In our fourth volume of the Encounters in Munich series, we’d like to take you on a stroll through western Munich. Starting at Nymphenburg Palace, we’ll walk through expansive parks and exotic gardens, along main thoroughfares, with detours into mysterious alleys, along boulevards and under the trees of tree-lined avenues, past the imposing Blutenburg Castle to residential districts and artists’ houses. We’ll explore Nymphenburg, visit Pasing, Obermenzing, and Gern, and stroll through Neuhausen to the edge of Maxvorstadt.

But the route doesn’t just stretch from place to place; it’s also a journey through time. At every turn, historical figures appear alongside prominent figures of contemporary history; princes and mistresses, politicians, poets, artists, and scholars appear. Just a step leads from the dark Middle Ages to the salons and artists’ gatherings of the 19th century, from the Enlightenment through the postwar period to the most opulent Baroque.