Lucerne via Innsbruck and Liechtenstein

The trip from Munich to Lucerne is about five hours with two scheduled stops on the way. Our first stop will be in Innsbruck. Innsbruck is the provincial capital of Tyrol. It has hosted the Winter Olympics twice, making it not only an interesting and beautiful situated city but the "largest ski resort in the alps". It is located both close to Munich and northern Italy making it a must see alpine destination. We will most likely have a quick stop in Innsbruck with time to walk around the old town. There are numerous gift shops and restaurants in this area.

Some of the photo opportunities include the Golden Roof (Late-gothic alcove balcony, with 2657 fire-gilded cupreous shingles. It was built on behalf of emperor Maximilian I), the St. Anna Column (the column, which is made of Tyrolean marble, was created in 1706, in memory of the drawback of Bavarian troops) and the Triumphal Arch (built in 1765 to mark the marriage of Archduke Leopold and the Spanish princess Maria Ludovica).





Our second stop will be in Liechtenstein. The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over 160 square kilometres (62 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Liechtenstein is the smallest yet the richest German-speaking country in the world and the only country to lie entirely within the Alps. This will likely be another short stop so the bus driver can rest before we reach Lucerne.

Dachau Concentration Camp

Dachau Concentration Camp was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany, located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about 16 km northwest of Munich. 

Opened March 22, 1933, it was the first regular concentration camp established by the coalition government of the National Socialist Party (Nazi Party) and the German Nationalist People's Party. Heinrich Himmler, then Chief of Police of Munich, officially described the camp as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners."

We will be touring the Dachau Concentration Camp while we are in Munich. If you are interested in reading and learning more about Dachau, there are a few sites that are worth visiting prior to our tour.
http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/othercamps/dachau.html

A web site you might want to check out.
http://www.scrapbookpages.com/dachauscrapbook/index.html.

There are some resources at this site that might be useful.
http://www.dachautour.com/Reasearch%20dachau.html.

Munich: Home of Oktoberfest

Our next overnight stop will be in Munich. It is approximately three hours from Nuremberg. Munich is the capital of the state of Bavaria and lies near the foot of the German Alps. It is located on the River Isar. Munich started out as a small town enclosed by a wall and then expanded beyond it. The 'inner city' occupies a small area that is easy to explore on foot and you'll get a sense of the original wall because the gates still remain.

Munich was founded (1158) by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and of Bavaria. In 1806 the city was made capital of the kingdom of Bavaria. Munich became a cultural and artistic center and it played a leading role in the development of 19th- and 20th-century German painting.

After World War I the city was the scene of considerable political unrest. National Socialism (Nazism) was founded there, and on Nov. 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler failed in his attempted Munich “beer-hall putsch”—a coup aimed at the Bavarian government. Despite this fiasco, Hitler made Munich the headquarters of the Nazi party, which in 1933 took control of the German national government. Munich was badly damaged during World War II, but after 1945 it was extensively rebuilt and many modern buildings were constructed.

The 1972 Olympic Games were held in Munich. The games were blackened by the hostage taking and subsequent killing of eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team.

The traditional Bavarian foods served in Munich include bratwurst and other sausages, fried potatoes or potato salad, sauerkraut, dumplings and roasted meats such as pork or veal. And no trip to Munich would be complete without trying Apfelstrudel for dessert or a giant pretzel fresh from the oven.

Our visit to Munich will probably include a guided city tour by bus as well as a walking tour of the center of the city. Some of our stops on the tour may include:

1. Munich Residenz


2. Marienplatz


3. Frauenkirche - Cathedral Church of Our Lady


4. Hofbrauhaus


5. The Viktualienmarkt


Check out this video on youtube to see more of Munich:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj9cYPeO5eA&feature=relmfu

The Imperial City of Nuremberg

On our way to Munich we will be stopping in Nuremberg. Nuremberg is a city in the German state of Bavaria, and is Bavaria's second largest city after Munich. It is located about 170 Km north of Munich.
Nuremberg held great significance during the Nazi Germany era. Because of the city's position in the centre of Germany, the Nazi Party chose the city to be the site of huge Nazi Party conventions — the Nuremberg rallies. After Adolf Hitler's rise to power in 1933 the Nuremberg rallies became huge Nazi propaganda events. At the 1935 rally, Hitler specifically ordered the Reichstag to convene at Nuremberg to pass the anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws, which revoked German citizenship for all Jews.
During World War II, Nuremberg was the headquarters of Wehrkreis (military district) XIII. It was also the site of military production, including aircraft, submarines, and tank engines. Heavy bombing took place in Nuremberg near the end of World War II.
Between 1945 and 1946, German officials involved in the Holocaust and other war crimes were brought before an international tribunal in the Nuremberg Trials.
A walking tour of the old town of Nuremberg may include stops at the Castle and city walls and churches dating back to the 13th century. Shops along the way will be selling gingerbread, a popular souvenir for tourists.