Munich/Haidhausen

Haidhausen is a residential and night life area of Munich, about 2 km east of city centre on the east bank of the river Isar. It comprises the boroughs of Au-Haidhausen, Alt-Bogenhausen and Untergiesing. This page also describes the party zone of Werksviertel, just beyond the railway tracks in the next borough of Berg am Laim.

Understand
The ridge on the east bank of the Isar was industrial from the Middle Ages, with brickworks using the local clay. However settlement remained small until the 19th century, when the city sucked in a labour force that had previously worked on the land, and public transport meant that people could live beyond walking distance from their work. The Gründerzeit was an economic boom time across Germany, from the 1840s to the crash of 1873.

Haidhausen, first documented in 808 AD, was a quarter for day labourers and craftsmen outside the city walls and gates. It was incorporated into the city of Munich in 1854, along with Au a riverside tract further south. The railway arrived in 1871 and the area northwest of Ostbahnhof station was developed as the "French Quarter", a stately lattice of streets and circles with French names. Many of the buildings of that era were destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II, and replaced in a variety of styles. Today, Au-Haidhausen is a popular residential district, and has a high density of bars and clubs.

Alt-Bogenhausen further northwest was little damaged during the war, so it has more historic houses with higher property prices.

Untergiesing, incorporated into Munich along with its northern neighbours, used to be a working-class neighbourhood. Its main attractions nowadays are the parkland banks of the Isar, where people on warm summer evenings relax and drink beer.

Werksviertel southeast of the railway is a party zone on an industrial scale, where former factories have been converted into clubs, discos and bars. It's actually in the adjoining district of Berg am Laim, part of east Munich, but it's convenient to describe it on this page.

By train
Mainline trains converge on Hauptbahnhof from all parts of Germany and beyond, so you normally change there for S- and U-Bahn trains into Haidhausen.

However trains from Austria and Hungary stop at Ostbahnhof on their way to Hauptbahnhof. These all stop in Salzburg on the border, and crossing Bavaria the regional trains stop at Freilassing, Teisendorf, Trauenstein, Bergen (Oberbay), Übersee, Bernau a Chiemsee, Prien am Chiemsee, Bad Endorf and Rosenheim.

(East Station) is the transport hub for this district. The main entrance is southwest on Orleansplatz, which is the local bus station. You can also access from the northeast on Friedenstraße via the pedestrian tunnel. At least until 2026, there is local disruption as the new S-Bahn tunnel is built, but station access and facilities are unchanged.

S-Bahn suburban trains: most lines pass through Ostbahnhof. From the airport take S8, which runs twice an hour taking 33 min and continues to city centre then out southwest to Herrsching. S1 takes 50 min from the airport as it goes first to city centre then comes out east to terminate here.

500 m west of Ostbahnhof is a stop for the cross-town S-Bahn lines and may be more convenient for the Au-riverbank part of the district.

S1, S2, S3, S4, S6, S7 and S8 all run via Hauptbahnhof, Altstadt and Rosenheimer Platz to Ostbahnhof. S3 and S7 there turn south to Sankt-Martin-Straße and Giesing then Holzkirchen or Kreuzstraße. S2, S4, S6 and S8 continue east to Leuchtenbergring, where S8 heads north to the airport, S2 goes northeast to Erding, and S4 and S6 go southeast to Zorneding or Ebersberg.

U-Bahn underground trains:
 * skims the south of this district, running via Hauptbahnhof, Sendlinger Tor and Frauenhoferstraße to Kolumbusplatz and Candidplatz then Mangfallplatz.
 * and take the same route from Hauptbahnhof to Kolumbusplatz, and continue east to Silberhornstraße, Karl-Preis-Platz, Untersbergstraße and Giesing. U2 goes out to Messe trade fair grounds.
 * and run east via Karlsplatz (Stachus), Odeonsplatz and Lehel to cross the river to Max-Weber-Platz (the tram hub, see below). U4 turns north across Alt-Bogenhausen to Prinzregentenplatz, Böhmerwaldplatz, Richard-Strauss-Straße and Arabellapark. U5 turns south to Ostbahnhof and Neuperlach.

By tram
rather than Ostbahnhof is where local tram lines converge.
 * Lines 19 and 21 cross the city east-west, and are your likeliest route of arrival, as they run through Hauptbahnhof. They make five stops in Altstadt-Lehel, then cross the river to Maximilianeum (not to be confused with Maxmonument the previous stop) and Max-Weber-Platz. Line 19 continues east to Berg-am-Laim while Line 21 trends southeast to Ostbahnhof and St-Veit-Straße.
 * Line 37 comes from the northeast at St Emmeram to Effnerplatz then via Villa Stuck to Max-Weber-Platz.
 * Line 25 comes from the south at Grünwald via Ostfriedhof, Regerplatz, Rosenheimer Platz and Wörthstraße to Max-Weber-Platz.
 * Two other lines from city centre clip the edge of the district: Line 16 via Maxmonument and Lehel to Effnerplatz further north, and Line 18 via Eduard-Schmid-Straße, Mariahilfplatz, Ostfriedhof and St-Martins-Platz to Schwanseestraße further south.

By road
It's not difficult to get here by car, outside of rush hour, the major problem is parking. Street parking is limited to residents with permits. For a day trip, use one of the Park & Ride lots signposted from the approach highways - these have good U-Bahn connections.

Haidhausen is within easy cycling distance of other Munich districts and many streets have bike lanes, but the gradients up from the river bridges are steep.

Get around
Most places of interest are in the triangle bounded by Ludwigsbrücke west, Maximiliansplatz north and Ostbahnhof east, so walking is usually the best option.

Use the tram for outlying places, and consider using trams and U-Bahn lines through Lehel on the west bank of the river then re-crossing on foot. All of Haidhausen is within the M inner city travel zone, see Munich#Get around for fares and rules.

See

 * (Friedensengel) marks the entrance to Bogenhausen district as Prinzregentenstraße crosses the river from Lehel. She's a 6 m statue atop a 38 m column, erected in 1896 to celebrate 25 years of peace since the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. The small temple at the foot of the column depicts German and Bavarian rulers. The angel took a nose-dive in 1981 but was repaired. Bus 100 crosses the bridge.
 * Maximiliansanlagen is the park flanking the river, south of the Angel upstream to Maximiliansbrücke and Prater island, and north downstream to Max-Joseph-Brücke. You can't swim here as the river bank is too steep. Tram 37 runs a block or two inland along Ismaninger Straße.
 * Möhlstraße is the handsome street coursing north from Europaplatz by Villa Stuck to Montgelasstraße. It's a well-preserved ensemble of 30 mansions built at the end of the 19th century, and Munich's most expensive neighbourhood. Tram 37 runs a block further east.
 * at Versailler Straße 20 was built in 1922 when this parish separated from Haidhausen. It has an Italianate tower.
 * at Versailler Straße 20 was built in 1922 when this parish separated from Haidhausen. It has an Italianate tower.
 * at Versailler Straße 20 was built in 1922 when this parish separated from Haidhausen. It has an Italianate tower.
 * Üblacker-Häusl 200 m south of the museum at Preysingstraße 58 was a day-labourer's hostel and is run by the museum. It's open W Th 17:00-19:00, F Su 10:00-12:00.
 * (Tram: Max-Weber-Platz) is a hefty neo-Gothic RC church. It was mostly complete by 1858 with the towers added in 1870 - the west tower is 97 m tall. It was bombed in wartime but rebuilt.
 * on Kirchenstraße 39 is the 16th century building it replaced, still in use.
 * Potato Museum just south of Ostbahnhof has been closed since 2016, with no news on re-opening. So visitors continue to pass by unaware of the potato's profound contribution to artistic and cultural history, not least because it was all the artists could afford to eat.
 * Medienbrücke is the odd structure jutting out above Rosenheimer Straße on the IVG Business Park just north of the Observatory. It's an events venue.
 * is a charming 13th century church at Innere Wiener Straße 1. It served a leprosy hospital, long gone, and is nowadays a Ukrainian Orthodox church. The Loretto Chapel was added in 1678, demolished in 1820 then rebuilt.
 * Deutsche Museum fills the large river island reached by Ludwigsbrücke, but see Isarvorstadt for description.
 * (Tram 18: Mariahilfplatz) is a large redbrick neo-Gothic RC church. It's a rebuild of 1951, considerably altered from the 1830s original lost to bombing.
 * is a charming 13th century church at Innere Wiener Straße 1. It served a leprosy hospital, long gone, and is nowadays a Ukrainian Orthodox church. The Loretto Chapel was added in 1678, demolished in 1820 then rebuilt.
 * Deutsche Museum fills the large river island reached by Ludwigsbrücke, but see Isarvorstadt for description.
 * (Tram 18: Mariahilfplatz) is a large redbrick neo-Gothic RC church. It's a rebuild of 1951, considerably altered from the 1830s original lost to bombing.
 * (Tram 18: Mariahilfplatz) is a large redbrick neo-Gothic RC church. It's a rebuild of 1951, considerably altered from the 1830s original lost to bombing.
 * on Sachsenstraße is in full bloom in June and July. It's open daily to 21:00, free.
 * Flaucher south of the rose garden is an extensive park along the banks and river islands of the Isar, see Munich/South-West.
 * at Friedenstraße 40 is the city council's technical and engineering department. So you can only go within on business, but the striking 63 m high glass and steel exterior is worth a look. The public can also enter the "Courtyard in the Wind", as draughty as it promises, where a wind turbine slowly rotates a disc.
 * on Dingolfinger Straße (S- & U-Bahn: Ostbahnhof) are five pairs of high rises joined by bridges. They're corporate offices.
 * at Friedenstraße 40 is the city council's technical and engineering department. So you can only go within on business, but the striking 63 m high glass and steel exterior is worth a look. The public can also enter the "Courtyard in the Wind", as draughty as it promises, where a wind turbine slowly rotates a disc.
 * on Dingolfinger Straße (S- & U-Bahn: Ostbahnhof) are five pairs of high rises joined by bridges. They're corporate offices.

