Asam-Gymnasium München SJ 2011/12 Q 12, 2P2 “Munich by bike” 16.12.11 Herr Lanzenstiel Sam Gaul, Hanna Geist Beer gardens and bicycling in Munich Structure 1. Beer gardens and bicycling in Munich 1.1.Munich and bicycling 1.2.Traditional and cultural background of beer gardens in Munich 1.3.Facts about traditional bavarian specialities 1.4.Focus on several beer gardens in and around Munich 1.5.Additional useful facts and interesting rules 1.6.Examples for beer garden sightseeing tours through Munich 2. Final remark 1. Beer gardens and bicycling in Munich Probably the first thought which comes to a lot of people’s mind if they think about Munich is the ”Oktoberfest”. As it only takes place two weeks per year, you have to plan your journey around a very specific date or find good alternatives to the famous beer festival. The best option to replace the fun at the ”Oktoberfest” is visiting Munich’s famous beer gardens. The best way to reach these beer gardens is by bike, because you can enjoy the beautiful city and the nice and green landscape! 1.1 Munich and bicycling Due to it’s beautiful landscapes Munich is the perfect city for bicycling. It has a lot of green spaces to offer. Many different parks in every corner of Munich and the famous river “Isar” make it a paradies for bicycling tours. The most fomous city park of Munich is the “Englischer Garten”. With it’s 3,75 km², this park is one of the biggests city parks in the world. The whole year long, and especially during summer, the
Transcript
Asam-Gymnasium München SJ 2011/12Q 12, 2P2 “Munich by bike” 16.12.11Herr Lanzenstiel Sam Gaul, Hanna Geist
Beer gardens and bicycling in Munich
Structure
1. Beer gardens and bicycling in Munich
1.1.Munich and bicycling
1.2.Traditional and cultural background of beer gardens in Munich
1.3.Facts about traditional bavarian specialities
1.4.Focus on several beer gardens in and around Munich
1.5.Additional useful facts and interesting rules
1.6.Examples for beer garden sightseeing tours through Munich
2. Final remark
1. Beer gardens and bicycling in Munich
Probably the first thought which comes to a lot of people’s mind if they think about
Munich is the ”Oktoberfest”. As it only takes place two weeks per year, you have to
plan your journey around a very specific date or find good alternatives to the famous
beer festival. The best option to replace the fun at the ”Oktoberfest” is visiting
Munich’s famous beer gardens. The best way to reach these beer gardens is by bike,
because you can enjoy the beautiful city and the nice and green landscape!
1.1 Munich and bicycling
Due to it’s beautiful landscapes Munich is the perfect city for bicycling. It has a lot of
green spaces to offer. Many different parks in every corner of Munich and the famous
river “Isar” make it a paradies for bicycling tours. The most fomous city park of
Munich is the “Englischer Garten”. With it’s 3,75 km², this park is one of the biggests
city parks in the world. The whole year long, and especially during summer, the
citizens of Munich meet there to take a bath in the “Eisbach”, to take a small walk or
to just relax in the sun. There are several other parks in and around Munich, for
example the “Ostpark”, the “Westpark” and the “Olympiapark”. A good thing about
these places is, that you can even go through them by bike.
The renaturized river “Isar” with it’s banks full of multifaceted nature is also a popular
destination for bicycling tours. There are different types of tracks on each waterside,
for example flat parts or mountenbicycling tracks.
The probably most intresting place for tourists to visit is the new city center and the
picturesque old town of Munich. The quite good cycling paths and the possibility to
explore the heart of Munich make the use of a bike worthwhile.
In each of these places you can find at least one beer garden. This shows that the
sourrounding of the beer gardens are beautiful and easy to reach.
A lot of signpostings along the tracks, show you how to get to your destination point
on the easiest and shortest way and inform you about the distances. If you don’t want
to go a too long distance, you can still take your bike into the public means of
tranportation.
1.2 Traditional and cultural background of beer gardens in
Munich
The tradition of beer gardens in Bavaria arised in the 19th century. Because of the
high temperatures in summer, the beer had to be brewed in the cold winter months.
In order to make the consumption of beer during the hot summer possible, the
breweries built cellars especially made for the beer. To ameliorate the cooling of the
beer, the breweries planted chestnut trees to provide a shade. In these times the
people probably brought their own jars to transport the bought beer. In the hot
summer they started drinking the beer right in front of the cellars to avoid the beer to
go stale. Soon, the cellars were transformed into the first beer gardens which
became a popular meeting point for the citizens of Munich. Tables and benches
made out of wood were installed under the chestnut trees and beer was served. As
the rising of more and more beer gardens started to harm the smaller breweries
which remained in Munich, a new law prohibited the vending of food in beer gardens.
Nowadays this rule isn’t valid anymore, but even if you can buy food in almost every
beer garden, the “Bavarian beer garden decree” instructs, that every customer can
bring their own food if they want to.
Because of this long tradition of beer brewery in Bavaria, beer gardens are an
important part of the cultural asset of Munich. As beer gardens became a popular
meeting point for the citizens of Munich as well as for tourists, they have an important
social function for Munich. As citizens of all social ranks are visiting beer gardens,
they help to overcome social disparity.
You can imagine beer gardens as open-air areas, where beer and other bavarian
specialities are served. They are mostly attached to an bavarian restaurant or beer
hall.
1.3
Facts about the traditional bavarian specialitiesA traditional beer cellarWooden tables under chestnut trees
The bavarian cuisine is known throughout the world. The main dishes are normally
very substancial, but for less hungry people there also exist delicious bavarian soups
and snacks. The most popular specialities are the “Weißwürste” with a special
mustard for breakfast, the ½ grilled chicken and the roast pork with dumplings.
