If you want to see Schloss Nymphenburg from a very special perspective, take a gondola ride along the palace canal. What at first glance looks like a fun ride for tourists is actually a centuries-old tradition in Munich. In the days of Elector Max Emanuel, up to 80 gondolas and magnificent boats travelled along the canal. Today, the city's last remaining gondoliers, father and son team Maximilian Koch and Maximilian Maria Koch, keep this historic tradition alive.
There are two gondoliers in Munich – you and your son. How did that come about?
Maximilian Koch: I used to be a professional sailor. The connection to gondolas started with ex-gondolier Ingo Stahl, who had a gondola on Wörthsee (lake), which I sometimes took for a spin. My son was only 14 then, still quite young, but by 15 or 16, he mastered it. Now he navigates a gondola better than I do – he learnt it from scratch.
How do you get hold of an original Venetian gondola in Munich?
Maximilian Koch: The gondola we have was actually in operation in Venice for four years, before we brought it to Munich. We got in touch with Venetian gondoliers through colleagues in Bamberg and asked if they had any second-hand gondolas available. I got my first gondola as a gift.
How did that come about?
Maximilian Koch: There was a large construction company in Munich's Pasing district that was building a Venetian-style neighbourhood. As part of this project, they placed a disused gondola in the Würm river for about a year. I called the company to ask what they were going to do with it, and eventually they gave it to me. I had it refurbished and made it seaworthy again.
You mentioned that you learnt to ride a gondola on Lake Wörthsee. Have you also navigated the canals of Venice?
Maximilian Koch: Yes. I go on the canals of Venice with my son two or three times a year. We met a gondolier there by chance who has roots in Munich and always lets us ride. We're in training with him, so to speak.
What does the Nymphenburg Canal offer that the canals in Venice don't?
Maximilian Koch: Venice can be a bit stressful, especially on the Grand Canal. Nymphenburg on the other hand, offers a calm, relaxing, and tranquil cruise, perfect for unwinding. There is no traffic, no waves. Especially when you leave the landing stage and head towards the cascade, you literally glide into calm waters. With hardly any people to the left or right, you're surrounded by nature. In the Baroque era, such pleasure cruises were among the greatest courtly amusements.
In Nymphenburg?
Maximilian Koch: Yes. Max Emanuel, the Elector of Bavaria from the Wittelsbach dynasty, had 51 kilometres of canals built within two years. This way, he connected the palaces of Dachau, Schleissheim, and Nymphenburg. Back then, it was possible to travel as far as the Residence (city palace), and he even brought gondoliers from Venice with their gondolas. The Venetians lived where the Palm House in Nymphenburg stands today and the shipyard was also located there. In addition to the typical gondolas, there was also the so-called “Great Machine.“ This was a large raft, as wide as the canal, on which around 40 to 60 people could dine and dance. The raft was pulled through the canal by horses or oxen. Travelling across this canal was one of the greatest imaginable pleasures. The trips began in 1703 and continued until 1850, when Ludwig I put an end to them – after almost 150 years of gondola operation.
Back then, only the nobility was permitted to travel in the gondola. Who are your guests today?
Maximilian Koch: We have a wide variety of trips. We have weddings, friendship trips, wedding anniversaries – we have more than thirty marriage proposals a year at least. We also cater for family and company celebrations and we offer cultural trips in collaboration with the adult education centre. Occasionally, we even have someone on board who sings, like tenor Giuseppe Del Duca.
Your website also explicitly states “The gondolier does not sing.“
Maximilian Koch: (laughs) Yes, exactly. Because that’s a film cliché. Everyone thinks the gondolier sings. Whenever I'm steering, someone will shout: “Do you sing, too?” I only know one gondolier in Venice who sings a song every now and then, but in reality you don't have the breath for it.
Are there any clichés that are true?
Maximilian Koch: That it is romantic And that every marriage proposal is always answered with a yes.
Really?
Maximilian Koch: Yes, always. When you're in a gondola, you’re in a different world. People are enchanted. That's the beauty of it. That's why my son and I love doing it so much. Everyone is in a good mood. You get hugs from strangers, tips, and love from everyone – a great contrast to our job in the insurance agency, where it's all about investments, claims, illnesses, and deaths.
How many marriage proposals have you witnessed?
Maximilian Koch: We've been doing this for ten years now, so definitely 300. (Turns to his son.) Right, Mäxi?
Maximilian Maria Koch: If not even more.
And they all said yes?
Maximilian Maria Koch: So far, there hasn't been a single no. Success guaranteed. At least on the gondola.
Oh, only on the gondola?
Maximilian Maria Koch: Yes, you can't run away.
Maximilian Koch: The first marriage proposal I witnessed was between two women. It was very emotional. There was one day, when I even witnessed three marriage proposals – that was a record. The first proposal was from a tourist, not a Munich resident, but a Spaniard, who had booked it beforehand. Everything went smoothly. The second was between two women. And the third was a marriage proposal from a woman to a man. That was so special because the man was so happy to have been proposed to. He cried with emotion. It was really touching. The two of them were so happy – it was really great.
Would you propose on a gondola yourself?
Maximilian Koch: Yes. It's a very special atmosphere. And you also have a certain intimacy because, as gondoliers, we stand very far back.
Maximilian Maria Koch: About three to four metres.
Maximilian Koch: We can’t overhear any conversations. You really are all on your own. We only see when the person kneels down.
So, there are people who don't tell you in advance?
Maximilian Maria Koch: In ninety per cent of the cases, we know and are involved. But sometimes, it's a surprise. People ask questions, we have a chat and then it's suddenly quiet for five minutes. Out of the blue, one person gets up and kneels down. Then you think to yourself, “Okay, if I had known that, I might have held back a bit“ (laughs).
Maximilian Koch: I once had eight Americans in traditional dress on board. One of them, a very strong guy, suddenly knelt down, the gondola started to wobble slightly, and then he unexpectedly proposed marriage. A marriage proposal in traditional dress on a Venetian gondola in Bavaria – what better thing could there be for an American?
Talking of wobbling: Have you ever gone overboard?
Maximilian Koch: No, thank goodness, not yet. And no guest yet either. Passenger ages range from four weeks to 102 years old. Three years ago, I received a call from guests who wanted to celebrate the birthday of their 100-year-old grandma. Alright. The lady arrived: elegant, with grey-blue hair, very well-groomed. I didn't really have to help her; she just walked straight to the back. Her 70-year-old children needed my assistance getting into the gondola more than this 100-year-old lady. One year later, the phone rang again: 101st birthday. Same procedure. Then I said to her, “Don't you want to do something else next year, like skydiving or something?“ Last year, she was back again: at 102.
Maximilian Koch: That's amazing. We have a lot of older people who fulfil their wish, either because they were last in Venice 40 years ago, or because they've never been to Venice and have always wanted to go.
What was it like for you the first time you rode a gondola yourself?
Maximilian Maria Koch: Frustrating (both laugh). That actually sums it up quite well. It looks so easy when you watch a gondolier – standing, rowing and the boat just glides. But once you have the remo – the oar – in your own hand, you realise how difficult it is to keep it in the fórcola, the Venetian rowlock. And when you finally start moving, you just end up going in circles.
Maximilian Koch: That brings us to the “bella figura“: No matter how tough it is, you always have to cut a good figure. No strained face, always casual – that's what our Venetian gondola friend taught us.
