Street art makes grey walls blossom! Underpasses, tunnels and building walls in many Bavarian towns and cities are being beautified legally and often under public commission. Colourful characters, curved lines or comic figures make for eye-catching designs. Here are 18 tips for fans of graffiti.
Street Art in Bavaria: 18 Places to See
Munich: Open-Air Gallery Under the Motorway Bridge
The Donnersberger Bridge, part of the Mittlerer Ring, connects the districts of Neuhausen in the north and Schwanthaler Höhe in the south. The concrete walls and pillars under the motorway have served as an open-air gallery for graffiti artists since 2011.
Originally grey surfaces, the works of sixty artists, including those of Munich street art legend Mathias Köhler alias Loomit, glow colourfully. It’s a colourful, fantastic world of wildly sprawling graffiti lines, comic figures, mythical creatures, demons, as well as homages to the city, such as an image of the Münchner-Kindl, or Munich Child, and a portrait of Karl Valentin, including his famous quote: “Art is beautiful, but it's a lot of work”.
Where? Donnersberger Brücke, S 1-8, exit Richelstrasse, tram 16/17 Donnersbergerstrasse, bus 53/63/153 Donnersbergerstrasse.
Munich: Double Tunnel Vision
From the high banks of the Isar river in the Bogenhausen district, the Friedensengel statue, or Angel of Peace, looks out over the river towards Prinzregentenstrasse. The monument commemorates the peace treaty of 1871, which ended the Franco-Prussian War. It was inaugurated in 1899.
Below the Angel of Peace statue, a tunnel for cyclists and pedestrians runs parallel to the Isar river under Prinzregentenstrasse. Its walls were painted in 2014 by the renowned Munich street art pioneer Loomit and his fellow artists. Light pillars divide the walls into around fifty individual sections, each designed by a different artist.
The entrance to the north is blue and the entrance to the south is orange. There was no predefined theme, but the many large depictions of heads are striking.
Nine years later, Loomit, together with the street artists Flin and Miriam Frank, decorated the tunnel under the Ludwigsbrücke bridge at the Müllersche Volksbad swimming pool.
Where? Prinzregentenstrasse, bus 100, museum line, stop Friedensengel.
Ludwigsbrücke bridge: City bus 132 or tram 16, 17 to Isartor
Rosenheim: Transit Art Rosenheim
Building walls are transformed into breathtaking, huge, colourful pictures: Every year since 2020, the Städtische Galerie museum has organised the “Transit Art Rosenheim” street art festival, where internationally renowned street artists come to Rosenheim to enliven central locations in the city centre with their murals.
The works of art – whether photorealistic or pop, abstract or surrealistic – will remain as long as the buildings do. The Transit Art walls and their respective locations can be found on the Rosenheim website. Every mural is a hit, but you should definitely take a look at the “Walfisch-Zeppelin” (Whale blimp) by Duo Sourati at Eduard-Rüber-Str. 5, right next to the railway station. The giant fish floats on the giant wall of a multi-storey car park.
The painted walls and their locations can be found on stadttipps-rosenheim (only in German). | More Rosenheim Tips
Erding: House Walls Become XXL Images
The 2019 “Artding” street art festival has made a lasting impression in the old Bavarian ducal town: painted house façades in the Klettham district. Five street artists each designed the façade of a block of flats, using spray cans or paintbrushes. Boring building façades were turned into exciting eye-catchers.
Although the murals met with great approval, the festival remained a one-off event. The spray event was initiated by street artist Daniel Westermeier, aka Mr Woodland, who is also represented with a work of art himself (Dr.-Ulrich-Weg 1). His style is a mixture of realistically painted figures combined with graphic elements and fragments. His pictures always tell a story
The other XXL pictures can be seen at Franzensbaderstrasse 6 (Duo Telmo-Miel, Netherlands), Stefanstrasse 15 (Ate Crew, Würzburg), Giessereistrasse 1 (Zoer, France) and Riverastrasse 4 (Georgia Hill, Australia).
erding.de (only in German)
Ingolstadt: Spray it on the Wall …
The term landmark refers to a topographical object that is visible from afar. “Landmarks” is also the name of a project in Ingolstadt which aims to help shape the identity of the cityscape with large-format murals. The goal is to give each quarter its own distinctive character through the paintings.
