Karlsplatz & Karlstor
Munich's grandest surviving city gate, the Gothic Karlstor guards the western entrance to the old town from the always bustling square that locals affectionately call Stachus. Its twin towers and sparkling fountains have welcomed travelers into the city for more than seven centuries.
About this place
Karlsplatz, known to almost every Munich native simply as Stachus, is one of the liveliest crossroads in the city and the classic western gateway into the pedestrianized old town. Dominating the square is the Karlstor, a Gothic gate that first appears in the records in 1301 as the Neuhauser Tor, built as part of Munich's second ring of medieval fortifications to protect a fast-growing town. In 1791 it was renamed after Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, who also gave his name to the square. The gate once boasted a tall central tower, but a gunpowder explosion in 1857 destroyed it, leaving only the two flanking towers, which were rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style a few years later. The graceful curved buildings that frame the square were added around 1900, and in front of the gate a fountain plays in summer and an ice rink appears in winter, making this historic threshold a stage for everyday Munich life.
Key facts
- 1301 year — First documented as the Neuhauser Tor, part of Munich's second city wall
- 1857 year — A gunpowder explosion destroyed the tall central tower, leaving only the two side towers
- 199 jets — The Karlsbrunnen fountain sends up nearly two hundred jets in front of the gate each summer
📍 Neuhauser Straße 47, 80331, München