Munich
Munich (
German:
München, (
pronounced listen) is the capital of the
German Federal State of
Bavaria (
German:
Freistaat Bayern).
Munich is
Germany's third largest city and one of
Europe's most prosperous. The city has a population of about 1.3 million (
as of 2006) and the Munich
metropolitan area is home to around 2.7 million people. The city is located on the River
Isar north of the
Bavarian Alps.
The city's
motto was
"Die Weltstadt mit Herz" (The world city with a heart) for a long time and has been recently replaced by
"München mag dich" (Munich likes you). The figure on Munich's coat-of-arms is a monk referred to as the
Münchner Kindl, the
child of Munich. Black and gold - the colours of the
Holy Roman Empire - have been the city's official colours since the time of
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
Setting
Munich lies on the elevated plains of
Upper Bavaria, about 50 km north of the northern edge of the
Alps, at an altitude of about 520m.
Munich is situated in the Nothern Alpine Foreland. The northern part of this sandy plateau includes a highly fertile flint area which is no longer affected by the folding processes found in the Alps, while the southern part is covered by
morainic hills. In between there are fields of fluvio-glacial out-wash, like around Munich. Wherever these deposits get thinner, the ground water can permeate the gravel surface and flood the area, leading to marshes as in the north of Munich.
Climate
Because of the distance to the sea and the closeness to the northern edge of the Alps, precipitation is rather high. Rain storms often come violently and unexpectedly. The range of temperature between day and night or summer and winter can be extreme. A warm down wind from the Alps (
Föhn) can change the temperatures completely within a few hours, even in the winter.
Winters last from December to March. Munich experiences rather cold winters, but heavy rainfall is rarely seen in the winter. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of 33 °F (0.56 °C). Snow cover is seen for at least a couple of weeks during winter. Summers in Munich city are fairly warm with average temperature of 67 °F (19 °C) in the hottest month of July. The summers last from May till August. In the summer, there is frequent rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms.
Origin
The city was founded in 1158 by the
Welf Henry the Lion, Duke of
Saxony and
Bavaria, next to a settlement of Benedictine monks, called
Munichen (Latin
Monacum, Monachium). The monks' presence dated back to the
8th century, although settlement in the Munich area can be traced back to
Roman times. The village then grew around
St. Peter's church, next to the bridge that Henry built over the river Isar. To force traders to use his bridge (and charge them for doing so) he destroyed a nearby bridge owned by bishop
Otto von Freising (
Freising).Subsequently the bishop and Henry quarreled about the city before Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa at an
Imperial Diet held in
Augsburg in
1158. This sanctioned Henry's spoliation, and awarded an annual compensation for the bishop, and also confirmed Munich's trading and currency rights.
Middle Ages
Almost two decades later in
1175 Munich was officially granted city status and fortified. In
1180, with the trial of Henry the Lion,
Otto I Wittelsbach became Duke of Bavaria and Munich was handed over to the bishop of Freising. Otto's heirs, the
Wittelsbach dynasty would rule Bavaria until
1918. In
1240 Munich itself was transferred to
Otto II Wittelsbach and in
1255, when the dukedom of Bavaria was split in two, Munich became the ducal residence of
Upper Bavaria.
Duke
Louis IV was elected German king in
1314 and crowned as
Holy Roman Emperor in
1328. He strengthened the city's position by granting it the salt monopoly, thus assuring it of additional income. In
1327 most of the city was destroyed by a fire but was rebuilt, extended and protected with a new fortification some years later. Philosophers like
Michael of Cesena,
Marsilius of Padua and
William of Ockham supported Louis IV in his fight with the papacy and were protected at the emperor's
court. Since the citizenry several times revolted against the dukes a new
castle was built close to the fortification from
1385 onwards. A rising of the guilds in
1397 was thrown down the following year.
Another devastating fire destroyed parts of the city in
1429. In the late 15th century Munich underwent a revival of
gothic arts - the Old Town Hall was enlarged and a new cathedral - the
Frauenkirche - constructed within only twenty years from
1468 onwards. The cathedral has become a symbol for the city with its two brick towers and onion domes.
