Odeonsplatz

Until 1791, the Schwabinger Tor, which was built in 1391 stood at the Odeonsplatz. It was the main gate connecting Munich with the old village Schwabing.

In 1816, Ludwig I commissioned Leo von Klenze with the planning and completion of all the main buildings around the odeonsplatz. Klenze was fascinated by the architecture of ancient Rome and the renaissance. He made the square the focal point of two main streets, the Ludwigstrasse and the Briennerstrasse.

The most prominent structure on the Odeonsplatz is the Feldherrnhalle or Field Marshal's hall, which sometimes makes the Odeonplatz look like an Italian square.

The Feldherrnhalle consists of three arches, with at the entrance two Bayern lions. The building was designed in 1841 by Friedrich von Gärtner after the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy on request of Ludwig I in honour of Bayern generals.

On the east of the Feldherrnhalle is the Hofgarten, a Renaissance court garden dating from Duke Maximilian I's time (1613-1617).
It is laid out after an Italian formal garden and features a central temple crowned by a doomed roof with a copy of a bronze figure symbolizing Bavaria.

On the west of the Feldherrnhalle is the copper-domed Theatinerkirche or Theatiner Church.

The church was built in Italian high-baroque style after the San Andrea del Valle church in Rome and was designed by Agostino Barelli. He also led the construction of the church from 1663 to 1669. His successor, Enrico Zuccalli finished the 71 meters/233 ft high dome in 1690 and added two towers, which originally weren't planned.

The current facade in late rococo style was only finished in 1768 by François Cuvilliés. The two small towers catch the eye with their curled shapes, and together with the towers of the Frauenkirche and the Peterskirche, they define much of the Munich skyline.