A piece of Italy in Munich: That’s how one might describe Ludwigstraße. Imposing buildings line the boulevard on both sides, their architecture drawing inspiration from Florence and Rome. It stretches from Odensplatz to the Siegestor and offers space for traffic across a full six lanes. That is now set to change: The city is planning a massive redesign of Ludwigstraße with plenty of greenery and fewer cars.
The King’s boulevard
Ludwigstraße is named after King Ludwig I, who had it designed according to his vision by Leo von Klenze and Friedrich von Gärtner. They designed the street based on the Italian model, with the southern section by Klenze drawing on the Neo-Renaissance style and the northern section by Gärtner on the Neo-Romanesque style. Unfortunately, not all of the magnificent buildings survived the Nazi regime, as some of the houses were demolished and replaced by others during that time. This was compounded by destruction caused by bombing raids during the war.
Nevertheless, you can still admire some of the monumental buildings from that era that Ludwig had erected along Ludwigstraße. It is one of four boulevards in Munich and is approximately 1 km long. In the future, you should have plenty of space here to stroll and look around, as the city is planning major renovations on Ludwigstraße.
Ludwigstraße’s New Look
The renovation of Ludwigstraße is taking place as a result of the refurbishment of the mezzanine level at the Odeonsplatz subway station, which is scheduled to begin in 2028. Following this, the surface will need to be restored, so the redesign of Ludwigstraße is set to take place starting around 2032. In this context, the city council launched an ideas competition for the redesign of Ludwigstraße.
Twelve architectural firms participated, with MDP Michel Desvigne Paysagiste SARL from Paris emerging as the winner. The goal is to do justice to the culturally significant architectural monuments while also adapting to the requirements of climate protection. The plan is to reduce traffic on Ludwigstraße from up to six lanes to just two. This would still allow MVG buses to reach the square. In addition, the plan is to plant around 300 trees and create green spaces to prevent heat buildup. It is currently unclear how long the construction work will take.