Capital of the reunited duchy of Bavaria
When Bavaria was reunited in
1506 Munich became capital of the whole of Bavaria. The arts and politics became increasingly influenced by the court. During the 16th century Munich was a center of the German
counter reformation, and also of
renaissance arts. Duke
Wilhelm V commissioned the Jesuit
Michaelskirche, which became a center for the counter-reformation, and also built the
Hofbräuhaus for brewing brown beer in
1589.
In
1623 during the
Thirty Years' War Munich became electoral residence when
Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria was invested with the electoral dignity but in
1632 the city was occupied by
Gustav II Adolph of Sweden. When the
bubonic plague broke out in
1634 and
1635 about one third of the population died. After the war Munich quickly became a center of
baroque life. Elector
Ferdinand Maria's consort Henriette Adelaide of Savoy invited numerous Italian architects and artists to the city, and built the
Theatinerkirche and
Nymphenburg palace on the occasion of the birth of their son and heir
Maximilian II Emanuel, elector of Bavaria in
1662.
Munich was under the control of the
Habsburg family for some years after Maximilian II Emanuel made a pact with France in
1705 during the
War of the Spanish Succession. The occupation led to bloody uprisings against the Austrian imperial troops followed by a massacre while farmers were rioting (the "Sendlinger Mordweihnacht" or Murder Christmas of Sendling). The coronation of Max Emanuel's son elector Charles Albert as Emperor
Karl VII in
1742 led to another Habsburg occupation. The city's first academic institution, the
Bavarian Academy of Sciences, was founded in
1759 by
Maximilian III Joseph, who abandoned his forefather's imperial ambitions and made peace. From
1789 onwards, when the old medieval fortification was demolished, the
English Garden was laid out - it is one of the world's largest urban public parks. By that time, the city was growing very quickly and was one of the largest cities in continental
Europe.
Capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria
In
1806, it became the capital of the new
Kingdom of Bavaria, with the state's parliament (the
Landtag) and the new
archdiocese of Munich and Freising being located in the city. Twenty years later
Landshut University was moved to Munich.
|
The Bavaria with the Ruhmeshalle, opened in 1850 |
Many of the city's finest buildings belong to this period and were built under the reign of King
Ludwig I. These
neoclassical buildings include the
Ruhmeshalle with the "Bavaria" statue by
Ludwig Michael von Schwanthaler and those on the magnificent
Ludwigstraße and the
Königsplatz, built by the architects
Leo von Klenze and
Friedrich von Gärtner. Under King
Max II the
Maximilianstraße was constructed in
Perpendicular style.
The railways reached Munich in
1839, followed by trams in
1876 and electric lighting in
1882. The
Technical University of Munich was founded in
1868. The city hosted Germany's first exhibition of
electricity, and in
1930 the first ever
television was showcased at the city's
Deutsches Museum (founded in
1903) on the banks of the Isar. Numerous inventors and scientists worked in Munich, including
Alois Senefelder,
Joseph von Fraunhofer,
Justus von Liebig,
Georg Ohm,
Carl von Linde,
Rudolf Diesel,
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen,
Emil Kraepelin and
Alois Alzheimer, and the young
Albert Einstein attended the
Luitpold Gymnasium. In
1901 the
Hellabrunn Zoo opened in the city.
Munich also became a center of the arts and literature again, as
Carl Rottmann,
Wilhelm von Kaulbach,
Carl Spitzweg,
Franz von Lenbach,
Franz von Stuck,
Wilhelm Leibl,
Paul Heyse,
Henrik Ibsen,
Richard Wagner,
Richard Strauss and many others lived and worked there.
|
Justizpalast, postcard late 19th century |
The period immediately before
World War I saw particular economic and cultural prominence for the city. Munich, and especially its suburb of
Schwabing, became the domicile of many artists and writers.
Thomas Mann wrote about this period "Munich shone".
Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group of expressionist artists, was established in Munich in
1911. The city was a home for painters like
Paul Klee,
Wassily Kandinsky,
Alexej von Jawlensky,
Gabriele Münter,
Franz Marc,
August Macke and
Alfred Kubin and for numerous writers like
Rainer Maria Rilke and
Frank Wedekind. In
1846 Munich's population was about 100,000, and by
1901 this had risen to about 500,000.
