Established in 1785, Munich’s Englischer Garten (English Garden) is a beautiful oasis within walking distance of Marienplatz (the historic city center). Covering 910 acres – including 6 miles of winding streams, a lake, and miles of winding paths for running, walking, and cycling – the Englischer Garten offers a respite from city life.
While staying in Munich city center, I enjoyed several several runs in the Englischer Garten. It was breathtaking.
In 1972, a Japanese garden was created on an island at the southern end of the garden to house an authentic teahouse. It was a gift to Bavaria for the 1972 Olympics from Soshitsu Sen, head of the Urasenke tea school in Kyoto. Traditional Japanese tea ceremonies takes place here regularly. I wasn’t looking for this specifically but believe I caught the island and edge of the teahouse in the photo below. The fall foliage had me distracted and also covered much of the teahouse from my angle.
Monopteros is a Greek-style temple built in 1838. I took the second image while standing in the temple and looking down into the park.
Running along a stream, I unexpectedly came across surfers in the garden at the Eisbachwelle.
There is much more to see in the Englischer Garten to include the Bavarian National Museum (located at the edge of the park) which contains medieval Bavarian sculptures and tapestries. If only every day were bright and sunny…
If you are in Munich, it is worth carving out several hours to visit the garden (probably best explored on a bike due to it’s size). An early to mid-morning or late afternoon to early evening visit would be best to capture the natural beauty in the best lighting.
Munich is located in Bavaria which is one of sixteen German states. Bavaria once existed as an independent kingdom with a distinctive history and became part of a unified Germany in 1918.
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