Servus an Alle!

The purpose of this newsletter is to share: 3 bits of news, 2 upcoming events, and 1 amazing restaurant/café for expats living in Munich. This way, you have a pulse on what’s going on without scrolling through thousands of pages.

The Munich Post is that grandma, who knows everything about what’s going in her locality but she is cool & hip 👵 😎 

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3 bits of news

Munich could get a 24/7 grocery shop at Heimeranplatz

© Vincent Suppé

You know how we complained when we just moved to Munich that supermarkets close at 8 p.m. Well, they still will. But we’ll soon have an alternative if we really need something.

A 24-hour supermarket is to be built in the new high-rise building at Heimeranplatz, in Munich’s district Schwanthalerhöhe. The district committee (BA) was just discussing this and other plans for the striking building.

But you know, Germans being German, one of the finger-wagging aunties, Sibylle Stöhr, in the green party is worried. She warns, "The planned supermarket or event area must not become a new hotspot for nightly celebrations!"

Anyway, to aunty Sibylle I only have one response for you: “Live and let live” or in German, “los lassen.” Let it go, aunty!

But that's not the plan. In fact, customers wouldn’t necessarily be out in the supermarket in the middle of the night. This concept may also have an app for pre-ordering: So if you urgently needed yogurt, toilet paper or any other everyday item after shops have closed, you could still order your purchases on the app and then come by Heimeranplatz to collect them.

Either way, the 24-7 shopping option would be a novelty in Munich: So far, shopping at night is only possible in a few train station shops and at gas stations.

You can find the original news story here.

The cheapest and the most expensive districts in Munich

Are you looking to rent or buy a house? Then, here are some districts in Munich that could be in your range.

According to the real estate website, Immowelt: The Bavarian state capital (Munich), has the highest prices for residential property of all major German cities.”

The most expensive district to buy a property in is Altstadt-Lehel at 15,162 euros per square meter. It's almost half that in the western suburbs: 7,927 euros per square meter in Aubing-Lochhausen-Langwied. Below are all the prices for buying and renting so you can see for yourself (figures shown are per square meter in June 2022, 70 square meters).

Source: Immowelt

Nevertheless, a new development can be observed: Due to inflation, the war in Ukraine, and increasing interest rates, there should be a stagnation in the property prices. The demand for purchasing real estate is falling, so demand for rental apartments is rising again - and the supply is becoming even more scarce.

And so rental prices will continue to rise, despite the already unbearably high level. Alexander Grohmann, Immowelt market analyst, predicts: "The end is not yet in sight..."

So, if you want to buy a property in Munich, don’t worry, you simply need to sell your kidneys to afford it.

Anyway, you can find the original article (in German) here.

European Championships 2022 in Munich on August 10th

On August 10th, the European Championships will open in Munich's Olympiapark. The competitions, which take place from August 11-21 in the Bavarian capital, will kick off with musical performances and a colorful light show.

The opening ceremony (FREE), is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be divided into three phases:

First comes the "dream phase. Here, walking acts, light shows, and bands will take viewers on an hour-long journey through a dreamy world.

Then comes the "awakening." The music star Marteria has been announced as a highlight here, which will be accompanied by marching bands. This phase is intended to pull the spectators out of their dream state. The park will be transformed into a “fairy tale forest” with life-size dolls and stilt walkers. In addition, the Munich brass band "Moop Mama" and other musical highlights will provide memorable entertainment.

Lastly, when the sun has already set over the Olympic Park, the "bright life" phase will follow. The trees of the Olympic Park will make the night sky shine, bands will parade through the park, and other light shows will envelop the facility in their glow.

WOW! This sounds so interesting! Save the date: See you August 10th!

You can find details here (in German).

2 upcoming events

Kocherlball returns to the Chinesischer Turm on July 17th

You know it’s the Kocherball when thousands of smartly dressed people meet at 6 a.m. to dance at the Chinese Tower. You can see it for yourself if you come to the English Garden very early this Sunday.

In the 19th century, the Kocherlball was the only way for domestic workers, known as "Kokcherl," to meet up and have some fun. They had to celebrate at the crack of dawn so they could return to work punctually after their households returned from church.

Back then, up to 8,000 house servants, errand boys, maids, coachmen, and cooks swung their legs at the Chinese Tower. ​​Today more than 15,000 visitors are expected and many guests will come in traditional costumes or in old servants' uniforms to remind us of the origins of the festival.

In 1989, for the 200th anniversary of the English Garden, a Kocherlball was held again for the first time since it was banned in 1904. Fortunately for us, it still takes place once a year, always on the third Sunday in July from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Of course, you can bring your own breakfast and snacks – but not drinks – just as has always been the tradition in Munich’s beer gardens.

Tip: get up early! In order to get one of the precious seats, many Kocherlball fans come some time before the official start.

You can watch a fun video here.

Christina has been there twice and says it is a lot of fun: “the atmosphere early in the morning, when everybody comes dressed in Dirndls and Lederhosen is the best, Everyone is eating, dancing and having a great time!”

Now that summer is here, I highly recommend it.

For more information click here.

Open Air Cinema with some originals

Kino, Mond & Sterne is Munich's oldest open-air cinema and a must-see for all film friends and lovers. Since 1995 they have been showing great cinema on a huge screen under the starry sky and igniting a firework of cinematic highlights there every summer.

Movie tickets and beers are budget friendly. I specially asked Christina to tell me which English movies we should see.

You can find the most up-to-date programs here but two I found interesting include:

Massive Talent with Nicholas Cage:

And this documentary seems interesting (English too):

1 restaurant/bar to try

Rooftop café on the Deutsches Museum - Frau im Mond

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© Photo: Daniel von Loeper

This café has just opened and is perfect for couples enjoying summer in Munich.

I like how poetically they present themselves:

“A light breeze sweeps across the terrace, caresses shining faces, lets lanterns and pennants dance. The sky is still glowing while the shadows lengthen and the shimmering air gives way to a pleasant coolness.

It starts with a gentle beat, then an enticing melody soars into the sky and wraps itself like an embrace around whoever will listen.

Hearts beat in unison, eyes smile, hands find each other.

Cool drops trickle down from crystal glasses, unknown aromas let the senses ignite in a new love. Myriad voices merge into a dream song, a boisterous dance emerges from smooth movements.

The rays of the setting sun bring the copper starry sky to life while a crescent of silver appears on the clear blue of the evening.

Today, under this sky, let joy be our rhythm as we compete with the stars.

Welcome to The Woman on the Moon.”

It has a unique view of three different bridges: Wittelsbacher, Reichenbach, and Cornelius.

About the food and drinks? Here’s a good review.

It does look delicious:

You can find more info here.

Munich meme of the week 😂

Have a great weekend,

Aazar (writer) and Christina (editor and scout)

Heidi Benson (editor)

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