World War I and revolution
Following the outbreak of
World War I in
1914, life in Munich became very difficult, as the Allied blockade of Germany led to food and fuel shortages. During French air raids in
1916 three bombs fell on Munich. After World War I, the city was at the center of much political unrest. In
November 1918 on the eve of revolution,
Ludwig III and his family fled the city. After the murder of the first republican
premier of Bavaria Kurt Eisner in February
1919 Communists took power establishing the
Bavarian Soviet Republic (
Münchner Räterepublik) and
Vladimir Lenin, who had lived in Munich some years before, sent a congratulatory telegram. But the Soviet Republic was brutally put down on May 3, 1919 by the militarist
Freikorps, many of whom were later drawn to
Adolf Hitler and
National Socialism.
Weimar Republic / Nazi Regime and World War II
In
1923 Hitler and his supporters, who at that time were concentrated in Munich, staged the
Beer Hall Putsch, an attempt to overthrow the
Weimar Republic and seize power. The revolt failed, resulting in Hitler's arrest and the temporary crippling of the
Nazi Party, which was virtually unknown outside Munich.
Munich remained a center of cultural life during the Weimar period, as figures such as
Lion Feuchtwanger,
Bert Brecht and
Oskar Maria Graf were active.
The city however would once again become a Nazi stronghold when they took power in Germany in
1933. Because of its importance to the rise of Nazism, the Nazis called it the
Hauptstadt der Bewegung ("capital of the movement"). The
NSDAP headquarters were in Munich and many
Führerbauten (
"Führer-buildings") were built around the Königsplatz, some of which have survived to this day.
In
1938, the
Munich Agreement,
Neville Chamberlain's famous act of
appeasement to Hitler, was signed in the city by representatives of
Germany,
Italy,
France and
Britain. It ceded the mostly German-speaking regions of
Czechoslovakia called
Sudetenland to Germany. One year later
Georg Elser failed with his attempt to assassinate Hitler during his annual speech to commemorate the Beer Hall Putsch in the
Bürgerbräukeller in Munich.
Munich was the base of the
White Rose (German:
Die Weiße Rose), a group of students that formed a
resistance movement from June
1942 to February
1943. The core members were arrested and executed following a distribution of leaflets in
Munich University by
Hans and Sophie Scholl.
The city was very heavily damaged by allied bombing during
World War II - the city was hit by 71 air raids over a period of five years.
Postwar Munich
After
American occupation in
1945, Munich was completely rebuilt following a meticulous and - by comparison to other war-ravaged German cities - rather conservative plan which preserved its pre-war street grid.
In
1957 Munich's population passed the 1 million mark.
Munich was the site of the
1972 Summer Olympics, during which
Israeli athletes were assassinated by
Palestinian terrorists (see
Munich massacre), when terrorist gunmen from the Palestinian "
Black September" group took hostage members of the Israeli Olympic team. A rescue attempt by the
West German government was unsuccessful and resulted in the deaths of the Israeli hostages, five of the terrorists, and one German police officer.
Several games of the
1974 World Cup were also held in the city, including the German triumph against the Netherlands in a legendary final.
In
1992 Munich's new airport was inaugurated and the inauguration of the Neue Messe, the new exhibition centre on the site of the former airport of Riem, took place in
1998.
The current
Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising on
June 29,
1951. Ratzinger served as
Archbishop of Munich from
1977 to
1982.
Munich's current mayor is
Christian Ude of the
SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany). Munich has a nearly unbroken history of SPD governments since World War II, which is remarkable because the rest of Bavaria is a conservative stronghold, with the
CSU (Christian Social Union) winning
absolute majorities among the Bavarian electorate in nearly all elections at the communal, state, and federal levels.
As capital of Bavaria Munich is an important political center in Germany and the seat of the
Bavarian Landtag (the state parliament), the Staatskanzlei (the state chancellery) and of all state departments.
Several national and international authorities are located in Munich, including the
Bundesfinanzhof (the highest German tax court) and the
European Patent Office.
