Beer garden stories old and new

Whether you stroll through the historic old city, climb up Cathedral Hill or Weihenstephan Hill, or go exploring through other parts of the city, you can’t miss Freising’s many restaurants, cafes and quaint pubs. The city’s traditional taverns offer the ideal opportunity to experience the outstanding quality of the local breweries. Or drop into a beer garden on a summer evening and be caught up in the Bavarians’ appetite for pleasure and legendary warm hospitality. Freising has four beer gardens where guests are permitted to bring along and consume their own food (Bräustüberl Weihenstephan, Hofbrauhauskeller, Lindenkeller, Waldgaststätte Plantage).

The local delicacy of Obazda was invented in Freising. Katharina Eisenreich was the landlady of Bräustüberl Weihenstephan from 1920–1958. From the early 1920s, she regularly plied patrons of her taproom with helpings of her tasty “mash-up” (as the Bavarian dialect name translates) of cheese, butter and spices. As its popularity grew in beer gardens throughout Bavaria, the delicious snack became a classic on beer garden menus – and is still a staple there today.

Ever seen an unbreakable beer glass? Now’s your chance to marvel at this unique glass in Freising Museum. The legend goes that in 1724 at the topping-out ceremony for the new cathedral, the master carpenter perched on the top of the tower, cried “Vivat!” in a toast to the prince-bishop, drained his glass of Weissbier to the dregs and hurled it into the depths beneath him. Amazingly, the glass remained intact! As a commemoration of this miraculous event, it was engraved with a motto and the bishop’s coat of arms, and has been carefully preserved to this very day. Now, whether this story is true or whether – as is speculated – a convenient heap of straw on the ground far below cushioned the fall of the glass… who knows?