Munich in the 3rd Reich and WW2 Small Group Walking Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. At our meeting point, get some background info on Munich - the scaffolding on which we will hang our tour. Learn about how a fire in 1328 would pay dividends in WW2. We cover aspects of the allied bombing campaign and learn about how the city fell to the US Army in 1945. Directly next to the gate is the building credited as being the birthplace of what became the SS

   20 min

2. In this lovely restaurant and bar - formerly the "Sterneckerbrau", disaffected extremists, disillusioned veterans from WW1, anti-Semites, nationalists, self-styled poets and philosophers met to grumble over their lot, to rage against the Weimar Republic. They coalesced into the "Deustche Arbeiterpartei" - the "German Workers Party": soon to become the Nazi Party. We cover the Treaty of Versailles, inflation, unemployment and the initial contacts of Hitler with this group

   20 min

3. The medieval "Old" town hall is rather new; it took serious damage during WW2 from the Allied bombing. It was here on November 9th 1938 that the orders for "Crystal Night" (also known as "The night of broken glass")were given. As such the site is important as a precursor of the Holocaust which was to follow just a few short years later.

   20 min

4. The New Town Hall dominates the main square, Marienplatz. Here we compare original wartime images with the structures we see today. Attitudes to dealing with the past in Germany today are also discussed.

   20 min

5. The Old Court of Munich used to be the castle of home of the Bavarian royal family, the Wittelsbachers. This pretty courtyard was bombed in WW2 and has been heavily restored. It has been the haunt of artists; and failed artists. Here we discuss the early life of Hitler, his war service and how art was used (and misused) for propaganda reasons.

   20 min

6. At the cathedral we consider aspects of the Allied bombing campaign as well the death of Ernst Röhm during the "Night of the Long Knives"

   20 min

7. At this spot, next to the famous Residenz Palace, Hitlers attempted 1923 "Beer Hall Pustch" came to end in a hail of bullets. We consider the motivations, personalities involved, court case and how the Nazis constructed legends and myths to showcase their ideologies.

   25 min

8. We end the tour at this most famous of beerhalls, the birthplace of the Nazi Party in 1920. (During Oktoberfest we cannot guarantee going inside without a long queue)

   20 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 2 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Munich

• Its from-price is 79% below the median of the 824 experiences we list in Munich.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 379 of 824.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Munich

Munich is the Bavarian capital, with a rebuilt old town, beer gardens, royal palaces and the Alps visible on clear days to the south.

Marienplatz, the main square, is overlooked by the neo-Gothic New Town Hall, whose Glockenspiel chimes with mechanical figures, and by the twin onion-domed towers of the Frauenkirche. The Viktualienmarkt close by is a food market with a beer garden. The Residenz, the former home of Bavaria's rulers, has lavish halls and a treasury, and Nymphenburg Palace stands in a park to the west.

Top-ranked sights in Munich: Neuschwanstein Castle, Marienplatz, Odeonsplatz.

See all 824 experiences in Munich