Main article: Boroughs of Munich
Munich is subdivided into 25 boroughs (Bezirke in German, also sometimes called districts in English).
|
Locations of the quarters |
Allach-Untermenzing (23), Altstadt-Lehel (1), Aubing-Lochhausen-Langwied (22), Au-Haidhausen (5), Berg am Laim (14), Bogenhausen (13), Feldmoching-Hasenbergl (24), Hadern (20), Laim (25), Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt (2), Maxvorstadt (3), Milbertshofen-Am Hart (11), Moosach (10), Neuhausen-Nymphenburg (9), Obergiesing (17),
Pasing-Obermenzing (21), Ramersdorf-Perlach (16),
Schwabing-Freimann (12),
Schwabing-West (4), Schwanthalerhöhe (8), Sendling (6), Sendling-Westpark (7), Thalkirchen-Obersendling-Forstenried-Fürstenried-Solln (19), Trudering-Riem (15) and Untergiesing-Harlaching (18).
Munich is a popular tourist destination and has been described as Germany's "secret capital".
Marienplatz and Stachus
At the center of the city is the
Marienplatz - a large open square named after the Mariensäule, a
Marian column in its centre - with the Old and the New Town Hall. Its tower contains the
Rathaus-Glockenspiel, an ornate
clock with almost life-sized moving figures that show scenes from a medieval jousting tournament as well as a performance of the famous "Schäfflertanz" (roughly translated "Barrel-makers' dance"). Three gates of the demolished medieval fortification have survived to this day - the
Isartor in the east, the
Sendlinger Tor in the south and the
Karlstor in the west of the inner city. The Karlstor is the oldest building at
Stachus, a grand square dominated by the
Justizpalast (Palace of Justice).
The most remarkable churches
The
Peterskirche close to Marienplatz is the oldest church of the inner city. It was first built during the
romanesque period, and was the focus of the early monastic settlement in Munich before the city's official foundation in 1158. Nearby the gothic hall-church
Heiliggeistkirche (The Church of the Holy Ghost) was converted to baroque style from
1724 onwards and looks down upon the
Viktualienmarkt, the most popular market of Munich.
The
Frauenkirche ("Dom zu unserer Lieben Frau" - Cathedral of
Our Lady) is the most famous building in the city center and serves as
cathedral for the
Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. It is particularly famous for the brass
onion domes that top the twin towers. The domes were added in the 16th century, in a style that contrasted with the
gothic style of the rest of the building. The original design called for pointed towers like Cologne Cathedral but they were never completed due to lack of money. At first glance the two towers appear to be the same height but in fact one is slightly taller than the other. Unlike most buildings in Munich's old town, the towers of the Frauenkirche (but not the church itself) survived WW2 intact, making them more than 500 years old. The Frauenkirche's towers (99 meters or 325 feet) are also the measurement for a new rule which limits the height of new buildings to the same height in the city. This rule was passed in November 2004 by the people of Munich in a referendum organized by Georg Kronawitter, a former SPD mayor, despite opposition from the political parties in the city's parliament ("Stadtrat") who feared that it would harm the city's attractiveness to investors. Other gothic churches are the former graveyard chapels of St. Peter, the
Kreuzkirche, and of the Frauenkirche,
St Salvator but also the former
Augustinerkirche which serves today as German Hunting and Fishing Museum.
The nearby
Michaelskirche is the largest
renaissance church north of the Alps, while the
Theatinerkirche is a
basilica in Italianate high baroque which had a major influence on Southern German
baroque architecture. Its dome dominates the Odeonsplatz. Other baroque churches in the inner city which are worth a detour are the
Bürgersaalkirche, the
Dreifaltigkeitskirche, the
St. Anna Damenstiftskirche and
St. Anna im Lehel, the first
rococo church in Bavaria. The
Asamkirche was endowed and built by the Brothers
Asam, pioneering artists of the rococo period.
St Michael in Berg am Laim was built almost simultaneously by
Johann Michael Fischer and might be the most remarkable church out of the inner city.
The palaces, royal avenues and theatres
The
Alte Hof, a medieval castle and first residence of the
Wittelsbach dukes in Munich still exists in the inner city close to Marienplatz. The Renaissance
Mint Yard with its neoclassical façade is situated between the old castle and the Residenz.