Traditional snacks are the “Obatzda”, sausage salad or radish.
As the beer gardens are ran by the big brewerys of Bavaria, every beer garden has
to sell a specific brand of beer, for example “Augustiner Helles”, “Paulaner” or
“Spaten”.
The bavarian beer glasses are called “Maß” and contain one liter of cooled beer.
In 2011 the price of one Maß was about seven Euros.
1.4 Focus on several beer gardens in and around Munich
Traditional bavarian snacks
A “Maß“ “Weißwürste“ for breakfast
1.4.1 “Biergarten am Chinesischen Turm“
This beer garden is in the „Englischer garten“, next to a beautiful chinese tower for
which it is famous. A bavarian marching band plays bavarian music and makes the
athmosphere unforgettable.
Useful facts: - 7500 seats
- playground
- opened from 10am until 10pm
- opened during the whole year as long as the weather is good
enough
- how to get there: by bus 54/154 Chinesischer Turm, tram 17
Tivolistraße or by subway U3/U6 Giselastraße
1.4.2 “Zum Flaucher”
This is maybe the most popular beer garden nearby the river “Isar”. He is known for
his good food and also as an rest area for bicyclist.
Useful facts: - 1700 seats
- playground
- opened during the whole year as long as the weather is good
enough
- how to get there: by bus 54 Schäftlarnstraße or by subway U3
Brudermühlstraße
1.4.3 “Biergarten am Viktualienmarkt“
This beer garden is the most central reclining beer garden in Munich. He lies under
some trees which spend refreshing shadows in the summer heat. The
Viktualienmarkt, one of the cultural and culinary hot spots surrounds the beer garden.
Useful facts: - 1000 seats
- opened during the whole year at every kind of weather from 9am to
10pm
- The special thing on this beer garden is that he has not as normal
beer from only one brewery. There you can get beers from all
Munich brewerys in a change time of 6 weeks.
1.4.4 ”Hirschgarten”
This is the biggest beer garden in Munich an probably the biggest in the world. You
can find him in the “Hirschgarten”, which is a big park who reminds on a small piece
of forrest in the central of Munich.
Useful facts: - 8000 seats
- playground
- opened from 9am to 12pm
- how to get there: by bus 51/151 Hirschgartenallee, tram 12, 16 and
17 or by suburban train S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 and S8
The “Biergarten Menterschwaige” next to the “Isar”
1.5 Additional useful facts and intresting rules
Munich’s beer gardens are mostly very family-friendly. They often offer playgrounds
and small portions of food for children. There are always a lot of families visiting the
beer gardens, also because they are a perfect destination for family bicycling tours.
The satiable food grants new energy after an exhausting activity.
Another advantage of the hearty food is, that you become boozed much slower if you
eat a lot of it. This is important in connection with cycling, because the legal alcohol
limit for bicycling is 1.6 per mill. This number normally equates to two liters of beer for
a man with normal weight. This numbers can variate a lot, as every person reacts
different to alcohol.
The beer is brewed according to the German purity law. This law is quite a strict
regulation, which Herzog Wilhelm IV. decreed in 1516. Since then it has guaranteed
the high standart of german beer. The “German purity law” instructs water, hops,
barley and malt as the only permitted ingredients for beer. When the Germans clink
glasses, they say “Prost!” instead of “Cheers!”.
1.6 Examples for beer garden sightseeing tours through Munich
You won’t be able to see all the important and famous beer gardens in Munich in only
one visit. But there is the possibility to see a lot of beer gardens of the same type
during one bike tour. Here are three possible tours with special topics.
1.6.1 Beer gardens in the city centre
In this tour you start at the “Marienplatz” from where you are going to visit each of the
most famous beer gardens in Munich, including the “Hofbräukeller”, the
“Augustinerkeller” and the “Nockherberg”. During this tour you will also learn to
inform yourself about the heart of Munich.
Point A: “Marienplatz”
Point B: “Biergarten am Viktualienmarkt“
Point C: “Augustinerkeller“
Point D: “Löwenbräukeller”
Point E: “Hofbräukeller”
Point F: “Nockherberg”
1.6.2 Beer gardens in parks like “Englischer Garten” or “Hirschgarten”
In this case you are most of your tour surrounded by pure nature and beautiful parks.
After crossing the “Englischer Garten” you can explore the famous districts
“Schwabing” and “Neuhausen” until you end up at the “Hirschgarten” which is an
small forest island in Munich.
Point A: “Marienplatz”
Point B: “Biergarten am Chinesischen Turm“
Point C: “Hirschau“
Point D: “Aumeister ”
Point E: “Hirschgarten”
Point F: “Marienplatz”
1.6.3 Beer gardens along the river “Isar”
This tour is perfect for all the people who like to take a sunbath and to bike only in
pure nature. You ride along the river “Isar” against the direction of the current and
you can take a rest in the biggest and most beautiful beer gardens which you can
find along the ”Isar”.
Point A: “Marienplatz”
Point B: “Biergarten
bei der
“Muffathalle”
Point C: “Zum Flaucher“
Point D: “Gasthof
Menterschwaige“
Point E: “Biergarten zur
Großhesselloher
Brücke“
2. Final remark
As you can see, bicycling and beer gardens in Munich can be combined very easily.
Munich can’t be cut down on the “Oktoberfest”. It has way more to offer such as
beautiful landscapes, beer gardens with a good atmosphere, a lot of green spaces
ans a picturesque old city. We hope you enjoy your stay in our beautiful city and are
