Kriegerdenkmal im Hofgarten

The Kriegerdenkmal stands at the eastern end of Munich’s Hofgarten, directly in front of the Bayerische Staatskanzlei. It was built to honour the 13,000 soldiers from Munich who died in the First World War. A rectangular pit, 2.25 metres deep and lined with Muschelkalk stone, forms the heart of the memorial. Four broad stairs lead down to an open crypt beneath a massive roof weighing 250 tonnes. On the north wall, a relief shows marching soldiers, while the south wall depicts a burial ground.

The fallen soldier at the centre was carved in red marble by Bernhard Bleeker and later cast in bronze. The architect Karl Knappe designed the structure with Thomas Wechs and Eberhard Finsterwalder. Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria unveiled the memorial in 1924, though work continued until 1928. Inside, an inscription records the 13,000 names lost between 1914 and 1918. After the Second World War, a new inscription was added to commemorate 22,000 killed, 11,000 missing and 6,600 victims of air raids from 1939 to 1945.

Visitors descend the stairs into the crypt, where the bronze statue stands on a pedestal. The walls carry the memorial’s inscriptions in German. The surrounding Hofgarten offers a quiet place for reflection. The memorial remains a protected cultural heritage site in the city centre.