The large
Residenz palace complex (begun in 1385) on the edge of Munich's Old Town ranks among Europe's most significant museums of interior decoration. Having undergone several extensions, it contains also the
treasury and the splendid rococo
Cuvilliés Theatre. Many operas were staged here, including the premiere of
Mozart's "Idomeneo" in 1781.
Munich is home to a neo-classical opera house of international renown, the
Nationaltheater where several of
Richard Wagner's operas had their premieres under the patronage of
Ludwig II of Bavaria. Today it is the home of the
Bavarian State Opera and the Bavarian State Orchestra. Next door the modern
Residenz Theatre was erected in the building that had housed the Cuvilliés Theatre before World War II. The
Gärtnerplatz Theatre is a ballet and musical state theatre on the left bank of the Isar in the south of the inner city. The modern
Gasteig center on the opposite bank houses the
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. The third orchestra in Munich with international importance is the
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Close to the Gasteig on the bank of the Isar is the
Volksbad, a large public bath built in the art nouveau style.
Among the baroque and neoclassical mansions which still exist in Munich are the
Palais Törring-Jettenbach with its loggia, the
Palais Preysing, the
Palais Holnstein (the residence of the
Archbishop of Munich and Freising), the
Palais Leuchtenberg (the former residence of
Eugène de Beauharnais) and the
Prinz-Carl-Palais, the official residence of Bavaria's state premier (or
Ministerpräsident). All mansions are situated close to the Residenz.
Four grand royal avenues of the 19th century with magnificent official buildings are reminders of the kingdom of Bavaria:
Brienner Strasse, starting at
Odeonsplatz on the northern fringe of the Old Town close to the Residenz, runs from east to west and opens into the impressive
Königsplatz, designed with the "
Doric"
Propyläen, the "
Ionic"
Glyptothek and the "
Corinthian"
State Museum of Classical Art, on its back side
St. Boniface's Abbey was erected. The area around Königsplatz is home to the
Kunstareal, Munich's gallery and museum quarter (as described
below).
The neoclassical
Ludwigstrasse also begins at
Odeonsplatz and runs from south to north, skirting the
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, the
St. Louis church, the
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) and numerous state ministries and palaces.
Maximilianstrasse starts at
Max-Joseph-Platz, where the
Residenz and the National Theatre are situated, and runs from west to east. The avenue is framed by neogothic palaces which house, among others, the
Schauspielhaus (one of the most important
German language theatres in the world), the district government of Upper Bavaria and the
Völkerkundemuseum (Museum of Ethnology). After crossing the river Isar, the avenue circles the
Maximilianeum, home of the
Bavarian Landtag (state parliament). The western portion of Maximilianstrasse is known for its designer shops, luxury boutiques, jewellery stores, and one of Munich's foremost five-star hotels, the
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (Four Seasons).
Prinzregentenstrasse runs parallel to Maximilianstrasse and begins at Prinz-Carl-Palais, in the northeastern part of the Old Town. Many museums can be found along the avenue, such as the internationally renowned
Haus der Kunst (House of Art), the
Bayerisches Nationalmuseum (
Bavarian National Museum), the
Schackgalerie and the
Villa Stuck on the eastern side of the river. The avenue crosses the river and circles the
Friedensengel (Angel of Peace), a monument commemorating the 25 years of peace following the
Franco-Prussian War in
1871. The
Prinzregententheater, another important theatre, is at Prinzregentenplatz further to the east.
Two large baroque palaces are reminders of Bavaria's royal past.
Schloss Nymphenburg (
Nymphenburg Palace), some 6 km north west of the city centre, is surrounded by an impressive park and is considered to be one of Europe's most beautiful royal residences.
Schloss Schleißheim (
Schleissheim Palace), located in the suburb of
Oberschleissheim is a palace complex encompassing three separate residences:
Altes Schloss Schleißheim (the old palace),
Neues Schloss Schleißheim (the new palace) and
Schloss Lustheim (Lustheim Palace). Most parts of the palace complex serve as museums and art galleries.
Deutsches Museum's
Flugwerft Schleißheim flight exhibition centre is located nearby, on the Schleißheim Special Landing Field.
