Munich is of course rich in museums, but one I had not come across before was one of its newest - and oldest - right in the centre of town.
The Beer and Oktoberfest Museum at Sterneckerstrasse 2. is not the easiest to find, but it is superbly located between Tal and Marienplatz - just look out for the first tiny side street from Tal and you will see the sign on the street corner, as below.
So why the oldest and one of the newest?
The house itself dates back to 1340, and was built after the great fire at Isartor in 1327, and it is now regarded as the oldest civilian house in Munich. Check out the picture at the top of this article for the layout. While it previously had 12 living units, the building had seen much better days before it fell into disrepair, until it was transformed into its new persona, the Beer and Oktoberfest Museum.
After careful and extensive renovation, the house was reopened as a museum in 2005, making it one of the city's youngest cultural attractions, and there is an excellent video (unfortunately in German only) in the museum on the process of the extensive renovation. Tradition has been adhered to, and the museum is a wonderful collection of rooms where it IS possible to get lost.
Perhaps the must unusual feature of the house is the main staircase which goes in one direction only, as was apparently the practice at the time.
The rooms are cosy and well-decorated with various materials from Munich's rich beer history.
There is plenty of authentic traditional furnishings, and a walk around the two floors of the museum gives one an intimate feel of life all those years ago.
While the museum is on the higher floors, arguably the more popular attraction is the bar downstairs, a collection of homely rooms, offering a warm Bavarian welcome at an affordable price. I had been expecting the place to be a tourist trap, but with a 0.5 litre costing 3.10 euro, prices were probably a little cheaper than in the immediate neighbourhood.
The only slight catch is if you want to experience pub and museum at the same time, as opening times differ. The museum, which costs 4 euro for adults, is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 13:00 - 18:00, and the pub and restaurant is open from 18:00 - 24:00 from Monday to Saturday, so the sensible thing would be to time your visit for about 17:15 to enjoy both aspects of this delightful house.
Check out the video below for a more comprehensive video tour.
Bier and Oktoberfestmuseum,
Sterneckerstrasse 2
089-24231607
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