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Borough of Munich, Germany
Photo: caseyhugelfink, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Haidhausen is a residential and night life area of Munich, about 2 km east of city centre on the east bank of the river Isar. It comprises the boroughs of Au-Haidhausen, Alt-Bogenhausen and Untergiesing. This page also describes the party zone of Werksviertel, just beyond the railway tracks in the next borough of Berg am Laim.
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Franz von Stuck (1863-1928) was a painter and sculptor best known for his renditions of mythological scenes. From 1897 he designed this neo-classical mansion. There's a permanent display of his own works plus changing exhibitions of other artists.
You need to be influential to earn a plot in this small cemetery. Those that did so include film producer Bernd Eichinger, director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, writer Oskar Maria Graf and writer Erich Kästner. It's by the attractive church of St Georg.
This is the grand sort-of Renaissance building closing the vista across the Maximilian Bridge, with the road and tramway dividing around it. It was built in fits and starts from 1857 to 1874, the problem being the steep riverbank site for such a heavy structure. Originally a foundation for gifted students, it was bombed in World War II, and since rebuilding in 1949 has housed the Bavarian parliament. They pay rent to the foundation, which continues to award scholarships and lodge students here. The rear (east) of the building is a jumble of modern additions. There's a gallery to watch parliament plenary sessions (by advance registration), but you can't otherwise go inside.
Small display of life in the neighbourhood. Exhibitions have varying hours and prices.
Bayerische Volkssternwarte München
The observatory is open to the public M-F after dark with 2-hour tours - Monday these are in English. Pick a clear night.
The Sudeten Germans were settled for over 1000 years in Bohemia, making up a quarter of the population. This led to ethnic tensions and was the pretext for Hitler's invasions of the 1930s. Post-war they were expelled to Germany and Austria. This museum in a striking modern building tells their story, with signage also in Czech and English.
Ostfriedhof
This was laid out from 1817 and is still in use, so it holds a large cast of city notables. These include Duke Ludwig Wilhelm in Bavaria (1831-1920), Bernhard von Guden (1824-1886) doctor to King Ludwig II and found dead with him in unexplained circumstances, Rudolph Moshammer (1940-2005) the celebrity fashion designer strangled by a sex pick-up, and Hjalmar Schacht (1877-1970) the Weimar financier. During the Third Reich, the grave of Kurt Eisner was destroyed, while the crematorium disposed of the bodies of many thousand opponents or victims of the regime. After the war and Nuremberg Trials, it likewise disposed of ten of those hanged for their deeds (von Ribbentrop, Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenburg, Frank, Frick, Streicher, Sauckel, Jodl, Seyss-Inquart) and of Göring who committed suicide. Their ashes were thrown in the Isar.
Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche
Gothic Revival RC church built 1866 to 1886. It was unharmed by wartime bombing and, sitting atop a hill, its 95-m bell tower is visible from afar.
In this large bouldering hall you can test your climbing skills without a harness on 13 different courses. It also has a competition wall, 3 child courses, a bistro, and an outdoor course with slackline park and beer garden in summer.
Umadum
80-m Ferris wheel giving you a 30 min ride and panorama of Munich and the Alps.
Contemporary art gallery hosting changing exhibitions. Some 30 artists have their ateliers here.
A screen-printing workshop and creative space which offers silkscreen and t-shirt printing courses.
Have a swim at this Art Nouveau public indoor pool opened in 1901 - bring your own towel. The sauna is temporarily closed to save heating costs, and the cafe is closed permanently.
This magnificent Art Nouveau theatre, modelled on the Wagner-Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, houses the Bavarian Drama Academy. The focus of the shows is on opera and musical.
This is a large cultural and educational complex overlooking the river - "Gasteig" means a steep climb. It's a modern building completed in 1985 which normally houses the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Richard Strauss Conservatory, the city library and community college, and various festivals. However it's closed 2021-27 for rebuilding, and most functions have re-located to Gasteig HP8 in Sendling district.
Modern Greek restaurant serving salads, huge portions.
Lively friendly Tex-Mex restaurant near East station.
Cosy Italian restaurant, good value fare.
Busy place near the station serving Italian staples.
This restaurant, bar and live music venue is in the works canteen of the former Pfanni factory. They serve burgers, pizza and pasta but get poor reviews for quality and service.
Bright pleasant cafe with mostly vegetarian dishes.
Popular restaurant offering warm and cold tapas, paella and other Spanish specialities and wines.
Quality trad Bavarian food and drink.
Lively Italian, draws a student crowd.
Restaurant-bar with trad Bavarian cuisine, but the music is hip-hop.
Smart French bistro, mixed reviews on whether it lives up to the price.
Excellent for sushi and other Japanese specialities.
Authentic Italian food and wine at affordable prices.
Great reviews for cuisine and service at this trad restaurant in Au district.
Consistently glowing reviews for this upscale haute cuisine restaurant.
Pricey but excellent trattoria in a former pharmacy. Reservations recommended.
Fine French cuisine: go for the wine-pairing.
