The Karlsplatz and the Karlstor (Karl's Gate) represent the
entrance to the Historic City Centre and, since 1972, to the pedestrian precinct, which
makes this the ideal starting point for a shopping spree along Neuhauser and Kaufinger
Straße..
The Karlsplatz takes its official name from the Elector Karl Theodor, who had the square laid out in 1791. It is better known as Stachus, supposedly named after the popular innkeeper Eustachius Föderl. The name might however also originate from the expression 'Stachel' (prickle). This was the term given to the arrows of the marksmen who used to try their combating skills in front of the Karlstor during the Middle Ages.
During summer you will find respite next to the modern fountain, which invites tourists as well as locals to rest.
The Stachus, offering underground parking space, is located on the western Altstadtring and includes a S-Bahn station, making it the traffic nodal point of Munich and one of the busiest squares in Europe.