Munich

I took a brief trip to Munich last year, really only in the city for about two days. I stayed on the outskirts, in an area that was fairly residential with not much to see except for two things: The BMW factory and what I especially wanted to see, Olympic Park. I was 9 years old when the 1972 Munich Olympics were held and I clearly remember watching Jim McKay describe the horror that occurred. It left quite an impression on me, realizing for the first time that terrorism existed. Even though images of the Viet Nam war were constant, this felt much different. The Olympics were about people coming together and rising above differences – even war – for something more humanistic. But, that did not happen.

Simpler things first.

Here is a picture of the BMW headquarters. A unique and interesting building. It’s located right next to Olympic Park.

I was searching for the location of the infamous balcony above the apartment where the terrorists held the Israelis hostage. It took some research, but I found it. It’s building 31 in the Olympic village Building 31, Olympic Village

Here is the balcony where the hostages came out:

And here is the infamous picture of the terrorist, an image that I remember all of these years:

And there are several memorials to the tragic event. Here is the one right outside of Building 31, listing the Israeli athletes and coaches that were killed:

And another near the main bridge which brings you into the Olympic Park from the Olympic Village. Sorry, can’t tell you what it says.

Recently there was a new memorial dedicated by the German government. Nice to see.

Germany opens Memorial to Israelis killed in 1972 Olympic Massacre

What a tragic event. Of course there are other significant positive events that happened during these games. The achievement that stands out to me is the Gold Medal record set by Mark Spitz. It was thrill to see the pool he swam in, below.