Michael Jackson in…Munich?
One photo, one story - where we tell the story behind one photo from our travels
We arrived in Munich late in the afternoon by rail. As we trundled through the streets, jet-lagged and half-focused on finding our hotel, we both stopped short at the same sight. A traditional-looking monument, absolutely plastered with photos of Michael Jackson.
We looked at the statue. We looked at each other. We looked back at the statue. Was that… Michael Jackson?
For context: this was October 2019. And yes, this was Munich, Germany.
The story behind this makeshift Michael Jackson shrine is even stranger than it first appears.
The Photo
The Story
After Jackson’s death in 2009, local fans began leaving flowers, photos, and handwritten notes at this spot. And then they just kept going. Over time, it quietly transformed into an unofficial shrine that still attracts visitors years later.
The statue underneath all of this devotion isn’t Jackson at all. It depicts Orlando di Lasso, a 16th-century Franco-Flemish composer who probably never imagined spending eternity surrounded by sequined gloves and moonwalk references.
So why Michael Jackson? And why here?
The answer is… geography. According to Atlas Obscura, the nearby Bayerischer Hof Hotel on Promenadepl was Jackson’s favourite place to stay when he visited Munich. The shrine exists not because of symbolism or shared artistic lineage, but simply because this was the closest convenient surface.
And what do the locals think? Opinions vary. Some love the unexpected fan tribute and its quietly persistent weirdness. Others see it as a long-running eyesore that refuses to fade away.
Either way, it’s a reminder that travel rarely sticks to the script. Sometimes you come to Munich for beer halls and Baroque churches and end up face-to-face with the King of Pop instead.
