The Charles Hotel celebrates 200 years of Munich's iconic beer garden

Munich, June 2012 – This year, Munich is celebrating 200 hundred years of a true Bavarian institution; the beer garden. To mark the occasion, Rocco Forte’s The Charles Hotel has created an exclusive experience, allowing its guests savour the variety of the city’s beer gardens in style.

Prior to a decree by King Maximilian I of Bavaria in 1812, Munich’s breweries adhered to a strict 16th century law, prohibiting retail sales of beer outside any of the city’s beer cellars. With the King granting the brewers permission to sell their wares on the spot, a Bavarian tradition was born.

While in the winter, ice cut from the frozen rivers kept the beer cool, in the summer the ingenious brewers of Munich covered the ground with a thick layer of gravel and planted chestnut trees above their cellars, thus protecting their storage rooms from the heat. These leafy areas soon became popular with the locals who would often be seen enjoying their newly purchased beers while seeking shade under the trees; a custom now firmly established as a trademark of Bavaria’s relaxed lifestyle.

Highlighting a year of celebrations, guests of The Charles Hotel can also sample some of this famous ‘Gemütlichkeit’, starting with a visit of Munich’s new Beer & Oktoberfest Museum, housed in the city’s oldest residential building. Guests will also be provided with a bicycle throughout their stay, perfect for discovering the city and stopping off at one of the city’s many beer gardens for a refreshing drink.

With over 100 beer gardens to choose from, from the  lake-side ‘Seehaus’ in the vast ‘Englischer Garten’ and the Kloster Andechs located by the Benedictine Monastry in Heiliger Berg to the ‘Hirschgarten’, a hidden gem loved by the inhabitants of Munich, there are plenty of places to join in with the locals.

While in 1812 the King may have allowed the sale of beer, in order to protect the local inns and restaurants, the breweries were prohibited from selling any food other than bread. Undeterred, patrons brought their own food, often an elaborate picnic. These days food is widely sold, but packing up a picnic basket has firmly been established as part of the Bavarian beer garden experience.
Guests of the Charles Hotel get to enjoy their own picnic basket complete with red and white chequered table cloth and filled with local delicacies such as Leberkäse; white radishes cut in delicate spirals; Bavarian Sausage Salad and Obatzda, a traditional soft cheese and beer dip. 

In addition to the Oktoberfest in September, numerous events highlighting the anniversary year will take place in and around Munich. Highlights include the Open Air Classical Concerts on the Odeonsplatz in July and the Cook’s Ball, an early morning ball at the Chinese Tower in the English Garden.

The ‘Beer Garden Experience’ at The Charles Hotel is available until 31 October 2012 and starts from €700 based for two nights based on two people sharing a Classic King Room and is inclusive of breakfast. The experience includes a picnic basket for two, bike hire throughout the stay and entrance tickets to the Beer & Oktoberfest museum.

To book or for more information, call (insert local toll-free number here) or visit www.roccofortehotels.com

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Notes to Editors
Rocco Forte Hotels

Rocco Forte Hotels is a family of 13 individual hotels and resorts. Each property has a unique style, reflecting its nationality and location, but all share Rocco Forte Hotels’ trademark attention to detail, high quality and immaculate service.
 
Established by Sir Rocco Forte in 1996, Rocco Forte Hotels comprises: Hotel de Russie, Rome; Hotel Savoy, Florence; The Balmoral, Edinburgh; The Lowry Hotel, Manchester; Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg; Hotel Amigo, Brussels; Brown’s Hotel, London; Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt; Hotel de Rome, Berlin; The Charles Hotel, Munich; Augustine Hotel, Prague; Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sicily; Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi. Future openings: Jeddah 2013; Marrakech 2014; Cairo 2014; Luxor 2014.

www.roccofortehotels.com
Media Enquiries:

Ilse van Steen/Natasha Berg
Rocco Forte Hotels
Tel:  +44 (0)20 766 3107/3137/3113
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