The museums
The
Deutsches Museum, located on an island in the Isar, is one of the oldest and largest science museums in the world. Three redundant exhibition buildings which are under a protection order were converted to house the
Verkehrsmuseum, which houses the land transport collections of the Deutsches Museum. Several still not centralised museums show the expanded state collections of palaeontology, geology, mineralogy, zoology, botany and anthropology.
The city has several important
art galleries, most of which can be found in the
Kunstareal, including the
Alte Pinakothek, the
Neue Pinakothek, and the
Pinakothek der Moderne. Alte Pinakothek's rather monolithic structure contains a treasure trove of the works of European masters between the 14th and 18th centuries. The collection reflects the eclectic tastes of the Wittelsbachs over four centuries, and is sorted by schools over two sprawling floors. Major displays include
Albrecht Dürer`s Christ-like Self-Portrait, his Four Apostles,
Raffael's paintings
The Canigiani Holy Family and
Madonna Tempi as well as
Peter Paul Rubens two-storey-high Judgment Day. The gallery houses one of the world`s most comprehensive Rubens collections. Before
World War I, the
Blaue Reiter group of artists worked in Munich. Many of their works can now be seen at the
Lenbachhaus. An important collection of Greek and Roman art is held in the
Glyptothek and the
Staatliche Antikensammlung (State Antiquities Collection). Louis I managed to accquire such famous pieces as the
Medusa Rondanini, the
Barberini Faun and the figures from the Aphaea temple on
Aegina for the Glyptothek. The
Kunstareal will be further augmented by the completion of the
Egyptian Museum.
The famous gothic
Morris dancers of
Erasmus Grasser are exhibited in the
Munich City Museum in the old arsenal building.The
State Museum of Ethnology in Maximilianstrasse is the second largest collection in Germany of artifacts and objects from outside Europe, while the
Bavarian National Museum and the adjoining
State Archeological Collections in Prinzregentenstrasse rank among Europe's major art and cultural history museums. The nearby
Schackgalerie is an important gallery of German 19th century paintings.
Modern Munich
Munich features a wide and diverse array of modern architecture, although strict height limitations for buildings have limited the construction of
skyscrapers. Most high-rise buildings are clustered at the northern edge of Munich, like the
Hypohaus, the
Arabella High-Rise Building, the
Highlight Towers,
Uptown Munich and the
BMW Headquarters next to the Olympic Park. Several other high-rise buildings are located near the city center and on the
Siemens campus in southern Munich.
In November
2004, a
referendum was held to decide whether the construction of high-rise buildings in the inner city should be prohibited; as a result of the referendum, several building projects, among them the planned new office building of
Süddeutscher Verlag, had to be changed substantially or given up completely. However,
as of 2006, due to the very close result of the referendum and due to the fact that the referendum's result was binding only for one year, there is an ongoing discussion in the city council on how to proceed with future building plans.
Olympic Park and Allianz Arena
The
Olympic Park with its stadium was built for the
Munich 1972 Summer Olympics. The Olympic buildings are famous for their design, which was inspired by dew-covered cobwebs. Visitors can get a great panoramic view of Munich and the Alps from the top of the Olympic Tower (
Olympiaturm), which is also used as a radio and TV broadcasting tower.
However the
2006 World Cup did not take place in the traditional
Olympic Stadium, but in Munich's new football stadium, the
Allianz Arena, located in the northern suburb of
Fröttmanning. Nearby is the oldest church within the city borders,
Heilig Kreuz, known for its
Romanesque fresco.
The parks
|
Hofgarten with the dome of the state chancellery near the Residenz |
Munich is a green city with numerous parks. The
Englischer Garten, close to the city centre and covering an area of 3.7 km², is one of the world's largest urban public parks, and contains a
nudist area, jogging tracks and bridle-paths.Other large green spaces are the modern
Olympic Park, and the parks of
Nymphenburg Palace (with the
Botanical Garden to the north), and
Schleissheim Palace. The city's oldest park is the
Hofgarten, near the Residenz, and dating back to the 16th century. Most known for the largest beergarden in the town is the former royal
Hirschgarten, founded in 1780 for deers which still live there. The city's
zoo is the
Tierpark Hellabrunn near the Flaucher Island in the Isar in the south of the city.
