BEERGARDENS IN MUNICH

Distance from hotel: 0.8 km

The Augustinerkeller has one of the oldest and nicest beer gardens of munich. The munich people meet here under cooling chestnuts, celebrating their tradition. But we also saved this beer garden, which is typical for munich, for all of our guests who love the nature and our bavarian city. Beer, right out of wooden barrels, grilled fish (“Steckerlfisch”) and chicken (“Hendl”), or a bavarian lunch – you can get all of this here. Our friendly service personnel will make you feel like home, in the heart of the nature.

For more than a century and a half the Augustiner Keller Hall located at the Arnulfstreet has ranked among the most popular oases for beer lovers in the Bavarian capital.

It was first mentioned as a warehouse of beer at the Munich city map of 1812. But it belonged to the Büchl Brewery as far back as the 17th century. And so municipal records referred to it as “Büchlbräukeller” (Büchl Beer Hall) until Georg Knorr bought it in 1842. Knorr was the son of a court clerk from Dachau. In the 1830s he advanced his position through a beneficial marriage from bookkeeper of a Munich merchant house to become its owner. In 1838 Knorr became co-founder of the Bayerische Hypotheken- und Wechselbank, one of the banks which created today’s Hypo Vereinsbank. One of Knorr’s sons purchased the “Latest News” (Knorr & Hirth Publishing House) in 1862. In 1848 the energetic businessman rented the facility, which was then known as “Knorrkeller”, to Gabriel Sedlmayr.

The municipal directory of 1842 classifies the beer garden as one of the most beautiful in Munich and comments: “Although it is situated right across from the site where the city of Munich discharges its sentences of capital punishment, it is frequented by numerous guests.”In 1862 the hall was acquired by the owner of the Augustiner Brewery, Joseph Wagner. At the time the fenced square only had a few trees near the horseshoe-shaped hall. Wagner is to be thanked for having more trees planted.

A special attraction of the Augustiner Keller hall was the so-called “beer ox” whose task was to haul the summer beer that was stored deep in the cool cellar by brute strength and with the help of a winch system up to ground level. This process took quite a while since the ox ambled along his circular path at a rather leisurely pace.

The last beer ox of Augustiner Keller hall was retired in 1891. To the dismay of Munich citizens who enjoyed watching the ox at work, this job was assumed by mechanical lifts. Even members of the upper class considered it a pleasurable outing to take their families to the beer garden and enjoy their snack and beer in the immediate vicinity of the hard-working beast. And still today the external appearance of the popular beer garden looks as it did in 1895.

Nowadays the festive hall of Augustiner Keller accommodates a variety of events for groups of up to 550 persons. It has welcomed guests from the political arena such as Schröder, Stoiber and Genscher as well as many celebrities from business, media and sports. On balmy summer days Augustiner Keller hall with its 5,000 seats exudes a unique atmosphere; furthermore there is no other beer garden in Munich which hosts so many long-term and faithful regulars who enjoy their food and beverages at no less than 130 long tables.

As always the so-called “Edelstoff” is served from the wooden oak. Connoisseurs proclaim it to be the best of beers. Augustiner Keller hall has received regular awards for preservation of tradition, excellent service and Bavarian specialty cuisine.

Augustinerkeller
Arnulfstrasse 52
80335 München

Tel. 089 / 59 43 93 – Fax 089 / 5 50 44 15
buero@augustinerkeller.de
http://www.augustinerkeller.de