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LenR
LenR
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4 out of 5
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The Monopteros and Japanese Teahouse

  • January 22, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by LenR from Townsville, Australia
The Monopteros and Japanese Teahouse

We walked along several of the English Garden paths through green fields and forested areas. Every now and then a spectacular vista opened up which just ‘blew us away’. One of these was of a small Greek temple on a hill seen through coloured vegetation. It was so unexpected yet so right.

After forseeing it in the distance, you must walk up to the Monopteros, a Greek looking temple, prominently placed on a hill overlooking the southern part of the English Garden. There is something magical about this small temple not far from the centre of town. From the Monopteros we had a splendid view over the city skyline.

Designed by Leo von Klenze, this small, round, temple was erected in 1836. It was built on a hill which, in 1832, was raised from the leftover building material of the Münchner Residenz (Munich Royal Residence).

There are no clues on the Monopteros itself as to what it is about, so you just have to appreciate it for what it is. But strange towers on little hills in the middle of a Munich park are OK by me, so we sat there for a while enjoying the morning sunshine. Children were playing away to the left, and I could hear a brass band somewhere off to the right. It was a most pleasant interlude.

Unfortunately, the Monopteros is sometimes a meeting point for Munich's drug users and there can be winos hanging about, but at most times it's still a good place to shelter from the elements and reflect or to just enjoy the view and the serenity.

As we headed back towards the central city we came across another interesting feature. To celebrate the Summer Olympics in 1972, which were held in Munich, a Japanese teahouse and a Japanese garden were built on a small island at the south end of the Englischer Garten. A traditional Japanese tea ceremony takes place here every fortnight but you don’t have to wait for this to find this place interesting.

Between the Monopteros and the Japanese Teahouse lies the Schönfeldwiese (“Beautiful meadows"). In this part of the Gardens nude sunbathing has been permitted since the 1960s, something which many Germans fancy. It caused quite a sensation at the time and also made the English Gardens well-known, even outside Munich. No-one was tempted to go naked while I was there. That was probably a good thing!

From journal The Gardens of Munich

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