Hofbräuhaus and Oktoberfest
Main article:
OktoberfestThe
Hofbräuhaus am Platzl is arguably the most well-known beer hall, located in the city center. It also operates the second largest tent at the
Oktoberfest, perhaps Munich's most famous attraction. A 2-week-long fair, it offers a wide selection of rollercoasters and several large beer tents ("Bierzelte"). The Oktoberfest was first held on
October 12,
1810 in honor of the marriage of crown prince
Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities were closed with a horse race and in the following years the horse races were continued and later developed into what is now known as the Oktoberfest. Despite its name, most of
Oktoberfest occurs in September. It always finishes on the first Sunday in October unless the German national holiday on
3 October ("Tag der deutschen Einheit" - Day of German Unity) is a Monday or Tuesday - then the Oktoberfest still opens for these days.
Others
*
DallmayrAround Munich
The Munich
agglomeration sprawls across the plain of the
Voralpenland. Several smaller traditional Bavarian towns are today part of the Munich suburbs:
*
Dachau*
Erding*
Fürstenfeldbruck*
Freising*
Garching bei München*
Germering*
Gräfelfing*
Gröbenzell*
Gauting*
Haar*
Germering*
Planegg*
Starnberg* etc.
Residents of Munich typically enjoy a high quality of life. Mercer HR Consulting consistently rates the city among the top 10 cities with highest quality of life worldwide - a 2005 survey ranked Munich as 5th
[2005 survey Mercer Human Resource Consulting]. Munich enjoys a thriving economy, driven by the information technology, biotechnology, and publishing sectors. Environmental pollution is comparatively low, although
as of 2006 the city council is concerned about levels of
particulate matter (PM), especially along the city's major thoroughfares. Since the enactment of
EU legislation concerning the concentration of particulate in the air, environmental groups such as
Greenpeace have staged large protest rallys to urge the city council and the State government to take a harder stance on pollution.
Public transport is very efficient, although delays on the
S-Bahn (commuter train) often cause frustration during extreme winter weather. The crime rate is very low compared to other large German cities, such as
Hamburg or
Berlin. This high quality of life and safety has caused the city to be nicknamed "Toytown" amongst some of the English-speaking residents. German inhabitants call it "Millionendorf", which means "village of a million people".
The
Viktualienmarkt is Munich's most popular market for fresh food and delicatessen. A very old feature of Munich's Fasching (carnival) is the dance of the Marktfrauen (market women) of the Viktualienmarkt in comical costumes.
The
Auer Dult is held three times a year on the square around Mariahilf church and is one of Munich's oldest markets, well known for its jumble sale and antiques. Almost 300 stands offer rare books and old prints, haberdashery goods, natural hair and skin care and a large selection of china and cooking equipment. Many authentic traditional Bavarian garments, like
lederhosen or
dirndl, can be found there.For amusement the Auer Dult offers horseback riding, the puppet show, the merry-go-rounds, bumper cars and shooting galleries.
Three weeks before Christmas the
Christkindlmarkt at Marienplatz and other squares in the city sells Christmas goods.
Café culture is strong in Munich, especially during the summer. There are many restaurants accommodating all preferences of cuisine. And possibly the most important free time activity during the summer: the
beer gardens. There are around 20 major beer gardens, with four of the most famous and popular being located in the
Englischer Garten and the largest one in the Hirschgarten.
Nightlife in Munich
Nightlife in Munich is thriving with over 6,000 licensed establishments in the city. Some notable establishments are: the
Hofbräuhaus, one of the oldest breweries in Munich, located in the city center near Tal;
Kultfabrik, a closed industrial area converted into a disco and pub; and the
Milchbar, a well-known and well-visited nightclub.
Culinary specialities
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Weißwürste with sweet mustard and pretzel |
The
Weißwürste ('white sausages'), traditionally eaten only in the morning, often served with sweet mustard and freshly baked pretzels are a speciality from Munich as well as
Leberkäs, Bavarian grilled Sausage Loaf often served with Potato Salad.
The most famous soup might be the
Leberknödel Soup.
Leberknödel is a bread dumpling seasoned with liver and onions.
Schweinebraten (pot roasted pork) with
Knödel (dumplings made from potatoes or white bread) and
Kraut (cabbage) and
Schweinshaxn (knuckle of pork) are served as lunch or dinner.
