Leopoldstraße is a street in the
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
districts
Maxvorstadt
Maxvorstadt (Central Bavarian: ''Maxvorstod'') is a central borough of Munich, Bavaria, Germany and forms the Stadtbezirk (borough) 3 Maxvorstadt. Since 1992, this borough comprises the former boroughs 5, 6 and 7 (Maxvorstadt-Universität, Maxvor ...
,
Schwabing
Schwabing is a borough in the northern part of Munich, the Capital (political), capital of the Germany, German state of Bavaria. It is part of the city borough 4 (Schwabing-West) and the city borough 12 (Schwabing-Freimann). The population of Sc ...
and
Milbertshofen. It is a major
boulevard
A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway or wide road in a commercial district.
In Europe, boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former ...
, and the main street of the Schwabing district.
It is a continuation of
Ludwigstraße, the boulevard of King
Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I or Louis I (; 25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868) was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the German revolutions of 1848–49, 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As ki ...
, north of the
Siegestor.
Architecture
After the incorporation of Schwabing in 1891, it was named after Prince
Leopold of Bavaria, son of Prince Regent
Luitpold of Bavaria. Previously the southern part of this road was called Schwabinger Weg (way). From Milbertshofener Straße / Domagkstraße, Leopoldstrasse is named
Ingolstädter Straße.
Leopoldstraße runs from the
Siegestor (Victory Gate) and the
Art Academy
An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...
in the south to the
Münchner Freiheit, with the Protestant church 'Erlöserkirche', and then further to the north. The first house on the left side was the villa of
Lola Montez, a mistress of Ludwig I. Today it houses the Student Union of the
University
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
. The large sculpture "
Walking Man" was created by the artist
Jonathan Borofsky
Jonathan Borofsky (born December 24, 1942) is an American sculptor and printmaker who lives and works in Ogunquit, Maine.
Early life and education
Borofsky was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Carnegie M ...
.
The street is one of the most important ones in Munich,
featuring shops, cinemas, hotels, open air cafés and restaurants and a major
parkway
A parkway is a landscaped thoroughfare. The term is particularly used for a roadway in a park or connecting to a park from which trucks and other heavy vehicles are excluded.
Over the years, many different types of roads have been labeled p ...
. Throughout the year it is a location for various events such as the
Munich Marathon and street festivals like the
Streetlife Festival
The Streetlife Festival in Munich is a mixture of street festival, environmental exhibition and fair. It takes place every year over two weekends in May / June and September. The venue is Leopoldstraße and the Ludwigstraße - from Georgenstraße ...
, during which Leopoldstraße is partially or completely closed to automobile traffic. After major sporting events the boulevard of Schwabing is occupied by celebrating fans.
In the side streets east of
Münchner Freiheit, (Occam-, Feilitzsch-, Sieges-, Marktstraße) an amusement quarter with many pubs and bars is located, some with live music.
Below the street are since 1971 the tunnels of
Munich subway lines
3 and 6 with the stations
Giselastraße and
Münchner Freiheit.
In 1962, Leopoldstraße was the scene of the ''Schwabinger Krawalle'' (Schwabing riots) and from 1995 to 2001 of the annual technoparade
Union Move
Union Move was a technoparade that occurred annually in Munich from 1995 to 2001. It was an initiative by Munich event organizers and nightclub owners (Kunstpark Ost, Ultraschall, Parkcafe, Pulverturm, P1, Partysan) to demonstrate against the Munic ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leopoldstrasse
Tourist attractions in Munich
Streets in Munich