Over the Thanksgiving week, the family and I decided to do a trip to Munich, Germany. It was the first time we had been to Germany, so were looking forward to heading over there. As a self-described history nerd, I immediately go deep into the history of the region.
Here are 5 key takeaways from the region:
Southern Germany is mostly a Catholic region that was and still is referred to Bavaria. It has rich history that includes being an independent kingdom that was aligned with the Roman Empire and other Catholic nations after the Protestant Reformation.
Bavaria had a King that lived in a palace outside Munich that still exists today. We took a quick train ride out and walked about 15 minutes to get to the palace known as Nymphenburg Palace. The palace is still occupied by the current Duke of Bavaria. There are tours inside the palace that you can take for a fee.
Munich is where Aldolf Hiter and the Nazi Party began its rise. Hitler was from a Catholic family who was born in Austria. He spent most of his time in Austria and southern Germany, Bavaria. Munich, which became the national headquarters of the Nazi Party and where he did his famous Beer Hall Putsch. It was an attempted coup of the Weimar Republic that landed Hitler in Jail where he write Mein Kampf. You can visit the site of where the Beer Hall Putsch ended in Munich.
Dachau Concentration Camp is close to Munich. To get to Dachau it takes a train ride and a short bus ride over, but it should be seen. The horror of what the Nazi regime did can never be fully appreciated, but the Dachau Concentration Camp helps get a sense of the horror they caused on innocent people. Most of the camp has been demolished, but there are still original buildings in place to include the crematoriam that cremated Jews and political objectors.
The Christmas Markets are a must see. We stayed at the Hilton Munich City, which I will give a free plug to. It is an awesome hotel, awesome staff, and in a great location. We had multiple Christmas markets within walking distance. There is nothing more German than these markets that have stall after stall that offer German knick knacks to take home and lots of German food options. It got us into the Christmas spirit immediately.
https://schloss-nymphenburg.de/englisch/palace
https://www.munich.travel/en/topics/markets-festivals/christmas-markets
