Munich is Germany’s largest state; rich in history, culture and music. The home of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) and Fußball-Club Bayern München (Bayern Munich), its name means “home of the monks”, so-called due to a Benedictine monastery founded in the Bavarian capital in around the mid-8th century.
This vibrant city was also the destination of choice for 21 Lathallan Senior School pupils from across S3-S6, who spent four days in Munich in December; the first school trip abroad since the relaxing of travel rules post-Covid, and following a school trip to Berlin in 2019.
As the birthplace of Nazism, with Nuremberg central to the party’s rise and fall, the trip was especially pertinent to those studying Higher and Advanced Higher History. As well as enhancing the knowledge gained during the pupils’ classroom studies of the Cold War and Germany, it also expanded their cultural understanding of Munich and Europe more broadly.
For those not studying history, it also gave pupils an opportunity to practice their language skills, and to experience the fun and festivity of the city’s famous Christmas markets.
On arriving in Munich on Sunday afternoon and dropping their baggage off at the hotel, Meininger Munich City Centre, pupils and accompanying teaching staff headed straight to the Christmas market at the Marienplatz (main square), festively illuminated against the backdrop of the neo-Gothic town hall.
Of the experience, S5 pupil, Maia McMahon, said: “I enjoyed the opportunity to use my German language skills and also really enjoyed speaking to the wide variety of ages of people from school who were on the trip. The older students were allowed to move around the markets independently and it was great fun going to all the stalls on our own. Trying out the different street foods and getting a first taste of German cuisine was so interesting and enjoyable.”
Pippa Hopkin (S3) added: “Munich exceeded my expectations straight away. On the first night we walked to the local Christmas market and the sky was black, but lit up by thousands of lights draped from every little colourful stall. I could tell that Munich really took the experience for travellers seriously. I bought a sweet little snow globe as it was snowing in Munich when we were there, and inside the globe there is the big gothic church that was right next to the market that we could walk to from the hotel.”
After dinner, and tired from travelling, everyone retired to the hotel for a good night’s sleep in preparation for a busy itinerary the following day.
Monday began with the Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism, where the group got to take in a permanent exhibition called ‘Fascination and Terror’, learning about the history and consequences of the Nazi regime and the role of Munich as Hauptstadt der Bewegung (′capital of the movement′).
To lighten the mood a little, the Christmas market in Nuremberg Hauptmarkt was next on the agenda, followed by a self-guided visit to the Justizpalast, Munich’s old ‘Palace of Justice’, where leaders of the Nazi regime had to answer for their crimes before an International Military Tribunal between 20 November 1945 and 1 October 1946. The courtroom experience was especially good, with a digital presentation that took the students back to 1945, and the feeling of actually being present and witnessing the trial as it unfolded.
A visit to the very first Nazi work camp, Dachau, which opened on 22 March 1933, was on the cards on Tuesday. A desolate, windswept place, eerie with the silence of the dead, individual profiles of the prisoners brought to the fore a glimpse of the horrors encountered – which were apparent from the moment of arriving at the camp’s infamous gates, which sported the infamous phrase ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ (work makes you free).
The visit helped the pupils understand the true magnitude of the Holocaust, with S5 pupil, Joe Barry, commenting: “It really highlighted the flaws in human society, and the power a perceived common enemy can have in invoking people to spiral into doing something so unimaginably awful.
“The bit that stayed with me most was going into the original building, which is where the prisoners would have had their belongings taken off them, the first stage in becoming a number and not a human. Our tour guide was a qualified lawyer and, when I asked her why she wanted to work there, she said it was because she felt she had a duty to those who died to make sure nothing like it ever happened again.”
Another thing that struck Joe and his fellow pupils were the trees planted along the sides of the barracks, which were “straight, pointed and planted deliberately to provide the least amount of shade to prisoners when working”.
Being there in winter and visiting the camp in the snow helped provide a sense of the hardships those held captive would have endured.
A trip to the city centre followed, where the pupils got to take in several sights in Munich’s Old Town, including the White Rose Memorial and the Medieval Christmas Market, buying some interesting mementoes to take home, including Viking drinking horns.
The group also paid a visit to a huge Christmas market organised within the grounds of Oktoberfest; a newer style of market, complete with light shows, loud music, and alternative crafts and food. Many students said this was the highlight of their trip. We also paid a final visit to the Christmas market in the Marienplatz before the flight home on Wednesday.
Reflecting on the trip, Maia said: It was great to have the opportunity to get closer to people in my year and the years below. It has helped me to make friends across the school and to feel more independent. This was my first school trip and it was fantastic. I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to go in future.”
History and Modern Studies teacher, Peter Andersen, said: “This was my fifth time visiting Munich and, a magical setting, it never fails to inspire in the build-up to Christmas. We had a packed agenda aligned with our curriculum, and ample opportunities for delicious German food and cultural enrichment.
“The first-hand, real-world experience our pupils gain on trips like this is invaluable. As well as complementing what they learn in the classroom, it opens their minds to different cultures and strengthens their knowledge of the world around them. As a teacher, it was great to see the pupils in a ‘beyond-the-classroom setting’.
“I was delighted with how everyone conducted themselves, their behaviour and in observing their interactions with the staff and German locals we met during our time away. Everyone that went was a credit to the school, and this has encouraged me to think about future trips, including the possibility to visit Berlin in 2024 and New York in 2025.”
