The Bavaria statue stands proudly on a hill above the Theresienwiese — the grounds of the Oktoberfest. Behind Lady Bavaria and her lion is the Ruhmeshalle. I’ve never been inside this hall filled with busts of famous folk, but I did go up in the Bavaria statue.

This is something that doesn’t sit at the top of my to-do list in Munich, but I’m really glad I did it once.

You get a neat view of the Theresienwiese by peeking out of the lion’s mouth. In late summer, when we visited, they were already preparing for Oktoberfest.

Lady Bavaria in front of the Ruhmeshalle

Entering the statue requires climbing a spiral staircase

Not for claustrophobic folks!

Dad inside the lion.

Nowadays, if there’s not a festival or a flea market there, there’s no reason to go to the Theresienwiese itself. “Wiese” means field, but it’s just a huge, empty, concrete eyesore in the city. It’s not a very nice home for Lady Bavaria. I like to think that she much preferred this setting…

Die Bavaria and Theresienwiese in 1901

Rudolf Epp [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons