The Karlstor
A fourteenth-century gate opening into the pedestrian zone โ old Munich's western face.
Meister Eiskalt derivative work: MagentaGreen โ CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท Diego Delso โ CC BY-SA 3.0 ยท Diego Delso โ CC BY-SA 3.0 ยท HugendubelBuchhandlungen โ CC BY-SA 4.0
The official Karlsplatz was imposed by the unpopular Prince Karl Theodor, so locals clung to the name of the old Stachus tavern out of spite. Even station announcements now say "Karlsplatz โ Stachus", conceding that the locals won.
It is the start of a route more than a destination: arrive by train, take in the gate and fountain, then set off through the pedestrian zone past St Michael's church and the Frauenkirche to Marienplatz. Done in that order, you cover Munich's whole heart on foot.
In winter: the rink around the fountain, with lights and a small market, makes it one of Munich's loveliest cold-season scenes, especially for families.
Sign in to write your review of this place.
No reviews yet โ be the first.
Karlsplatz โ which Munich locals call "Stachus" and nothing else โ is the western gateway to the heart of the city. The main pedestrian zone starts here, running along Neuhauser and Kaufinger streets to Marienplatz, one of the busiest shopping stretches in all of Europe. The centre of the square is a great fountain that becomes the city's summer meeting point; in winter it turns into an ice-skating rink with a small market. Behind it stands the fourteenth-century Karlstor, one of the three surviving gates of the old wall, through which you pass into the pedestrian zone. The nickname "Stachus" comes from a tavern that stood here before the square existed โ a king named it Karlsplatz, and the locals have been pointedly ignoring him for two centuries.
A fourteenth-century gate opening into the pedestrian zone โ old Munich's western face.
The largest in the city centre, summer's spot for sitting and cooling feet.
Neuhauser and Kaufinger from here to Marienplatz โ every major brand in one walk.
Karlsplatz, 80335 Munich