A journey in the company of Norbert Alfons Kumelski

In the Bavarian capital, Chopin spent a great deal of time with the Polish naturalist Norbert Alfons Kumelski (1802–1853), whom he had met earlier in Vienna. Together they left Austria and travelled via Linz and Salzburg to Munich. They set off from Vienna in mid-July, immediately after Chopin had received his long-awaited documents: a passport permitting travel to the Bavarian capital (although he had officially applied for a visa to London, planning to settle in Paris) and the so-called Gesundheitspass — a health certificate confirming that he was not suffering from cholera, without which he could not have left the country. During his journey, Chopin experienced intense emotions, linked both to the cholera epidemic raging in Austria and to the losses suffered by the Poles in the November Uprising.

The flat at Briennerstrasse 1661 (now Odeonsplatz 2)

We learn the details of Chopin’s stay in Munich from police reports, which state his temporary address, the name of his host and the dates of his stay. In Munich, in order to save money, Chopin and Kumelski stayed with the court cellist Karl Schönche (1785–1861). They lived in a three-storey, classical-style building at Briennerstrasse 1661 (now Odeonsplatz 2), built between 1828 and 1829 to a design by the German architect Leo von Klenze (1784–1864). Owing to its location in the vicinity of the Odeon, the city’s most important cultural institutions and the court garden, this spot was ideal for social gatherings and served as an excellent base for exploring the city. The narrow streets of the old town and the Church of St Cajetan may have reminded Chopin of the area around Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw. However, no correspondence from the period of his visit to Munich has survived that would record his impressions of the city.

Concert

Chopin had initially planned a short stay in Munich, but as he was awaiting a remittance from his father, he was forced to extend his visit. The composer’s stay in the Bavarian capital was not limited solely to rest and socialising; it was also of significant importance for his artistic career. On 28 August at 12:00, Chopin performed in the hall at Wittelsbacherplatz 617 at a concert organised by the Philharmonic Society (as reported belatedly by the *Kurier Warszawski* in issue 256 of 22 September 1831). There he performed his Concerto in E minor. The local press had mixed opinions on this composition, describing it as ‘brilliant and well-structured, yet lacking any particular novelty or deeper character.’ However, the performance itself aroused admiration thanks to the ‘refined virtuosity and endearing delicacy of the playing.’ Towards the end of the concert, Chopin ‘received universal applause’ from the audience whilst playing his ‘Fantasy on Themes from Polish Folk Songs.’

Chopin’s legacy in Munich

Chopin’s legacy in Munich remains very much alive thanks to various initiatives. In 2010, to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth, a statue of him by the Polish sculptor Józef Nowak (b. 1962) was unveiled in the Poets’ Park. The monument was created thanks to the commitment and funding of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and Halina and Mirosław Pieńkowski.