Munich Things to Do

Mitterfirmiansreut is a Bavarian village in the mountainous region on the Germany and Czech border. That means it was once on the border between West Germany and Czechoslovakia and thus part of the front line of the Cold War. The war has gone but the cold remains, just as old enmities have died away while traditions endure.

The phenomenon of the beer garden (known locally as bier garten) turns 200 in 2012 and Munich is ready to celebrate. On January 4, 1812, an edict went forth in Bavaria which allowed beer brewers to sell their wares direct to the public, along with bread (if you wanted anything else you had to bring it yourself).