Accessible Munich

During our repeat trip to Germany, one of the cities we visited was Munich. Our arrival at the central train station (München Hauptbahnoft) demonstrated the ease of access of the German trains. Munich has a population of 1.5 million and is the major city of the Bavarian region of Germany. It is known for its beerhalls. With 6 city-owned breweries, it is Oktoberfest every day! Beer gardens are located throughout the city close to city markets. They are usually located in an area with a thick canopy offered by shady trees. People are allowed to bring their own food into the beer gardens and beer is served by the litre! Big pretzels and cured fish are two of the local delicacies. Pretzels are the snack of choice; we saw many examples of people snacking on pretzels as they walked along the streets.

While in Munich, we met with Werner Volkert, CEO of transferdiens24, a transportation company which includes several accessible vehicles. A beautiful VW van had just been added to Werner’s fleet of vehicles. The accessible vans have wheelchair lifts and adjustable, individual, swivel seating. The fleet is used throughout Germany for airport pickups; accessible day trips; and long haul trips throughout Germany.

We were treated to a very Bavarian tradition of mid-morning white German sausages, pretzels, and beer at one of the many, very large, Munich beer halls. Werner explained that, in Bavaria, it is a tradition to have this meal between 10:00 and 12:00 noon. No local Bavarian would order this specific meal any other time.

We audited several hotels in the central city core and were pleased with the level of accessibility. More information on specific hotels can be found in the link below. The subway lines are also very accessible. The underground shopping centres attached to the subway stops have elevators which exit on to the street. Streets are very access-friendly, and bicycle friendly. Pedestrians are cautioned not to stop in the designated bike lanes or they may be hit by a speedy bicycle!

Marienplatz is one of the main pedestrian malls and encompasses most historical / tourist sites within walking distance. We visited the tower at the city hall – Rathous- located at Marienplatz, which dates from the 19th century but appears to be much older. The tower has been upgraded and is accessible by elevator. There is a 3600 view of München from the outside walkway which circles the top of the tower. Unfortunately, this walkway is not accessible to wheelchair users. There is a very large glochenspiel on the exterior of city hall whose figures do a Cooper’s dance on the hour. In the square there is a fountain rebuilt after World War II and a column of St. Mary dating from 1638. An accessible, affordable cafeteria is found within the middle square of city hall, which is still used for municipal business. Several accessible public washrooms were observed in the area. The tourist information centre, situated at the city hall, has information on accessibility and subway access as well as maps of barrier free walking tours. Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Dear Lady), a church dating from 1468, is also found at Marienplatz. It was burned in a fire and restored in 1953. One of the interior stones is said to contain a footprint of the devil! This is an accessible, free touristic site.