Stachus is a large square in central

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

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 l ...

. 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 h ...

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

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 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 Hotel Königshof is a luxury hotel in Munich. It is part of the hotel group Geisel Privathotels and The Leading Hotels of the World. The building is listed as a historic monument in the Bavarian heritage register. Martin Fauster, the chef of ...

. 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 hel ...

, 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 The Kaufingerstraße is one of the oldest streets in Munich and, together with the Neuhauser Straße, one of the most important shopping streets in Munich. Location The Kaufingerstraße borders on the west with the Marienplatz and is part of t ...

) 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 pa ...

, 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