One Square in Munich

The Königsplatz in Munich has witnessed immense moments in history.

Sometimes, the best way to explore a city is on foot. The subway may be fast, but you see very little. On a bus, you can see a lot, but you lack the spontaneity of being able to pop into an interesting-looking pub or a corner store.

On foot, your curiosity can be both peaked and satisfied. You can see which restaurants and businesses are popular, you can view the street art and advertisements, you can even read signs and historical markers.

Cities are full of stories to discover, but some stories may go unrevealed without the help of a knowledgeable guide.

Take this beautifully maintained green space in Munich. We had wandered the area near the Königsplatz on our own earlier on our trip but had no idea the of its historical significance until we were accompanied by Karl, who guided us on a bike tour through Munich, thoughtfully sharing his knowledge for his home with us.

Which way to Athens?

Maybe, like me, you had never wondered why the Greek flag is blue and white. After all, flags need to be some color, so why not blue and white.

Well, the Greek flag shares the colors of the Bavarian flag - Bavaria, home of Munich in southeastern Germany. Why? Because the first king of a unified Greece was Otto – son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Greece was looking for a leader, Ludwig was looking for a job for his son Otto. And this is how things were done in the 19^th Century.

Also, King Ludwig I designed this square, and during his reign, Munich was known as “Athens on the Isar.”  Ludwig I, an admirer of antiquity (and himself), had three classical structures built on the square to house great art collections. This is where a visitor can observe some of the reciprocal Greek influence on Bavaria.

If you look closely at the architecture of the three buildings outlining the square, you’ll notice one has Corinthian columns, one has Doric, and one has Ionic – the three classic columns from Greek architecture.

The Origins of Fake News

Just a block away from the Konigsplatz, now it is a music school, but in the 1930s the Brown House was home to the Nazi Party. You can still see between the upper windows, where the Nazi emblem had hung above the building's main entrance.

Believe or not, fake news was invented on this square! A mere block from Nazi HQ, the square hosted parades of German soldiers who marched down the road around the bend and back - again and again. It was meant to showcase Nazi strength because the line of soldiers appeared endless.

That was the goal. It was Nazi propaganda. The same soldiers made the trip around the green multiple times. To many it appeared that the German army had a limitless stockpile of soldiers.

Fake news, way before the era of cable tv or social media.

Paging Dr. Jones

Maybe you recall the line, “Goose-stepping morons like yourself should try reading books instead of burning them,” uttered by Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Connery was referring to the Nazi practice of book burning as part of their campaign to censor and cleanse German culture of “subversive” materials… like Jewish authors, pacifists, intellectuals, etc. The Nazis had discovered it was easier to control ignorant people.

While the movie depicts a book burning in Berlin, this peaceful and unassuming Munich square pictured on a pleasant day in September 2023 was home to some of Germany’s first book burnings 90 years earlier in 1933.  

Thinking about Königsplatz now in 2025, it is somewhat reassuring that a piece of land can recover from a history built on self-aggrandizement and as a symbol of hatred to become a peaceful and educational space for citizens and visitors to enjoy.