Munich - this name has come to be associated with the Oktoberfest and the Hofbräuhaus, the Olympic grounds and Fasching, the Viktualienmarket and Schwabing. However Munich also has an international reputation as a metropolis of art and culture.
It is significant that the head office of the German cultural organisation - the Goethe Institut, is based here. The city was a major centre for the arts in the nineteenth century under the patronage of Ludwig I and II, and, at the beginning of the twentieth century, it found itself at the forefront of the new Expressionist movement. The Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) group, founded in 1911 by the Russian, Wassily Kandinsky, and Munich-born Franz Marc, is now considered a seminal influence in the development of modern art. Other members of the group included August Macke and Paul Klee. The most important works of the Blaue Reiter group are on permanent show at the Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Luisenstrasse 33 (Phone: (089) 2333 2000). The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday 1000-1800 and charges DM8 for admission.
Circus-Krone (phone and fax: (089) 588 166), the world's largest touring circus, performs in a permanent big-top, at Zirkus-Krone-Strasse 1-6, during the winter.
Music
Munich's musical heritage is headed by the imposing figure of Richard Wagner, who composed many of his works for Ludwig II. His successors, Richard Strauss and Carl Orff, were both born in Munich. In addition, Mozart often performed in the city and Gustav Mahler conducted the world premiere of his eighth symphony here in 1910. Nowadays, Munich boasts three international orchestras: the Munchener Philharmoniker, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and the Bayerische Staatsorchester.
The Gasteig, Rosenheimer Strasse 5 (Phone: (089) 48098/9/0), is the city's main cultural and performing arts centre and includes the Konzertsaal, the Carl-Orff-Saal and the Kleiner Konzertsaal. The Nationaltheater, Max-Joseph-Platz 2 (Phone: (089) 218 501), is the home of the Bavarian State Opera and hosts the international Opera Festival in July each year. Opera and chamber music can also be enjoyed in the Staatstheater, Gärtnerplatz 3 (Phone: (089) 201 6767), and in the lavish eighteenth-century Rococo surroundings of the Altes Residenztheater, Residenzstrasse 1 (Phone: (089) 296 836), usually known as the Cuvillies-Theater, after its original designer.
Theatre
Classic German drama is performed by the Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel at the Residenztheater, Max-Joseph-Platz 1 (Phone: (089) 2185 1940). The Munchener Kammerspiele, Maximilianstrasse 26-28 (Phone: (089) 2333 7000), is one of the most important theatres in Germany and counts the young Bertolt Brecht among its former dramatists. Brecht also worked at the Deutsches Theater, Schwanthalerstrasse 13 (Phone: (089) 5523 4360), which now stages popular shows and musicals. Experimental theatre venues include Theater im Marstall, Marstallplatz 4 (Phone: (089) 2185 2081), and Teamtheater Tankstelle, Am Einlass 2a (Phone: (089) 260 4333). The Tollwood Olymp GmbH, Romerstrasse 15 (Phone: (089) 383 8500), is a popular venue for theatre, opera and circus performances.
Dance
Immobile but enchanting, the carved figures of the Moriskentanzer (Morris Dancers) by Erasmus Grasser (1480) are a highlight of the Stadtmuseum (City Museum), St-Jakobs-Platz 1 (Phone: (089) 2332 2370). The Bavarian State Ballet (Phone: (089) 2185 1920) performs at the Nationaltheater. The group hosts an international ballet week in spring each year; the Kirov Ballet were guests in 1999. In 2001 Lucinda Childs is expected to create one of her impressive Minimal Dance ballet shows. Updates on performances can be found on the internet (website: www.bayerisches.staatsballett.de).
Film
About 50 films are produced in Munich each year. The city has connections with some of the key directors in new German cinema, including Rainer Werner Fassbinder (Lili Marlene), who studied drama here, and Werner Herzog, who was born in Munich in 1942. Both directors worked at the Bavaria Film Studios in Geiselgasteig, which were founded in 1919. Visitors can enjoy a tour through the film studios
