Soon after I graduated from college, I went to Munich for the first time. It was in the itinerary of the sightseeing tour in Europe. Since then, I have been to Munich several times because, although a big city, there are beautiful rows of houses in Munich, there are places like Deutsches Museum where those who are involved in science education including myself are supposed to visit, there are wonderful art museums and furthermore, there are Operas. I believe that going to the opera would be my lifetime-enjoyment.
Flish lived in Munich most of his life-when he was a college student(1908-9), an assistant and lecturer at a zoology research institute(1910-1920), a professor of zoology(1925-1945,1950-1982). He was died in Munich in 1982 when he was a professor of zoology. Although he was born in Vienna and didn't live in Munich for about ten years after he had become a researcher, it is safe to say that Frish was a man from Munich.
In June, 2004, I returned to Munich again. This was the first time trip since I planned "Visiting the places remembered in connection with Karl von Frish". The purpose of the trip is below.

*Taking a deep breath of the air of Munich, tasting good food, drinking beer -I love it.
*Going to the house in which Frish lived first, and taking a walk in British garden near the house-they say that he used to take a walk there.
*Going to the botany research institute (botanical garden) which was written in his autobiography.
*Appreciating opera.
* Observing honeybees at a countryside in Munich in order to study the honeybees' life in this time of year.

Pleasant Munich

Munich was a beautiful and clean city with full of green. I enjoyed delicious dishes and various kinds of beer.

The five-story apartment in which Frisch lived first

Schwabing Gisela strasse 6, Munich. Munich was once devastated by war. Before the war, on the very same place, there had been another five-story apartment. The large British garden is located nearby.

The botanical garden at Schloss Nymphenburg (botany research institute)

The botanical garden is in Schloss Nymphenburg which is on the outskirts of downtown Munich. There also is a botanical garden near my home in Osaka called "Sakuyakonohana-kan", which is a memorial to the Flower Exposition. But it is nothing to this one in Schloss Nymphenburg in floor space and facilities. They keep plants from all over the world in many greenhouses. I thought that Japan is not the place for plant studies.

The life of honeybees in Ehrwalt (an hour and a half by train from Munich)

I had not been able to go abroad during the mild climate season because I had been a high school teacher. I never thought that people keep honeybees in such a place in Europe where pasture spread. It was my first time to visit Ehrwalt. In the grassland, flowers were in full bloom, honeybees were on many of them to take the nectar. Hives were there at a corner of the grassland. I was surprised to see that the entrance boards of the hives were painted in different colors so that a honeybee was able to tell its hive from the others', which was exactly a practical use of Frish's achievement.

---

Prev | Home | Next