You would not expect it but the southern Munich suburb of Forstenried, not to be confused with Fuerstenried, has a long history. It was first mentioned as early as 1166, by the name Uorstersriet! A mouthful and unpronounceable!
Does the name have a meaning? Yes! In German, Forst means forest and Ried means clearing or clearing of woodland. So put together, the name was used to describe a village where a portion of forest was cleared to create space for dwellings.
For hundreds of years, Forstenried remained a village with a cluster of farmhouses surrounded by farmlands. In 1420 the now well-known little church Heiligkreuz (Holy Cross) was built. It still remains standing today and is the venue of the weekly mass and other catholic celebrations.
Records show that the number of inhabitants increased to around 160 persons in 1726, spread over about 40 dwellings. Still a population of rural dimensions. In January 1912, Forstenried was made a part of Munich and with this came a steady increase in new residents. The Forstenrieders could now call themselves residents of Munich!
The face of the little village has changed dramatically since its early days. Looking at Forstenried today, you would never have thought that it could once have been a village. Only the remaining old farmhouses scattered throughout the suburb hint that there is more to Forstenried than the middle-class housing which has sprung up to accommodate the ever increasing influx of people to the area.
Forstenried citizens today are proud to have Munich’s oldest farmhouse, the Derzbachhof, as well as the Heiligkreuz church in their backyard. At Wisteria B&B, you are not too far from these two historical buildings.
Information source: Süddeutscher Zeitung, 7 November 2011; Photos source: Münchner Wochenanzeiger/job and Immobilien Report München.