As part of the project, a selection of international artists will design building façades in their own personal style. So far, Shane from Paris, Sebas Velasco from Spain and Taxis from Athens have been at work. The result is a public gallery that will continue to grow.
You can find the addresses of the murals and a map at landmarks-project.com (only in German | More tips for Ingolstadt
Nuremberg Langwasser: On a Major Mural Tour
The “Betonliebe” (Love of Concrete) street art festival is three years old and has already become an institution in Langwasser. The district in the south-east of Nuremberg was created in 1950s. With its large façades, it is the ideal spot for graffiti or murals. Since 2019, the “Gemeinschaftshaus Langwasser” cultural centre and the Street Art working group have been inviting artists to design walls here every summer. Graffiti workshops are also held regularly.
There is a map showing all the murals and providing information on the artists and their works. It takes about 75 minutes on foot and 45 minutes by bike to complete a tour. The outdoor gallery is constantly being expanded. The map can be found in the foyer of the Gemeinschaftshaus Langwasser cultural centre or in the “Esskultur” restaurant inside. You can also download it as a PDF. A free Komoot tour also leads to the murals. The Gemeinschaftshaus Langwasser can be easily reached by underground line U1.
nuernberg.de (only in German)
Fürth: Keep Following the Colourful Wall
In 2022, 28 international and local graffiti artists created a unique work of art along the street 'Am Europakanal' in Fürth. Ever since, the 250 metre long retaining wall at Grundigpark has been lit up in pink, blue, green, yellow and orange. It features images of Clint Eastwood and the computer game character Sonic the Hedgehog, among others.
Another large-scale street art project was the painting of the 260 square metre rear of the new fire station as a youth project, supported by well-known graffiti artists. Alongside a firefighter, personalities from Fürth's city history are depicted. The “Frei Luft Galerie” (Open Air Gallery) is a definite highlight in the city’s art calendar (2024: from 30 June). The gallery features various types of street art, inviting you to take a walk or cycle tour through the city of artists.
Where? Graffiti at Grundigpark: street by the Europakanal; graffiti at the new fire station: between Kapellenstrasse and Käppnersteg
You can find a map with all of the works of art at senf.xyz
Bayreuth: The Princess is Looking!
With the series “She’s back - Street art for Bayreuth”, five spectacular, large-scale murals pepped up the cityscape in 2018, the year the Margravial Opera House reopened. Since then, Bayreuth has been regarded as an insider tip when it comes to urban art.
The American artist Drew Merrit created a large portrait of Margravine Wilhelmine's only daughter, Elisabeth Friederike Sophie von Brandenburg-Bayreuth (Münzgasse 8). In her day, she was considered the most beautiful princess in Europe. He depicts her as a pretty, young and modern styled woman.
The mural by Austrian artist Nychos (Badstrasse 27) shows Wilhelmine in comic style. Other murals were realised by Stohead (City Library), Matthias Mross (Richard-Wagner-Strasse 42) and Case Maclaim (Badstrasse 33). The murals can be found on the city map “Art in public spaces – Bayreuth from a new perspective”.
Würzburg: A Humanistic Statement
The organisation Handicap International e. V. campaigns worldwide for people with disabilities and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 as co-winner for the fight against landmines. The city of Würzburg and the artists Simon Schacht and Christian Palace (Ate Crew) are supporting their “Stop Bombing Civilians” campaign with graffiti. The project draws attention to the terrible consequences of bombing raids on the civilian population. The graffiti was inaugurated on 16 March 2023, exactly 78 years after the bombing and destruction of Würzburg.
The graffiti on the wall of a house in Grombühlstrasse depicts an oversized fist smashing into a residential neighbourhood. Other graffiti can be found in Würzburg, for example on Zeppelinstrasse in the underpass beneath the B19. Most of them were created as part of the Street Meet festivals of recent years. The artist duo Ate Crew also painted a large wall at Siebold-Gymnasium secondary school and at Dag Hammarskjöld-Gymnasium secondary school in Würzburg.
