especially his contempt for the Social Democrats, Communists, and Jews, who he believed “stabbed Germany in the back” (a view shared by many Germans) and caused Germany to lose the First World War along with her empire and colonies. Most importantly, it made Hitler realize that he needed to use the political process (and his talents for oratory and political instinct), not force, to achieve power.


The tour included a stop at the former site of Burgerbraukeller)then re-enacting Hitler's march to the Hofbrauhaus on the other side of the Isar, about 9/10ths of a mile (along the route taken by the marchers, or as close to it as possible). Hofbrauhaus is historically significant as Hitler made a number of speeches there. At the Hofbrauhaus, Following dinner and beer, a continued march from Hofbrauhaus to the Odeonsplatz, about a quarter of a mile. The Odeonsplatz was the location of the Bavarian Defense Ministry, which the Nazis attempted to take over but were stopped by the Bavarian police. There Tony discussed the events that took place in the square and the aftermath of the coup attempt (particularly how it affected Hitler’s political future).

Today a included a victory rally of soccer hooligans and lots of riot police out in force in a clear attempt to contain them. So far, my only disappointment is that when I went to see the Easter Bunny Museum and Chamber Pot Museum (yes, there is such a place, and it features over 2,000 chamber pots!) it was closed. I was really looking forward to writing about the various chamber pots in the museum for the blog. But SexyLand and Erotic World are just downt the street, so I know there are still opportunities for creativity on the blog if I so desire. In any case, Tony and I worn and are crashing early tonight.

Thanks for continuing to follow us!

Joanie and Tony