Rachel Carson Center

AN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF MUNICH

MAY 30, 2023 Christopher Mauch

Hearing this talk on Munich and its surrounding areas was helpful in understanding the few places we had visited and preparing my expectations for the week to come. At this point we had walked through Olympic Park, and now learned of its contrast to the English Gardens— where the first embraces an open view and its role as a park in a city, the latter gives visitors an escape, of manufactured naturalism hidden away from signs of urban life. Uncovering value and goal differences in planning spaces has been a theme throughout this trip, and looking into the parks held new weight after hearing that Munich is the city with the least greenspace. 

From a design lens, I loved seeing the Italian/Florencian influence in architecture that Mauch explained. Mention of innovations related to renewable energy included water wheels, their solar powered parliament roof, and a single wind turbine.