|
| The Walking Man statue in Leopoldstrasse |
Schwabing is a borough in the northern part of the capital of Bavaria, the city of Munich. Schwabing is divided into Schwabing-West and Schwabing-Freimann. Schwabing used to be known as the city's bohemian quarter. Today, Schwabing is a lively, upscale district full of bars, clubs, and restaurants. It is also a very desirable location for living in, especially among the young professionals. The Englischer Garten, or English Garden, the biggest public park in Europe is the main attraction of the bourough of Schwabing. The largest universities in Munich, Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität and the Technical University of Munich, are located in the nearby borough Maxvorstadt, there is a lot of student activity on and around Leopoldstraße - the heart of Schwabing. There is also a student housing area - "Studentenstadt" in northern Schwabing.
|
| The Englischer Garten |
The name "Swapinga" first appeared in the records in 782. The borough of Schwabing was a quiet village north of Munich until 1891, when it was incorporated into the city. The local bourgerisie used it as a getaway from the busy city centre. The area with this influx of money and art soon transformed the area into a bohemian hub of Munich, often compared to New York's Greenwich Village. Schwabing became famous during the reign of Prince Regent Luitpold when many famous artists like Ludwig Ganghofer, Heinrich Mann, Thomas Mann, Oskar Panizza, Otto Julius Bierbaum, Frank Wedekind, Ernst von Wolzogen, Gustav Meyrink, Rainer Maria Rilke, Isolde Kurz, Ludwig Thoma, Max Halbe, Annette Kolb, Stefan George, Karl Wolfskehl, Ludwig Klages, Roda Roda, Christian Morgenstern, Max Dauthendey, Mechtilde Lichnowsky, Lion Feuchtwanger, Leonhard Frank, Joachim Ringelnatz, Claire Goll, Oskar Maria Graf, Hugo Ball, Hermann Kesten, Thomas Theodor Heine, Olaf Gulbransson, Bruno Paul, Eduard Thöny and Rudolf Wilke lived or worked in the borough.
|
| Chinesischer Turm |
Schwabing is generally considered a very desirable place to live. The population density in the bourough is high, and there are plenty of very quiet blocks and patches of greenery. The borough of Schwabing is one of the most prestigious locations in the city of Munich. Its biggest attraction is a huge park - the Englischer Garten, dating back to 1789 and it is the biggest city park in Europe. Unfortunately, Schwabing is losing its distinctive bohemian and artistic character. Although there are few of the artists' old haunts that remain, the streets of Schwabing are packed with boutiques, galleries, ice-cream parlors and kebab and pizza stalls. Nevertheless, Schwabing is Munich's most versatile district since it hosts various theaters, museums, a university, the largest park in Europe, and shops.
The Englischer Garten is the largest city park in Europe. It is located between the Altstadt, Schwabing and the Isar River and is now primarily known as being the favourite nudists' spot in Munich. The beginning of the park's construction was marked with the construction of the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) in 1789. The park measures 5km by 1.5km and is a wonderful place for strolling, sunbathing and paddle-boating. If nude sun-bathing is not your thing, head for one of four beer gardens in the park or try to paddle on Kleinhesseloher See. Note that the park is not the safest place and it would be a good idea to saty out of it during night.
