Living in Haidhausen, München

Au is the east-bank district between the Isar river, the Wittelsbacher Brücke and the rising ground of Giesing - historically a working-class, craft-trades and brewery Vorort of München, formally annexed to the city in 1854 but still carrying its village identity well into the twentieth century. The neighborhood organises itself around Mariahilfplatz, the large square in front of the Mariahilfkirche (a beautiful neo-Gothic church), and around Tegernseer Landstraße. The Auer Dult, one of München's oldest folk markets and fairs (the Au's right to hold a fair goes back to the 1790s), has been held three times a year on Mariahilfplatz since 1905 - Maidult in spring, Jakobidult in summer, Kirchweihdult in autumn. The neighborhood today is one of München's gentrification success stories - working-class character preserved alongside design-led cafés and the new Münchner generation.

Who lives here

A characteristically mixed Au community. Long-time Auer families with deep roots, the TSV 1860 München football-club ecosystem (Giesing is next door), a substantial Turkish, Italian and Balkan community, a younger Münchner wave that arrived in the 2000s and 2010s, design and architecture professionals (the Werkviertel design district is across the railway tracks), and a growing international expat layer. Families with school-age children are common. The mix tilts younger and more international closer to the Isar, more traditional further east toward Untergiesing.

What it's like during the day

Active and varied. Mornings on Tegernseer Landstraße and around Mariahilfplatz are a flow of commuters, school children, parents with prams, and the bakeries opening early. The cafés along Lilienstraße, Klenzestraße (extending across the river), Hochstraße and around the Schyrenbad (the historic open-air swimming pool) - Café Frischhut on the western side of the river, Café Beam Me Up, Espresso Mobile, the various design-led bakeries - set the modern tempo. The Auer Dult fairs three times a year transform Mariahilfplatz into a folk-market and Ferris-wheel grounds for ten days. The Schyrenbad and the Isar river beaches are summer anchors. Tourist density is moderate.

What it's like in the evening

Lively but more residential than Glockenbach. The aperitivo-and-dinner strip along Lilienstraße, Hochstraße and around Mariahilfplatz has a strong layer of Bavarian Wirtshäuser (the Aubergerl, Wirtshaus in der Au), modern Italian, Turkish and Levantine restaurants, plus a newer cocktail-bar generation. The Café Beam Me Up and Bar Centrale-style modern bistros pull a young-professional crowd. The Isar bank fills with people on every warm evening - picnics, beer, music, the famous Isarstrände informal beaches. Late-night life is moderate; Glockenbach is fifteen minutes' walk for heavier nightlife.

Getting around

Excellent connectivity. The U1 and U2 interchange at Kolumbusplatz serves the south-western edge (with the U1 continuing to Wettersteinplatz beyond); the Rosenheimer Platz Stammstrecke stop (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 and S8) is at the northern edge near Haidhausen. Tram lines 17, 18 and 25 cover the surface. Walking across the Reichenbachbrücke or the Wittelsbacher Brücke to Glockenbach and Isarvorstadt takes 10 minutes. The Isar bike paths are excellent. The München Hauptbahnhof is a 15-minute U-Bahn ride.

Eating and shopping

The food scene is one of München's best for variety. Bavarian Wirtshäuser (Wirtshaus in der Au, Hofbräukeller nearby, Aubergerl), the modern Italian and international generation (the new bistros on Lilienstraße and Hochstraße), strong Turkish and Levantine layer (Restaurant Olympia, the various Imbiss), the Augustiner-Bräustuben in Westend across the river. The Auer Dult fairs handle traditional food three times a year. For groceries, Edeka on Tegernseer Landstraße, Rewe on Lilienstraße, Aldi and Lidl on the peripheral streets, several Turkish grocers, Vinzenz Murr butchers. The Wochenmarkt am Wiener Platz (in adjacent Haidhausen) handles fresh produce. The Werkviertel design district across the railway tracks is worth knowing.

When NOT to pick it

If you want to avoid the Auer Dult fair noise three times a year (it's loud and ten days long), or the Oktoberfest spillover (the Wiesn is fifteen minutes' walk away, with returning crowds passing through). Construction along the Mariahilfplatz periphery has been periodic. The rents have risen sharply - Au is now firmly central-München-priced for the most popular blocks. The football match-day disruption from TSV 1860 and the rare FC Bayern away-fan invasion can affect the streets near the Grünwalder Stadion.

Au works particularly well for the young professional who wants gentrified-but-textured München, for the design or media professional, for the family with school-age children prioritising real Wohnviertel feel with central access, for the Münchner local who wants east-bank life, and for the international newcomer who values neighborhood character over polished centrality. The Isar bank lifestyle is a major bonus - summer evenings on the river beaches, Eisbach surfing nearby, the cycle paths south to the Wittelsbacher Brücke and beyond.