Theresienwiese

Bavaria statue above Theresienwiese

Map of Munich and Sendling with Theresienwiese, 1812

Theresienwiese is an open space in the Munich borough of Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt. It serves as the official ground of the Munich Oktoberfest. A space of 420,000 square metres (4,500,000 sq ft), it is bordered in the west by the Ruhmeshalle and the Bavaria statue, symbolizing the State of Bavaria, and in the east by Esperantoplatz, a square named for the international language Esperanto. There, a memorial commemorates the victims of the 1980 Oktoberfest bombing. Bavariaring, an orbital road, provides access to visiting traffic. In the north the towers of the Paulskirche are visible.

History

The annual Oktoberfest fairground at Theresienwiese in Munich, aerial view

The name of the site is derived from the name of Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, the wife of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Their wedding when Ludwig I was still crown prince took place on a meadow outside the city walls on October 12, 1810 ("Wiese" is German for "meadow"), which thereafter was called "Theresienwiese". Since then, the Oktoberfest is celebrated every year to commemorate this event. In addition to the Oktoberfest, a spring festival and a winter festival ("Winter Tollwood") take place there as well. Every year in April, one of Germany's largest flea markets is also held there.

Location

The site is located south west of the city centre. It has its own station on the Munich U-Bahn system, on the U4 and U5 lines; the Poccistraße and Goetheplatz stations can be found near the southern end. The nearest Munich S-Bahn station is Hackerbrücke or München Hauptbahnhof (Munich central station).