Theresienwiese, Munich

Theresienwiese is Munich’s open-air event ground and the home of Oktoberfest, the world’s largest folk festival. The grounds cover about 42 hectares, and the pedestrian-and-cycle route called Matthias-Pschorr-Straße runs across them between Bavaria and Esperantoplatz. The name honours Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, who married the future King Ludwig I.

Their wedding celebrations brought a horse race here on the 17th of October 1810; repeating that race the following year created the Oktoberfest tradition. The site has since hosted spring and winter festivals, touring circuses and flea markets, so its character changes sharply with the calendar. At Esperantoplatz, a memorial recalls the victims of the bombing at the Oktoberfest entrance on the 26th of September 1980.

Thirteen people died and 211 were injured, making the attack the most severe terrorist act in Germany’s post-war history. When the grounds are empty, their hard open surface makes the scale of this event space especially clear.