6. To the Valentin-Karlstadt Museum: A funny place
Tuesday November 14, 2017
I woke up pondering what museums if any would be open on Monday. At the breakfast table I did a quick search in the Internet and found four. Surprise, not all museums are closed on Monday after all! Slowly my head cleared and I realized it wasn't Monday, it was Tuesday. But it was interesting to see how the Monday restriction led me to discover places I hadn't thought of before.
I decided the Valentin-Karlstadt Museum would be fun to visit, nine km there and back, even if I didn't go there on a Monday - which would be possible. The Valentin-Karlstadt-Musäum in the towers of the Isartor (Isar Gate) is dedicated to the avant-garde universal genius Karl Valentin and his longtime partner Liesl Karlstadt. Karl Valentin (1882 - 1948) was a Bavarian comedian and cabaret performer; Liesl Karlstast (1892 - 1960) was an actress and is best known for collaborating with Karl Valentin. Objects that refer to Valentin's life and work are on display in the museum.
A look at the thermometer - the temperature is hovering around 0°C/32°F, as in the past few days. When it gets this cold, I don't ride my e-bike any more so as to extend the life of the battery. Today I got my good old Koga out of the shed.
I woke up pondering what museums if any would be open on Monday. At the breakfast table I did a quick search in the Internet and found four. Surprise, not all museums are closed on Monday after all! Slowly my head cleared and I realized it wasn't Monday, it was Tuesday. But it was interesting to see how the Monday restriction led me to discover places I hadn't thought of before.
I decided the Valentin-Karlstadt Museum would be fun to visit, nine km there and back, even if I didn't go there on a Monday - which would be possible. The Valentin-Karlstadt-Musäum in the towers of the Isartor (Isar Gate) is dedicated to the avant-garde universal genius Karl Valentin and his longtime partner Liesl Karlstadt. Karl Valentin (1882 - 1948) was a Bavarian comedian and cabaret performer; Liesl Karlstast (1892 - 1960) was an actress and is best known for collaborating with Karl Valentin. Objects that refer to Valentin's life and work are on display in the museum.
A look at the thermometer - the temperature is hovering around 0°C/32°F, as in the past few days. When it gets this cold, I don't ride my e-bike any more so as to extend the life of the battery. Today I got my good old Koga out of the shed.
Last cheery yellow leaves of fall and my Koga waiting
We set out and Janos keeps taking off in the wrong direction. Didn't we agree on which museum we were going to? But I'm stubborn and eventually he just follows me so as not to lose me. At one point we stop and I ask Janos where he thinks he is going. He asks me the same thing. Oops, it seems I got the address of the museum wrong. After a quick check with Google maps on his cell phone, Janos leads the way and I contritely follow.
Riding through Munich (that's not me)
Janos shows me on Google maps where the museum is really located - I need proof.
I've always adored Valentin's absurd, cranky, bizarre humor. But I have been just as great a fan of his partner Liesl Karlstadt. She is best known for collaborating with Karl Valentin in over 400 sketches and movies. Although she was a successful actress, her popularity was still based on her appearances with Karl Valentin. Many of their famous comedies were the product of her tremendous creativity, but the public took little notice of her while Karl Valentin's fame grew.
When we reach the correct address, I am surprised to see that there is an outdoor exhibit of photos and texts on the life of Liesl Karlstadt commemerating her 125th birthday. Great pictures, interesting texts, so glad we didn't miss it!
Large panels in the square beneath Isartor tell of the life of Liesl Karlstadt. In December a new exhibit will tell about the second half of her career.
Isartor, where the museum is located, was one of four main gates of Munich's medieval city wall. It served as a fortification for the defense and is the most easterly of Munich's three remaining gothic town gates (Isartor, Sendlinger Tor and Karlstor). The gate (German: Tor) is located close to the Isar and was named after the river. At Karlstor there is another museum, the Hunting and Fishing Museum. That is where I was originally headed. I got the addresses confused.
East view of Isartor
You can see the information panels interspersed around the walls of Isartor.
After looking at the open-air exhibit about Liesl Karlstadt we go inside. I even forget to take pictures of the rooms and only get a few snaps of the displays. I guess I had already satisfied my museum appetite for the day with the outdoor exhibit.
Here is where we parked our bicyles.
Karl Valentin with bicycle -
"Valentin's wit was aimed especially at himself; his humor was supported by his long, gaunt figure. The pessimism and the tragedy of his comedy were nourished by the constant struggle with everyday things such as the confrontation with authorities and fellow human beings."
Time for coffee. We take a narrow winding staircase up to the top of one of the towers where the cafe is located.
We go upstairs to the cafe.
A quirky little cafe full of Bavarian memorabilia and with a view
Peppermint tea and cake
Selfie of the day -
On the way out we discovered a funhouse mirror.
To sum it up: I found it a bit too cold for comfort on my bike today. This is walking weather for me now. But I'll do anything for the challenge, right? I definitely wouldn't have hit upon the idea to visit the Valentin-Karlstadt Museum if it hadn't been for my theme "seven museum cafes" and I never would have seen the interesting exhibit honoring Liesl Karlstadt.
Long live Cycle Life Challenge! Six down and one more to go.
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