Leopoldstrasse

The Leopoldstraße (German: Leopoldstraße) in the Munich districts Maxvorstadt, Schwabing and Milbertshofen is a major boulevard as a continuation of Ludwigstrasse, the boulevard of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, north of the Siegestor.

The Siegestor (front), on Leopoldstraße between Munich's Maxvorstadt and Schwabing

Architecture

It was (after the incorporation of Schwabing in 1891) named after Prince Leopold of Bavaria, son of the late Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria. Previously the southern part of this road was called Schwabinger Way. From the street Milbertshofener / Domagkstrasse the Leopoldstrasse is named Ingolstädter Strasse.

The Leopoldstrasse runs from the Siegestor (Victory Gate) and the Art Academy in the south to the Münchner Freiheit with the Protestant church 'Erlöserkirche' and then further to the north. The first house on the left side was the villa Lola Montez, a mistress of Ludwig I, today it houses the Student Union of the University. The large sculpture "Walking man" has been created by the artist Jonathan Borofsky.

Although the street is one of the most important ones in Munich which has been full of shops, cinemas, hotels and restaurants and a major parkway, it is during the entire year a location for various events such as the Munich Marathon and street festivals like the Streetlife-Festival, then Leopoldstrasse is partially or completely blocked. Even after major sporting events the boulevard of Schwabing is occupied by celebrating fans.

Under the street are since 1971 the tunnels of Munich subway lines 3 and 6 with the stations 'Giselastraße' and 'Münchner Freiheit'.

In 1962, the Leopold Street was the scene of the Schwabinger Krawalle ('Schwabing riots') and from 1995 to 2001 of Union Movements.

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Coordinates: 48°55′26″N 11°21′11″E / 48.924°N 11.353°E / 48.924; 11.353

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.