Is it possible for a city to breathe? You might say no. But standing here, at the edge of Südpark in Munich, you might just feel a deep, verdant inhale. Südpark, also known as Sendlinger Wald, is more than just a park. It’s Munich’s green lung. This sprawling 60-hectare park wasn’t always so wild and expansive. Back in the 1960s, it was part of the larger Sendlinger Wald, a forest belt stretching from Pullach to Friedenheim. Imagine that – a swathe of green cutting through the city!
In 1969, the city decided to transform a part of this forest. They wanted to create a recreational space for its citizens. And so, Südpark was born. The transformation preserved the park’s wild heart. You’ll find yourself meandering through wooded paths, sunlight dappling through the canopy. But it also offers all the amenities of a city park – playgrounds for children, extensive trails for jogging and biking, even a skate park.
But Südpark holds a secret, a whisper of its past. Before it became a haven for recreation, it housed the city’s animal carcass utilization plant. Today, you wouldn’t guess it. The only remnant is a rather unassuming building on Inninger Strasse, now home to the city’s horticultural department. It’s a reminder that even in the heart of nature, traces of human history remain.