Sendlinger Tor

Munich once had a complete ring of medieval walls with multiple gates. Most were demolished in the 19th century when the city burst its medieval boundaries. Three survived: the Isartor, the Karlstor, and this one — the Sendlinger Tor, which has stood at the southern approach to the old town since the first written record in 1318. For centuries, this was where the road to Italy began. Every merchant, pilgrim, and army heading south passed through these arches.

King Ludwig the Bavarian built the gate as part of Munich's second city wall expansion in the 14th century. The original design featured a central tower flanked by two octagonal side towers — a standard medieval arrangement that survived remarkably intact for 500 years. In 1808, the central tower was removed. In 1906, architect Wilhelm Bertsch converted the three small pedestrian archways into a single large arch to accommodate modern traffic, which was both practical and aesthetically painful. The two flanking towers, connected by a wall with a pointed arch, are the 14th-century originals.

The gate sits at the southern end of Sendlinger Strasse, one of Munich's oldest shopping streets and home to the Asam Church just a few hundred metres to the north. The contrast between the medieval stonework of the gate and the busy modern traffic circle surrounding it is jarring — Sendlinger Tor looks like a castle guard who fell asleep and woke up in a roundabout.

During the Sendling Christmas Massacre of 1705, Bavarian peasants mustered near this gate in an uprising against Austrian occupation. The revolt was crushed and hundreds were killed — an event still commemorated annually in the Sendling district. The gate has watched seven centuries of Munich pass through its arches, from medieval salt traders to S-Bahn commuters, and it looks like it plans to watch seven more.