Tschüss Deutschland

So our time in Munich has unfortunately come to an end. We are now on train towards our next destination, Brussels. Munich was great, and now is a good time to reflect on some observations I made about the differences between Munich and Berlin. I did not have the chance to spend any substantial time with anybody who lived in either city. So I can only make observations about the people of Berlin and Munich based on what I saw throughout the cities as well as our short time with tour guides from each city. I also believe that the history of each city has a significant impact on the mentality of the people now. In Berlin, the history of wars and the division of the city have defined not only the layout of the city, but also the mentality of Berliners. Throughout Berlin there are reminders of its division as well as its Nazi past. For example, pieces of the Berlin wall are scattered throughout the city and serve as an obvious reminder of the city's division. The same is true in Munich. However, in Munich the evidence of its Nazi past is confined to museums.

People in Munich seem to base their identity partly on the idea that Bavaria is separate from the rest of Germany. Our tour guides in Munich made it clear, albeit in a slightly sarcastic way, that Bavarians see themselves as different from other Germans. An interesting side-note is that I, and I think along with many other Americans, see Bavarian culture (or at least what I observed in Munich) as typical German culture. The lederhosen, big beer halls with communal tables, and old-style architecture are all stereotypes associated with Germany. However, it seems that these aspects of Bavarian culture have largely been imported into the USA through our obsession with Oktoberfest and do not represent German culture as a whole. The idea that my former idea of German culture was based on a culture that does not necessarily see itself as German is definitely worth thinking about for awhile. Along with seeing themselves as different from the rest of Germany, Bavarians are a very proud group of people. This pride, again, was evident in our time with the tour guides (as well as the brewers who spoke at the VLB) who seemed genuinely proud to be Bavarians. The pride in being Bavarian extends, I think, to a pride in the history of the region. This pride in the history of the region is apparent in the buildings seen in the city center and throughout Munich. People in Munich have obviously made a concerted effort to retain an image of the past in the architecture of the city. This renovation of the past is not a new development in Munich. I visited the Müncher Stadtmuseum a couple days ago and one display showed how, even in the early 19th century, people in Munich were concerned about the modernization of the city and wanted to make sure to retain the image of "Old Munich." The desire to return to an earlier, romanticized era (at least in the architecture throughout the city) seems to be a persistent trait of people in Munich.

Berliners, on the other hand, seem to be much more fixated on the future. In general, reconstruction of the bombed buildings after WWII focused on creating a more modern city. The focus on modernity seems to be somewhat mirrored in the mentality of the people. Berliners seem to move at a faster pace than people in Munich. Its hard to point to any concrete examples of this besides people in Munich sitting at restaurants longer. However, the general feel of Berlin while walking through the city is that it moves faster and more energetically than Munich. The pub culture is also entirely different in Berlin as opposed to Munich. You do not find beer halls with big communal tables anywhere in Berlin and it was actually difficult for us to find a pub at all while in Berlin.

As I said, the histories of both cities seem to have had a significant impact on the mentality of the people living in them. Some of the impact of the history can be seen today in the layout of each city. Berlin was divided in half by the Wall for half a century, and you can still see differences between the two sections of the city. Berlin also does not have as defined of a city center as Munich. Rather, Berlin has multiple centers of activity throughout the city. Munich, on the other hand, extends out from the Altstadt (old city). The altstadt is the area of the city that used to be surrounded by the city wall. When looking at the map it is easy to see where the city wall previously stood. It is clear that Munich has been at a prime location for trade throughout its history and city fortifications were vital for its survival. Speaking of trade, access to water in both cities has had a tremendous impact on trade. In Munich, for example, the salt trade was an important income source because the salt was able to travel from the southeast to the northeast over water through Munich. However, a city that is located near a large body of water would have a distinct advantage over cities such as Berlin and Munich, which are located on rivers. So, there are some observations about Berlin and Munich, and now its time for a complete change of pace in Brussels. I'll keep the blog posted on how I handle the complete shock to my taste buds I will encounter with Belgian beers.

Prost