Apple store on historic grounds
Let me tell you a little story I learned about from a tour guide when I went to Munich on vacation in August.
This is the Sternecker Brewery (or brew pub, rather) in downtown Munich the way it looked like in 1919:
Every week, a tiny little political party of the Weimar Republic met here to complain about life in general and in particular, and as a rule of thumb ended up every time blaming it on “the jews”. Now a young corporal in the German army was sent there to spy on the group and find out if they are any danger. Instead, he liked their ideas and ended up joining the party.
The corporal’s name was Adolf Hitler and the small party was the German Workers’ Party (DAP) which eventually became the Nazi party NSDAP. (They faked Hitler’s member number as 555 while in fact he was only the 55th member.)
In the house where the DAP met when Hitler joined it, the Nazis created a museum to remember the “founding fathers” of the Nazi movement (faking Hitler’s member number yet again: This time as 7, to give the illusion of him being one of the party founders).
Long story short: When the allies threw bombs on Munich, the building was destroyed, and after the war the inner city of Munich was rebuilt so it looked almost the same it did before (you know, us Germans have kept detailed plans of buildings since… forever 
).
You may wonder, what’s located in this buildling nowadays? Another brewery? No (though that’s always a good guess for Munich, I give you that). But see for yourself:
Yup, it’s the local Apple store. If they know what historic site they are located at? I am not sure.
Very fascinating stuff, man–again, thanks for sharing it. I’m sure the founding fathers of the Nazi party would have really appreciated the thought of a “Genius Bar” being on the very spot they formed their group on.
So, just to clarify, did Hitler join up with them on that spot or was it at that house you mentioned?
It’s the very same spot: The house used to be a brewery where the DAP party met regularly. The back room of the brewery was then turned into a museum for the “founding fathers” of the Nazi movement after they took over power.
Just for the record. This is NOT the Apple Store, it is the Gravis store, a German dealer who sells Apple and other computer products.
The real Apple Store with the mentioned Genius Bar, free wifi and my future hang is under construction around the corner at 1 Rosenstrasse just off Marienplatz. It is reported to be a 4 story building an all glass facade with the Apple logo suspended over the entrance. It is slated to open mid-2008 and already accepting job applicants (http://www.apple.com/jobs/euro/store/).
http://macgazette.de/2008/03/17/fortsetzung-deutschlands-erster-apple-store/
Why Gravis made such a big investment for a new shop when rumors were already circulating that Apple was planning a huge flagship store in the same neighborhood a year later is perplexing. Unless they switch their product line they most likely will be out of business in less than 6 months.
Maybe back to another brewery after all!?