Cyril Mariaux

Munich, Haidhausen. While this district was first established in 808 as ‘Haidhusir’, you won’t find any original houses left on the heath (Heide in German) these days. There are some little spots where you can still recognise the rustic charm of this former working-class and hostel neighbourhood, however the overall impression is dominated by the striking Gründerzeit buildings and the green areas of what is now known as the ‘French Quarter’.

The title is not based on the large number of French residents or the gourmet restaurants, but rather the street names, which reference battles of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. Très charmant. However, there are a few people born and bred in France living here too, of course. One of them is our Motel One Munich-Haidhausen artist, whose studio is just around the corner from our hotel.

Where the magic happens...

When you first walk into Cyril Mariaux’s courtyard enclave, you’ll want to get in touch with your own creative side, ideally while enjoying a cup of café au lait.

A passion for detail

It’s doubtful whether we’d achieve the same results, but if not, the ambience certainly wouldn’t be to blame. The space is flooded with sunlight, complete with thoughtful details and sketches on the walls. But it’s not at all pretentious.

A Parisian import

Everything here seems to have just ended up where it is by sheer coincidence. A bit like how Cyril ended up in Munich; the artist, who was born in Toulon in 1971, came here in 2005 after having studied in Paris and worked there as an illustrator.

Handmade

And just one ‘téléphone’ later, as the Frenchman says – voilà – his 3D collages are decorating the walls of our new hotel in Munich. ‘I just do illustrations,’ he explains modestly. And his favourite method is to combine paper clippings with drawings.

The search for clippings

His collages at the hotel bring the neighbourhood to life. For the works, he selected seven of his favourite locations that he finds particularly inspiring. Like the Müller’sches Volksbad, for example, which was once the largest swimming pool in the world, or Wiener Platz with its little stands that remind him of French vegetable and fish markets...

Building kit

…Bordeauxplatz: despite its name, it turns out that, misleadingly, only water comes out of the fountain rather than red wine. Or, as you can see here, the old Kriechbaumhof on Preysingstrasse, which is a historic hostel building.

Challenge accepted

The artist, who loves to create extremely detailed small pieces of art, found working with such a large format for this project a struggle. ‘A good challenge!’ he laughs. And he made it work. He wanted to inspire the guests to wander around Haidhausen and discover the most beautiful spots for themselves. We hope that you’ll do just that!