Bogenhausen is located in the north-east and is one of Munich's most diverse neighbourhoods. More than 80,000 people live in district 13, which also includes Herzogpark, Johanniskirchen, Oberföhring, Denning, Englschalking, Daglfing and Zamdorf.
Bogenhausen was formed from several villages
The area that is now Bogenhausen was settled early on and is older than Munich itself. It was first mentioned in documents in the second half of the 8th century, namely as ‘Pupinhusir’, which can be roughly translated as ‘houses of Poapo’ (Poapo was a nobleman of medieval Bavaria).
In the Middle Ages, the villages of Bogenhausen, Denning and Zamdorf were part of the Duchy of Bavaria. Oberföhring, Unterföhring, Englschalking and Daglfing belonged to the episcopal see of Freising until secularisation in 1803. In the 17th and 18th centuries, various aristocratic families settled in Bogenhausen and erected stately buildings with large gardens.
Who gave the Herzogpark its name
At the beginning of the 19th century, Maximilian von Montgelas acquired Stepperg Castle on today's Herkomerplatz and used it as a summer residence. He also obtained floodplain areas on the Isar as a result of the Isar regulation and had Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell create spacious parks and natural gardens there. In 1839, the whole estate was sold to Duke Max in Bavaria. The Herzogpark also owes its name to him. After the Duke's family was no longer able to keep the park, the area was divided up and built on by wealthy citizens.
Bogenhausen was incorporated into Munich in 1892, and the villages of Johanniskirchen, Oberföhring, Englschalking, Denning, Zamdorf, Steinhausen and Daglfing were incorporated between 1913 and 1937. In the mid-1950s, the first high-rise buildings in Munich were erected in the so-called Parkstadt Bogenhausen, which are now listed buildings. Arabellapark was created from 1966 and the Mae West sculpture installed on Effnerplatz in 2011 is now one of Bogenhausen's landmarks alongside the Angel of Peace.
What you should have seen in Bogenhausen
The golden, six-metre-high Angel of Peace has been towering over the city since 1899 and commemorates the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Today, it is not only a well-known Munich viewpoint over the city, but also a popular backdrop for wedding photographers. Every year in July, the Peace Angel Festival takes place there, which lasts several days.
Prinzregentenstraße is home to the Prinzregententheater, which was built in 1901 on the model of the Bayreuth Festival Theatre and owes its name to Prince Regent Luitpold. It is used for classical, opera and dance theatre performances and once a year for the Bavarian Film and Television Awards.
You should definitely visit the Kocherlball at Chinese Tower. Originally, Munich's domestic workers used to meet here at the crack of dawn for an open-air ball. And even today, the whole thing still takes place from 6.00 to 10.00 in the morning. But it's worth getting up early, because you should experience this unique atmosphere.
Bogenhausen is multifaceted and yet village-like
When you think of Bogenhausen, the villa neighbourhoods spring to mind. But the Stadtteil offers much more. There are densely built-up areas, but also quiet, almost rural neighbourhoods with green spaces, biotopes and extensive meadows. This is why the district is so popular with families. And although you live in a city of millions, you often bump into familiar faces. Without having to make an appointment, you automatically see each other in winter when ice skating at the Prinzregentenstadion, on the sledging hill on Neuberghauser Straße or at the Christkindelmarkt on Chinese Towerall year round at the cinema on Rosenkavaliersplatz, for sport at TSV Jahn, Sport Scheck or Rothof and in summer for a swim in the ‘Prinzi’. This gives the neighbourhood an almost village-like character.
