Stachus is a large square in central

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

. The square was officially named Karlsplatz in 1797 after the unpopular

Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria Charles Theodore (german: link=no, Karl Theodor; 11 December 1724 – 16 February 1799) reigned as Prince-elector and Count Palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as prince-elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777 to his ...

. Munich natives seldom use that name, calling the square instead ''Stachus'', after the

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

''Beim Stachus'', once owned by Eustachius Föderl, that was located there until construction work for Karlsplatz began. Even the

U-Bahn Rapid transit in Germany consists of four U-Bahn systems and fourteen S-Bahn systems. The U-Bahn commonly understood to stand for Untergrundbahn (''underground railway'') are conventional rapid transit systems that run mostly underground, while ...

and

S-Bahn The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban- suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble co ...

announcements use the unofficial name.

Architecture

The most important buildings dominating the square are on the east side of the ''

Karlstor Karlstor in Munich (called Neuhauser Tor until 1791) is one of what used to be Munich's famed city wall from the medieval ages till late into the 18th century. It served as a major defensive fortification and checkpoint. It is located at the w ...

'', a gothic gate of the demolished medieval fortifications together with the ''rondell buildings'' on both sides of the gate (constructed by

Gabriel von Seidl Gabriel von Seidl (9 December 1848 – 27 April 1913) was a German architect and a representative of the historicist style of architecture. Life and work Gabriel Seidl was born in Munich, Bavaria in 1848. He was the first son of the wealthy ba ...

1899-1902). The gate was first documented in 1301 and called Neuhauser Tor until 1791 when it was renamed Karlstor in honor of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria. During the summer, a large fountain operates in front of the Karlstor and in winter an open-air ice rink is installed there. The most significant buildings on the opposite west side are the neo-baroque '' Justizpalast'' (Palace of Justice) and the ''Kaufhof'', the first postwar department store built in Munich (by Theo Pabst, 1950-1951). A new building is planned for the Hotel Königshof. The underground contains a large shopping center. Also between Stachus square and

Marienplatz Marienplatz (English: Mary's Square, i.e. St. Mary, Our Lady's Square) is a central square in the city centre of Munich, Germany. It has been the city's main square since 1158. History During the Middle Ages, markets and tournaments were held ...

, the main pedestrian area of the city, (

Neuhauser Straße Neuhauser Straße is part of the first and largest pedestrian zone in Munich's Old Town. Here, many retail shops and restaurants are to be found. Location and direction The road runs almost straight ahead in the southeast-northwest direction o ...

/ Kaufingerstraße) houses numerous shops and restaurants. The

Karlsplatz (Stachus) Stachus is a large square in central Munich, Bavaria. The square was officially named Karlsplatz in 1797 after the unpopular Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria. Munich natives seldom use that name, calling the square instead ''Stachus'', afte ...

and

station is located below the square. Stachus also serves as a hub for the city's tramway system, with a four track tram station located on

Altstadtring The Altstadtring is the innermost ring road of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. With the exception of the northwestern part, it runs roughly along the path of the former second wall of Munich and surrounds Munich's Altstadt. With the exception of the p ...

, the Old Town's orbital road system.

External links

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360° View of Stachus
{{Coord, 48, 08, 21, N, 11, 33, 57, E, region:DE-BY_type:landmark, display=title

Tourist attractions in Munich Shopping districts and streets in Germany