Haidhausen is located in the south-east of Munich, bordering Bogenhausen, Berg am Laim and the Au. Not least due to its proximity to the city centre it is one of the most sought-after residential neighbourhoods. Almost 60,000 people currently live here.
From a neighbourhood of broken glass to a top district
Haidhausen was first mentioned in a document in 808. At that time, the salt road ran through the small settlement above the Isar. It was mainly day labourers from the countryside who came here, as clay bricks were produced for the city and it was cheaper to live here than in Munich. The Thirty Years' War almost completely destroyed Haidhausen, after which the district was rebuilt. However, it remained a settlement for poor people.
In 1854 it was finally incorporated into the city of Munich. As industrialization progressed and factories were built around the Ostbahnhof, more and more workers moved to Haidhausen and were accommodated in simple houses.
Many old buildings have been preserved
Further cheap, narrowly built rental apartments for the poorer population were built in 1871 when the train station opened. And in the so-called French Quarter, the streets were named after the locations of victorious battles in the Franco-Prussian War. The Second World War only destroyed a few buildings in Haidhausen, which is why there are still many old buildings.
Until the end of the 1970s, the district remained a broken glass district, i.e. an area in which poor people lived. It was only in the 1980s, when industrial facilities were demolished, new residential buildings were built, old buildings were renovated and trendy bars were opened, that high-earning Munich residents discovered Haidhausen for themselves. Today the district is one of the most sought-after residential areas in the city and is also very popular with families.
What you should know in Haidhausen
The most impressive building in the Haidhausen district is the Maximilianeum, built in the Renaissance style, on the high bank of the Isar. The Bavarian King Maximilian II's foundation of the same name has had its headquarters here since 1876. Highly talented students are supported there with free accommodation and meals. The Bavarian State Parliament has also been housed in Haidhausen since 1949. As a visitor you can take part in plenary and committee meetings or take a look at the building on the open day, which takes place every two years.
Food market and brewery beer garden
The food market, which was previously on Preysingstrasse, was moved to Wiener Platz in 1889. Heavily damaged in the Second World War, it was restored and is now the center of the Haidhausen district.
The Hofbräukeller, which was built between 1892 and 1894, is also located on Wiener Platz. The Hofbräu brewery was located here between 1896 and 1988. At the end of the 1980s it was finally moved to Riem due to space constraints. Today the whole thing is a restaurant and a large beer garden that borders on the Maximiliansanlagen.
The Kriechbaumhof at Preysingstrasse 71 is also worth seeing. The rustic wooden house was a hostel for newcomers in Haidhausen in the 18th century. In the 1970s, the old building in Haidhausen was demolished and almost ten years later it was rebuilt. A midwife's practice is now housed there and the German Alpine Club uses the farm as a meeting point.
The around 200 year old Üblacker-Häusl is a former hostel where day laborers found shelter. It is located on the corner of Preysingstrasse and Wolfgangstrasse and can also be visited inside at certain times.
