Zone: Around the Old Town

The Maxvorstadt Region only became an official part of Much in the early 19th century – but quickly became one of the city's most important cultural centres. The region takes its name from King Maximilian Josef – the first King of Bavaria. In this region we find both the Munich University and the Technical University, along with two world-famous galleries – the Alte Pinakothek and the Neue Pinakothek. We also find the Triumphal Gates here, which were woefully damaged during the bombardments of the Second World War. The city authorities decided it would not be appropriate to fully restore them, and instead made them a symbol of Munich's suffering and destruction, by not restoring them completely. Many parts of the Gates today still bear the marks of shrapnel and bomb damage. There is a plaque affixed to the gates, which is an epigram of their story. “Erected to celebrate victory, yet destroyed in war – they remind us of peace”.