Oktoberfest Grounds at Theresienwiese

Oktoberfest Grounds at Theresienwiese Review

The site of Munich's famous Oktoberfest and the winter version of the city's Tollwood music, art, and food festival (it's at the Olympic area in summer) is a 10-minute walk from the Hauptbahnhof, or one stop on the subway (U-4 or U-5). The enormous exhibition ground is named after Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, who celebrated her marriage to future King Ludwig I here in 1810 with thousands of Münchners. The event was such a success that it became an annual celebration that has now grown into a 16-day international beer and fair-ride bonanza attracting more than 6 million people each year (it is the Oktoberfest because it always ends on the first Sunday in October).

Bavaria. Overlooking the Theresienwiese, home of the Oktoberfest, is a 19th-century hall of fame (Ruhmeshalle) featuring busts of famous Bavarian scientists, artists, engineers, generals, and philosophers, and a monumental bronze statue of the maiden Bavaria. Unsurprisingly, it was commissioned by the art- and architecture-obsessed King Ludwig I, though not finished before his abdication in 1848. The Bavaria is more than 60 feet high and at the time was the largest bronze figure since antiquity. The statue is hollow, and an initial 48 steps take you up to its base. Once inside, there are 66 steps to her knee, and a further 52 all the way into the braided head, the reward being a view of Munich through Bavaria's eyes. €3. Apr.-Oct. 15, daily 9-6 (open till 8 during Oktoberfest).