May 2008
Happy Birthday
Munich was built on salt, a bridge and a crime. In 1158, Guelph Henry XII “The Lion,” Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, settled on the Isar islands near a colony of monks at Petersbergl. He built a bridge across the river to impose a toll on salt merchants, who had to pay to get from one shore to the other. The bridge only gained relevance, however, when Henry burnt down the viaduct of the Bishop of Freising, which was located a little further downstream and linked Oberföhring and Unterföhring (the two districts were summarized as Feringa back then). After the destruction, merchants were forced to use Henry’s new bridge. Meanwhile, the Duke sabotaged all of the bishop’s efforts to reconstruct his burnt viaduct. In the ensuing Augsburg Arbitral Award, Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa ruled on June 14, 1158, in favor of Henry and his bridge, and assigned to Munich the important right to mint and issue coins, as well as the authorization to hold markets. Yet, Barbarossa also ruled that one-third of all related income had to by paid over to Freising (those payments were carried out until 1852). The day of the arbitral award also marks the official day of the foundation of Munich.
In celebration of the 850-year anniversary of Munich, a plethora of events, concerts and exhibitions will be held throughout the summer. Following the motto “Building Bridges”—an allusion to Munich’s founding history with a positive twist—the many facets of city life in the past and the present will be highlighted through social and cultural activities. On May 1, the exhibition “Münchner Kaiserburg” at the Alter Hof will open, exploring the 600-year history of the building, which used to be the emperor’s residence. From May 5 through May 23, another exhibition at Matthäus Church will show the influence of Munich architecture on other cities, and architectural ideas from abroad that form Munich’s cityscape. A somewhat different guided tour through Munich’s history will be offered on May 9 and May 23 at the Hofgarten, where actress Marlene Beck will introduce Munich residents of the past centuries. Tour participants will meet the wife of Orlando di Lasso, extroverted Electoral Princess Henriette Adelaide and painter Carl Spitzweg. Choir music by Die GieSinger and perpetuum cantabile will sound through the Botanical Garden on May 18 and May 25. Europe’s largest “nightskate” event will not only get skates rolling for
850 years of city life on May 19, but also for the 10-year anniversary of “Blade Night,” which will start every Monday at 9 pm from Theresienhöhe throughout the summer. Even Buddhists will participate in Munich’s festivities. On May 17, there will be a merry gathering for the
Vesakh holiday at the Seebühne in Westpark. Titled “Building Bridges between East and West,” the event will feature meditations, lectures and discussions by Buddhist groups from Munich. At 9 pm, there also will be a Buddhist candle ceremony. In 1858, Münchner commemorated the 700 years since the foundation of the city with a historical procession showing important citizens, events and buildings. From May 20 through July 31, the
Stadtarchiv München (Munich City Archives) at Winzererstrasse 68 will reconstruct the magnificent procession.
To mention the whole schedule of the anniversary celebrations would easily fill a magazine, but at
www.muenchen850.de, you will find a list of all events. Of course, MUNICH FOUND will keep you updated on the highlights taking place over the next few months. <<<
