This charming district south of the city center is significantly older than the city itself. This walking tour will feature the "French Quarter," "inns," and a "gachen Steig" (slightly narrow path). Local residents appreciate their neighborhood, which has everything their heart desires: history, cabaret, education, and, with the Munich Philharmonic, the Gasteig is home to a world-renowned orchestra.

Haidhausen: ancient yet young

Of Munich's 25 boroughs, Haidhausen is the fourth smallest, but in terms of population, it ranks a respectable eleventh. This speaks to the high popularity of Haidhausen, which, like Schwabing, Sendling, and the Au, is significantly older than Munich itself. Over 1,000 years before the village of Haidhausen was incorporated into Munich in 1854, it was first mentioned in writing around 800 AD as "Heidhusir."

Over 1,200 years of history have shaped this popular district, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden, but often only through tradition. Salzstraße, for example, ran right through the center, over Innere-Wiener-Straße to the Zollbrücke, and finally through the Isartor . The small village once lay outside the city gates and belonged to various noble families until, in the course of industrialization in the mid-19th century, it transformed into a working-class district. Even today, the so-called "Herbergshäuser" (hostels) in which workers lived in large numbers under conditions that are almost unimaginable today can be seen in Haidhausen's townscape.

Haidhausen: a very unique identity

A glance at the map of Haidhausen quickly reveals that the so-called "French Quarter" cannot have grown naturally. It is the result of planned development at the end of the 19th century, during which, in addition to planned residential streets, the Ostbahnhof (Eastern Train Station), large breweries, and gigantic beer cellars were built.

Relatively minimal wartime damage still allows the splendor of historicism to evoke in streets like Pariserstrasse and Wörthstrasse. For a long time after the Second World War, Haidhausen was known as the "Glass Shards Quarter" and certainly not one of the city's more fashionable areas. However, with buildings like the Munich Gasteig, its proximity to the Müllersches Volksbad (public baths), the Isar River, and the city center in general, Haidhausen has blossomed into an extremely sought-after neighborhood that has managed to preserve its identity and its secrets despite significant price increases.