Millionenstadt München & Erholung am Tegernsee

About the destination: Munich, located at the river Isar in the south of Bavaria, is famous for its Word-class museums, beautiful parks, the annual Oktoberfest beer celebration and architecture. The beautiful public buildings and monuments are testaments to the imperial aspirations of the Wittelsbach family, rulers of Bavaria from the 12th to the 20th century. Although it was heavily damaged by allied bombing during World War II, many of its historic buildings have been rebuilt and the city center appears mostly as it did in the late 1800s including its largest church, the Frauenkirche, and the famous city hall (Neues Rathaus). An odd mix of proud traditionalism and avant-garde culture will keep you interested and active and the town does stay up until all hours, with its many students and earthly Bavarian joie de vivre.

About the destination: The Tegernsee valley has been settled since the stone age. Records from the Benedictine monastery date from 746, which was one of the most important cultural centres in the region during the middle ages. In its heyday the monastery had 200 monks and over a thousand residents involved in numerous industries. Under Abbot Bernhard Wenzl (1673-1700), the monastery was remodeled in the contemporary baroque style and only the abbey church has been preserved in its original form. In 1815 the buildings of the castle and monastery were converted into the King Wittelsbach's summer residence. This was followed by many other nobles and artists the region and the beginnings of Tegernsee's tourism industry was born. In 1820, the landscaper Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell designed the gardens around the castle, which are mostly still preserved today. From the former monastery, the brewery Herzoglich Bayerische Brauhaus Tegernsee was founded. The monastery's church now serves as a parish church.