Karlsplatz Square

One of the busiest transport and shopping points in Munich is Karlsplatz Square. It was laid in 1791 after the demolition of the city fortifications in front of the Karlstor Gate. Munich residents like to spend their free time on this square, many tourist routes begin here.

Officially, the square is named after Prince Theodore Charles, who blew up the second belt of city fortifications and signed a decree on its expansion. Since the Most High Prince was from the Palatinate and the Munich people did not like it very much, the citizens of this square were renamed Status after the name of the guest house with a beer house, which was once located here. The rotunda structures bordering Karlsplatz were built by architect von Lechner from 1796 to 1802. On the western side of the square, a botanical garden was laid out, which in 1891 was demolished and a palace of justice was erected in its place. The famous fountain on Karlsplatz was built in 1970, after which the square acquired a new sound. At night, the fountain jets, beating from many concentric circles, are illuminated by 28 floodlights.

Under Karlsplatz there is an underground shopping center "Stachus", which, together with metro and train stations, is considered the largest center in the world. 160,000 people pass through it every day. On Karlsplatz there is also McDonald’s, which has the largest turnover among the world chain of these restaurants.