Munich is a shopping paradise that has something for everyone: the classic pedestrian zone around Marienplatz, the expensive designer boutiques along Maximilianstraße, or the various shopping centers that offer everything under one roof. The Schwabylon on Leopoldstraße belonged to the latter category, yet it cannot be compared to any of today’s malls.
A huge temple of entertainment
The Schwabylon resembled an Egyptian step pyramid in shape and shone in bright orange, adorned with a rising sun. The building, which was atypical for Munich, caught the eye from afar and quickly earned the nickname “Nimm-2-Tüte” (Nimm-2 bag). It had almost no windows and only ramps instead of stairs inside. Augsburg real estate entrepreneur Otto Schnitzenbaumer commissioned Swiss architect Justus Dahinden to design the complex, which was completed within a year at a cost of DM 160 million. On November 9, 1973, the shopping and entertainment center opened its doors to the public.
Around 100 shops had set up in the Schwabylon, inviting visitors to shop and browse . Those who wanted to take a break could visit one of the 12 restaurants or the beer garden with its chestnut trees. Once you had had enough of shopping, you could enjoy yourself in the arcade, the swimming pool, and the ice rink, or watch a movie in the cinema. A little wellness was available in between at the thermal baths, solarium, and sauna. Apartments and offices were also located in the building complex around the Schwabylon, as was Munich’s first Holiday Inn. This in turn included the Yellow Submarine nightclub, which was surrounded by an aquarium in which 36 real sharks swam.
The Schwabylon: vision or utopia?
One might think that the Schwabylon was an absolute paradise of fun for the people of Munich. But the population was rather reserved in its reception of the curious building. Perhaps it was simply ahead of its time, perhaps it was too flashy for the people of Munich, or perhaps the sheer size of the temple was simply too much. In any case, after only one year, almost all 100 stores in the Schwabylon were already empty again. It was demolished in 1979, and today you will find an administrative building for the DBV-Winterthur insurance company on the site.
The only thing that was probably even shorter-lived than the Schwabylon was the IGA Park train station, which was shut down after just one summer. The Holiday Inn and the Yellow Submarine lasted longer, but even this part of the building complex no longer stands today, as it had to make way for the Schwabinger Tor. For a short time, the Schwabylon was an entertainment center for young and old that left nothing to be desired, and yet, or perhaps because of this, it was not profitable and turned out to be a complete misinvestment. Nevertheless, it left a lasting impression and served as the backdrop for the series “Münchner Geschichten” (Munich Stories) and the Fassbinder film “Faustrecht der Freiheit” (Law of Freedom), and even Queen had a photo shoot here.
