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Satirist, actor, comedian, and a well-known character in the city, Valentin (1882–1948) performed for many years with his sidekick Liesl Karlstadt.

Built in 1715, this Baroque church belonging to the Benedictine abbey is well worth a visit. A Roman memorial stone from AD 204 is incorporated in the imposing church entrance. Limburg, the seat of the Hallgrafen dynasty, was formerly located near the monastery. By relocating its principality to Wasserburg in 1137, the family caused the cultural flowering of that town.

Passing beneath the Siegestor, you will enter Schwabing and the district’s principal promenade, the Leopoldstraße. Flanked by shops, pavement cafés, and fast-food outlets, the boulevard has lost some of its 1960s and ′70s air, when a new generation of film-makers, students, and bohemians set the tone, but there are still some interesting pockets. One of the route’s highlights is the Walking Man (1995), a 17-m- (55-ft-) high sculpture by Jonathan Borofsky at Ainmillerstraße 36. On the northern end of the Münchner Freiheit, in a café of the same name, tables are set out in summer beneath a larger-than-life statue of actor Helmut Fischer. Beautifully preserved Art Nouveau houses are to be found on several side streets off Leopold-straße, notably Georgenstraße (Nos. 8–10) and Ainmillerstraße (Nos. 20, 22, 33, 34, 35, and 37). Take a detour onto Kaiserstraße for a glimpse of a pretty ensemble from the Foundation Period. Hohenzollernstraße and the section of Maxvorstadt bounded by Schelling-, Türken-, and Barer-straße, are packed with fun and eccentric boutiques (see Boutiques & Shops). Nearly all side streets off the south side of Leopoldstaße lead to the Englischer Garten.

As the mistress of Ludwig I, Lola Montez (1818–61) is said to have had great influence on the sovereign.

Numerous magnificent buildings were built by King Ludwig I (1786–1868). In 1826, he transferred the university from Landshut to Munich.

“Kini” Ludwig II (1845–1886), has gone down in history as the “fairy-tale king.”

Ludwig I transferred the 15th-century university from Ingolstadt to Munich. The main assembly hall fronts on Geschwister-Scholl-Platz and is surrounded by faculty buildings.

Designed in the Italian Romanesque style, St Ludwig’s Church (1829–43) is home to the second-largest church fresco in the world.

After the old town wall was pulled down, Ludwig I commissioned a monumental boulevard in the Italian Renaissance style – the Ludwigstraße (1815–50). This splendid street is bounded by the Feldherrnhalle to the south (see Odeonsplatz, Theatinerkirche & Feldherrnhalle) and the Siegestor (Victory Gate) to the north. Based on the Arch of Constantine in Rome, the Siegestor is crowned by the figure of Bavaria riding a chariot drawn by four lions. Designed for victory parades in honour of the Bavarian army, the gate, damaged in World War II, has been restored. The 1958 inscription reads “Dedicated to victory, destroyed in war, an entreaty for peace.”

The Mariensäule (Column of the Virgin), from 1590, and the 19th-century fish fountain on Marienplatz are popular meeting spots. Although the square is dominated by the ornate Neues Rathaus, or New Town Hall (1867–1908), the eastern side is bounded by the Gothic simplicity of the Altes Rathaus, or Old Town Hall, built during the 15th century. The Glockenspiel, a chiming clock, is not to be missed (see Around Marienplatz).