Where? Grombühlstrasse 18a, tram 1 or 5, stop Brücknerstrasse
Kronach and Nordhalben: Our Village is Getting Prettier!
The Upper Franconia city’s street art project is called “[K]Colour.update_23”. It is a play on “[K]C”, the number plate for the district of Kronach, with colour and the year 2023. The wall of a garage on the Europabrücke bridge, opposite the Europaparkplatz car park in Kronach, at the entrance to Kühnlenzhof street, was chosen for the project.
The artwork was created by the well-known street art painter DRIK from Berlin (drik_the_villain on Instagram). The mural combines organic shapes with abstract approaches. “On the one hand, it should radiate calm, but it should also indicate that something is going on,” says the artist. The project aims to have an impact on the entire region.
Artistic street art can already be admired in the market town of Nordhalben, located around 20 kilometres north-east of Kronach in the Upper Rodach Valley: At Künstlerhaus Maxhaus, or the Maxhaus artists’ house, at Lobensteiner Strasse 11, or at Lobensteiner Strasse 4, the fantastic Lautenschläger wall with giant mushrooms, trees and a mega carp.
landkreis-kronach.de (only in German)
Aschaffenburg: They call him Hombre
The association MKKA e.V. (Aschaffenburg Music, Art and Culture Initiative) invited the internationally renowned graffiti artist Pablo Fontagnier, aka Hombre, from Mannheim to the Aschaffenburg Culture Days in 2023. Since then, a bright yellow, twelve by twelve metre mural (on the subject of “Communication”) has been drawing attention to itself on the large firewall of the Kalkwerke building. It shows a comic-style figure, a young man holding a mobile phone in his hand. A speech bubble filled with a red heart emerges from the handset. However, the young man looks a little startled.
The artist Hombre mostly paints figures that are reminiscent of comics and cartoons. Minimalist shapes, hard edges and cell shading (comic-style shading) as well as a sense for the play of light and shadow are what characterise his style.
Where? Kalkwerke, Ottostrasse 8–10, almost across from the train station. Other exciting murals can be seen at Würzburger Strasse 126 (“Umarmungsleiter”, or the Ladder of Hugs, by Marc Robitzky) and at Riesengasse 10 (“Farbkreisprojekt”, or the Colour Wheel Project, by Engin Dogan)
kulturamt-aschaffenburg.de (only in German)
Augsburg: Murals for Peace
Since 2013, large murals in the city have been drawing attention to the focal points of the peace festival and socio-political issues. The first mural was created on the subject of “Protest” on the building of the Association for Social Services, Klinkertorstrasse 12. Current pieces: In summer 2022, Alex Senna created a large façade painting on the subject of “Cohesion” at the main railway station.
To mark the tenth anniversary of the 2023 Peace Mural series, the three Augsburg artists Sophie Te (Sophie Tröster), Nonti (Nontira Kigle) and Nea (Lena Hofmann) designed the painting on the subject of “Creativity”, which can be seen on the wall of the building at Donauwörther Strasse 23.
friedensstadt-augsburg.de (only in German) | More tips for Augsburg
Füssen: A Wobbly King in the Waiting Hall
Graffiti artist Robert Wilhelm, born in Heidelberg, has his studio in Füssen. He is known far beyond the Allgäu. One of his trademarks are his smurf heads called „Smurfnobs“ which are abstracted heads from a line, which he often incorporates into his works. He has jazzed up his adopted hometown of Füssen with numerous works of art. A portrait puzzle of King Ludwig II welcomes travellers in the train station’s waiting hall.
To draw attention to the “painting”, the artist has opted for the so-called lenticular technique, a kind of alternating or wobbling image. As you walk past, you can see individual picture elements appear and disappear again.