Long-standing café, bar and restaurant serving Augustiner beer and generous portions of trad food.
Hinterhof means courtyard and it's an attractive cafe-bar, with regular piano live music and exhibitions. They offer breakfast / brunch throughout the day and have good cakes.
Just what every metropolis needs, an Icelandic café - Blá means blue.
Café-bar in a former public restroom, an odd little stone building that looks more like a park attendant's tool shed. There's more capacity in summer when you can sit outside.
An easy-going café with a pleasant outdoor area in fine weather.
Container Collective is a ziggurat of shipping containers on Atelierstraße (corner with Friedenstraße) on the southeast flank of Ostbahnhof, the start of Werksviertel. It's billed as an art space but (in true bohemian style) no artistic work actually gets done and you come for the bars. As of 2022, these are Bar of Bel Air (daily 17:00-22:00), Transit Rooftop & Bar, and Kaserne de Janeiro cafe.
Rooftop bar on top of the cultural center Fat Cat (the former Gasteig) with a great view over the city. On one side you can see the city hall, the Old Peter and the Frauenkirche, on the other side the Werksviertel entertainment district and the mountains. The bar spans two levels on the roof, with timbered wooden walkways running along the upper one - past cozy seating areas, flower beds, bushy plants and herbs.
When everywhere else has closed and you're still hungry, this café at the foot of St Johannis church is still serving in the small hours. It draws a motley crowd.
No sign and just a bell at the door so you won't find it unless you're specifically looking. Within is a small, dimly lit bar serving cocktails and sushi.
München Hoch 5
This rooftop bar on top of the orange Werk 3 building offers regual events with techno and house DJs, as well as a view on a small herd of Valais black-nosed sheep grazing on the roof.
Irish pub with nice atmosphere and many expats among the guests. Monday at 21:00 is quiz night. Food is middle-rate, the chips are usually good. Has a big selection of whiskeys and TV sport.
This dive bar (its name means "Black Cock") gathers a crowd from Gärtnerplatz. Beer is bottled, nothing on draft, and they only take cash.
This remains closed in 2022.
This bar at the edge of Haidhausen district offers 200 craft beers from around the world.
Bar and late-night eating place; they're aiming for raffish.
Small techno club with a high-grade dj line-up.
Aspires to be exclusive, door policy erratic, fun nightspot if you get in.
Techno club in a former industrial location in the Werksviertel district.
Cafe, cultural centre and concert venue around a Hansel & Gretel house with a large wooden patio for events - many of these are free.
Jazz club in the former cellars of Union Brau. Limited food.
Former electricity plant morphed into a club and music hall with café-bistro.
Restaurant and 1800-seater beer garden serving Höfbräu beer, not at all like the touristy Hofbräuhaus in city centr.
Attractive 3000-seater beer garden open year-round and serving Paulaner beer. They host a beer festival in March.
This 400-seater beer garden is part of the Muffatwerk complex, see above. The basic beer is Hofbräu, but they also serve a cloudy organic beer from Lammsbräu.
Small and cozy hotel, good transport links.
Modern and sleek interior with simply decorated rooms. Downstairs is the "One Lounge" with a lobby, breakfast café and bar in one.
Modern hotel at the edge of the Haidhausen district. Downstairs is the living-room style "One Lounge" with lobby, breakfast café and bar in one, and a view onto the street through wall-sized windows.
A simple and inexpensive two-star chain hotel.
Another Motel One, 500 m from Deutsches Museum. Comfy and convenient.
IHG chain hotel with small indoor pool (no gym), bar, and restaurant. Good breakfast. Directly connected to the S-Bahn via an underground mall.
Pleasant mid-price place, rooms are small but comfy.
Accor chain hotel with 307 air-conditioned rooms, restaurant and bar with terrace, free spa area with gym, swimming pool, sauna and steam bath, underground parking and a separate conference centre with terrace and 5 modern meeting rooms.
Marriott chain hotel with fitness center, steam room and sauna, and each room has a kitchenette.
Well-placed efficient business hotel.
Good chain hotel close to public transport.
Shopping centre with Media Markt for electronics, Netto and Edeka supermarkets, a pharmacy, miscellaneous shops and eating places.
Large department store with fashion, jewellery, books and household supplies.
One of Munich's oldest second-hand record stores with a huge selection of vinyl and CDs of all genres. Pricey but good quality.
Well-stocked shop for new and second-hand guitar purchase and repair, helpful knowledgeable staff speak good English. It was founded by the lead guitarist of the hard rock band Scorpions, Matthias Jabs.
This small record store and bar offers rock vinyl.
Longstanding second-hand record store and a place to dig for rare vinyl and CDs from indie to electronic music.
By tram
Most local tram lines converge at Max-Weber-Platz rather than Ostbahnhof (Munich East).
By road
It's not difficult to get here by car, outside of rush hour, the major problem is parking. Street parking is limited to residents with permits.
Most places of interest are in the triangle bounded by Ludwigsbrücke west, Maximiliansplatz north and Ostbahnhof east, so walking is usually the best option.
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