Do

 * Cinema: Museum Lichtspiele shows movies in their original language version. It's on Lillienstraße, by the foot of Rosenheimer Straße.
 * (Tram 17: Eduard-Schmid-Straße) is the riverside park between Reichenbachbrücke and Wittelsbacherbrücke.
 * (Tram 17: Eduard-Schmid-Straße) is the riverside park between Reichenbachbrücke and Wittelsbacherbrücke.
 * (Tram 17: Eduard-Schmid-Straße) is the riverside park between Reichenbachbrücke and Wittelsbacherbrücke.
 * Football: TSV 1860 München play soccer in 3. Liga, Germany's third tier. Their home ground is Grünwalder Stadion (capacity 15,000) near U-Bahn Candidplatz (U1, U2, U7, U8) - this doesn't meet the stadium requirements of higher tiers so TSV would have to move grounds if promoted. They can only dream of the days when they used to play at Allianz Arena in the north of the city.
 * Football: TSV 1860 München play soccer in 3. Liga, Germany's third tier. Their home ground is Grünwalder Stadion (capacity 15,000) near U-Bahn Candidplatz (U1, U2, U7, U8) - this doesn't meet the stadium requirements of higher tiers so TSV would have to move grounds if promoted. They can only dream of the days when they used to play at Allianz Arena in the north of the city.

Events

 * Nockherberg strong beer festival (Salvator-Ausschank auf dem Nockherberg) is held at the Paulaner-Nockherberg beer garden (see below) in Lent, usually over 17 days from mid-March. The Paulaner monks brewed a stronger beer during Lent when their diet was meagre, originally at Neudeck across the river. The event moved here in 1861 when Paulaner Brewery bought the site from banker Georg Nochher, who gave his name to the Nockherberg, a 535 m hill overlooking the Isar. Beer is served M-F 14:00-22:30, Sa Su 11:00-22:30. You won't last a fraction of that time, clue's in the name "strong beer".
 * Auer Dult is a market and funfair held three times a year in the square at the foot of Mariahilfkirche. Each fair lasts nine days: Maidult starts on the first Saturday of May, Jakobidult starts on the Saturday after the feast of St James late July to early August, and Kirchweihdult is mid-Oct around the church foundation day, also called Kirchweih or Kermesse. The market is particularly noted for crockery.
 * Haidhauser Weihnachtsmarkt is a Christmas Market held on Weißenburger Platz (100 m east of S- & U-Bahn: Rosenheimer Platz). It's daily from 28 Nov to 24 Dec.

Clubs

 * Ampere is a smaller venue within Muffatwerk staging indie rock concerts.
 * is a vast culture and entertainment complex on the southeast flank of Ostbahnhof. Set up in 1996 on an industrial brownfield site, it was originally called KPO - "Kunstpark Ost". The area is home to several concert halls, theaters, clubs, live music venues, bars, studios, a container village, art workshops, sports facilities and a radio station. Principal venues within the complex include the TonHalle at Atelierstraße 24, the Technikum and the WERK7 at Speicherstraße, as well as the Container Collective art center at Atelierstraße 4.
 * Ampere is a smaller venue within Muffatwerk staging indie rock concerts.
 * is a vast culture and entertainment complex on the southeast flank of Ostbahnhof. Set up in 1996 on an industrial brownfield site, it was originally called KPO - "Kunstpark Ost". The area is home to several concert halls, theaters, clubs, live music venues, bars, studios, a container village, art workshops, sports facilities and a radio station. Principal venues within the complex include the TonHalle at Atelierstraße 24, the Technikum and the WERK7 at Speicherstraße, as well as the Container Collective art center at Atelierstraße 4.
 * Ampere is a smaller venue within Muffatwerk staging indie rock concerts.
 * is a vast culture and entertainment complex on the southeast flank of Ostbahnhof. Set up in 1996 on an industrial brownfield site, it was originally called KPO - "Kunstpark Ost". The area is home to several concert halls, theaters, clubs, live music venues, bars, studios, a container village, art workshops, sports facilities and a radio station. Principal venues within the complex include the TonHalle at Atelierstraße 24, the Technikum and the WERK7 at Speicherstraße, as well as the Container Collective art center at Atelierstraße 4.
 * Ampere is a smaller venue within Muffatwerk staging indie rock concerts.
 * is a vast culture and entertainment complex on the southeast flank of Ostbahnhof. Set up in 1996 on an industrial brownfield site, it was originally called KPO - "Kunstpark Ost". The area is home to several concert halls, theaters, clubs, live music venues, bars, studios, a container village, art workshops, sports facilities and a radio station. Principal venues within the complex include the TonHalle at Atelierstraße 24, the Technikum and the WERK7 at Speicherstraße, as well as the Container Collective art center at Atelierstraße 4.

Connect
As of Oct 2022, the entire city has 5G from all German carriers. Wifi (in German "WLAN") is widely available in public places and on transport.

Go next

 * Altstadt starts just west, the city's delightful medieval core.
 * Ludwigsvorstadt southwest has the Deutsche Museum of science and technology. Oktoberfest is held on Theresienwiese.
 * Eastern Munich has the zoo and Messe the trade fair halls.