The large-format puzzle with graffiti elements, which was created in collaboration with photographer Simon Toplak, depicts the young king in front of the Allgäu landscape with the iconic eye-catchers of Neuschwanstein Palace, Hohes Schloss Palace, Lake Forggensee and more. The large ceiling painting in the foyer of the “König Ludwig Spa & Wellness Resort” in Schwangau was also created by the two artists.
allgaeueralpen.com (only in German) | More tips about Füssen
Neu-Ulm and Ulm: Happy Science
The artist Philip Walch, aka Stone Graffiti, from Laupheim near Ulm, has painted the entire façade of the old University of Applied Sciences in Neu-Ulm, where the city library has temporarily moved.
The project is intended to draw attention to the new function and enhance the entire area. You see an open book from which adventurous and imaginative stories fly out. The colours blue, red and violet dominate.
In Ulm, the other half of the twin city, the façade of the old gymnasium at Kepler-Gymnasium secondary school was pepped up by graffiti artists Chris and Jonas (alias Milo). You can now see stars and planets on the wall as well as two giant portraits: Johannes Kepler and Alexander von Humboldt.
stonegraffiti.com (only in German) | kultur-in-ulm.de (only in German)
Kempten: Out With the Grey, In With the Colourful!
The Pfeilergraben underpass in Kempten’s northern city centre has been closed. In response, the city management and the city of Kempten launched the “u² - urban underground” project there in 2023, which brought new life to the grey, dreary tunnel.
Numerous Allgäu street artists led by Tobias Jäger have spruced up the concrete façades with colourful and expressive works of art. The location was then used as a space for activities and smaller events. Whether and how the former underpass will continue to be used has not yet been finalised.
cm-kempten.de (only in German) | 10 Tips for Kempten
Landshut: An Eye-Catcher With Patina
Albin-Lang-Park is located to the west of the Old Town, between the small Isar river and the municipal swimming pool. A wall runs along Theo-Herzog-Weg path; it belongs to the Landshut art mill “C.A. Meyer’s” and has been approved for graffiti. New painting has slowed down somewhat in the meantime, and the painted murals are already showing signs of weathering – but they are still eye-catching.
Where? Theo-Herzog-Weg.
kunst-niederbayern.de (only in German) | 9 Tips for Landshut
Regensburg: Oversized Portrait of a Woman
Mural artist Andre Maier is making Regensburg more colourful – with façade paint, brushes and wall rollers. Sometimes on behalf of private customers, sometimes on a mission for the city. Maier has created fantasy worlds on all four façades of the “Kontrast” youth centre, he has artistically designed the “Palletti” bar as well as the entrance to the cultural and creative centre “Das Degginger”.
His “masterpiece”, however, is the inner courtyard of the “Münchner Hof” hotel, where he painted a fantasy portrait of a woman on the wall of a house that spans five storeys! The veritable grande dame represents the city of Regensburg. She is wearing lots of dark wine red, has knight’s armour and is petting a lap dog. “The little dog stands for us residents who are being cared for by the city,” says the artist about his mural.
Where? Youth Centre, Vilshofener Strasse 14; “Paletti” bar, Pustetpassage in Gesandtenstrasse 6; Degginger, Wahlenstrasse/Tändlergasse 18; “Münchner Hof”, Tändlergasse 9.
Neumarkt: Life Side Gallery
A boring concrete wall in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz has been transformed into a work of art that is causing quite a stir! Inspired by the East Side Gallery in Berlin - the longest outdoor gallery in the world with over a hundred paintings – artists from around the region, the “Jura e. V.” art collective, have transformed the rear wall of a Kaufhof building into a colourful gallery.
The wall provides the transition to the park of the Landesgartenschau, or the State Garden Show, where the “Garden of Life” can also be found. With its various stations, it retraces the course of life – from birth to death. “Stations of life” is also the title and motto for the art wall. The twelve murals of the Life Side Gallery are dedicated to this topic, each on a space measuring two by four metres and sometimes abstract, sometimes naturalistic.
The Life Side Gallery is part of the “Innehalten Region” (Region of Contemplation), as Neumarkt and the surrounding area see themselves. Serenity trails, oasis of strength, cycle paths or gardens, such as the Garden of Life, and a Contemplation Academy invite you to escape from everyday life and recharge your batteries.
oberpfalz.de (only in German) | More about Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate