The Isartor at the Isartorplatz in

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 ...

is one of four main gates of the medieval city wall. It served as a fortification for the defence and is the most easterly of Munich's three remaining gothic town gates (''Isartor'', '' Sendlinger Tor'' and '' Karlstor''). The gate (German: ''Tor'') is located close to the

Isar The Isar () is a river in Austria and in Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel mountain range of the Alps. The Isar river enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Krün, Wallgau, Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching ...

and was named after the river.

Architecture

The Isartor was constructed in 1337 within the scope of the enlargement of Munich and the construction of the ''second city wall'' between 1285 and 1337 which was completed under the Emperor Louis IV. The gate first consisted of a main gate tower. Only with the construction of the moat wall of the gate tower the two flanking side towers were added and served as barbican. The Isartor is today the only medieval gate in Munich which has conserved its medium main tower and the restoration in 1833-35 by Friedrich von Gärtner has recreated the dimensions and appearance close to the original structure. The frescos, created in 1835 by Bernhard von Neher, depict the victorious return of Emperor Louis after the

Battle of Mühldorf The Battle of Mühldorf (also known as the Battle of Ampfing) was fought near Mühldorf am Inn on September 28, 1322 between the Duchy of (Upper) Bavaria and the Archduchy of Austria. The Bavarians were led by German King Louis of Wittelsbach ...

in 1322. The Isartor today houses a humorous museum which is dedicated to the comedian and actor

Karl Valentin Karl Valentin (, born Valentin Ludwig Fey; 4 June 1882 – 9 February 1948) was a Bavarian comedian. He had significant influence on German Weimar culture. Valentin starred in many silent films in the 1920s, and was sometimes called the "Cha ...

. A café for visitors has been integrated. The Isartortheater, which produced

Singspiele A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with Musical ensemble, ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often Stroph ...

and spoken plays in the early 19th century, was destroyed in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Seidel, Klaus J (1992), 'Munich' in ''The

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London) After being heavily damaged by shelling, the medieval gate was rebuilt. Isartorplatz is served by the S Bahn station which is named '' Isartor'' after the gate. The S-Bahn station is complemented by two tram lines crossing the square at its eastern side. For decades, however, no more Trams or busses undercrossed the actual gate.

References

* {{coord, 48, 8, 06, N, 11, 34, 54, E, type:landmark_region:DE, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1337 Buildings and structures in Munich Gothic architecture in Munich Tourist attractions in Munich Gates of Munich