Popular as dessert is the traditional Bavarian Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce or
Auszogene, a fried pastry shaped like a large donut.
These specialities are often served in the
beergardens:
Obatzda is a Bavarian Cheese Specialty, a savoury blend of smashed camembert with brie prepared with cream cheese, butter and onions or spicy paprika. It's often served in the beergardens as well as
Radi (
radish), white radish cut in slin slices and salted, and
Münchner Wurstsalat, Munich' s famous Sausage Salad with thinly sliced Knackwurst marinated in vinegar and oil with onions on a bed of lettuce and sliced Swiss cheese. A
Steckerlfisch is a local fish like trout or whitefish speared on a wooden stick, grilled and smoked on charcoal, the typical feature is the crispy skin. Another classic is
A Hoibs Hendl (half a grilled chicken). A
Mass is a litre of blond beer, a
Radler consists of beer and half of lemonade.
Munich is famous for its breweries and the
Weißbier (or
Weizenbier, wheat beer) is a speciality from Bavaria.
Helles with its translucent gold colour is the most popular Munich beer today, although it's not very old (only introduced in 1895). Helles and Pils have almost ousted the
Munich Dark Beer, which gets its dark colour from burnt malt, the most popular beer in Munich within the 19th century.
Starkbier is the strongest Munich beers, containing 6-9 percent alcohol. It is dark amber and has a heavy malty taste. It is most popular during the Lenten
Starkbierzeit (strong beer time), which begins on or before St. Joseph's Day (March 19th).
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BMW Headquarters building (one of the few buildings that have been built from the top to the bottom) and the bowl shaped BMW museum |
Munich is the German city with the strongest economy. The initiative "Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM)" (New Social Market Economy) and the "
WirtschaftsWoche" (Business Weekly) magazine have awarded Munich the top score in their comparative survey for the third time in June 2006. Munich topped also the ranking of the magazine "Capital" in February 2005 for the economic prospects between 2002 and 2011 in sixty German cities.
Munich is one of the centers of the German
new economy as a center for
biotechnology,
software and other
service industries. Munich is the home of the headquarters of the car manufacturer
BMW, the truck manufacturer
MAN Nutzfahrzeuge, the aircraft engine manufacturer
MTU Aero Engines, the space and defence contractor
EADS (headquartered in the suburban town of
Ottobrunn), the injection molding machine manufacturer
Krauss-Maffei, the manufacturer of desktop-monitors
NEC Displays, the camera and lighting manufacturer
Arri, the technology firms
Siemens and
Infineon Technologies (headquartered in the suburban town of
Neubiberg), as well as the German headquarters of
Precision Plus,
McDonald's and
Microsoft.
The significance of Munich as a financial center is proven by numerous banks such as the
HypoVereinsbank and the Bayerische Landesbank and many insurances. The city is home to the global headquarters of German insurance companies
Allianz and
Munich Re.
Munich is home to many publishing houses (fewer only than
New York City) and also to The
Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany's largest daily newspapers.
The
Bavaria Film Studios are located in the suburb of
Grünwald, they are one of Europe's biggest and most famous movie production studios.
Because of numerous special trade exhibitions Munich is regarded as an international centre in this field as well.
Lufthansa has opened a second hub at Munich's
Franz Josef Strauss International Airport, the second-largest airport in Germany, after
Frankfurt International Airport.
Munich Airport
Franz Josef Strauss International Airport (
IATA: MUC,
ICAO: EDDM) is Munich's main airport, some 30 km to the north east of the city centre. The airport can be reached by Schnellbahn train lines
S1 from the east and
S8 from the west part of the city. A
magnetic levitation train (called
Transrapid) which will run at speeds of up to 400km/h from the central station to the airport is under consideration.
Also, the Bavarian state government has announced plans to expand the Oberpaffenhofen Air Station, located east of Munich, for commercial use. These plans are opposed by many residents of the Oberpfaffenhofen area.
Public transportation
For its population, Munich has one of the most comprehensive systems in the world, incorporating
subways,
suburban trains, trams and buses. The system is supervised by the
Munich Transport and Tariff Association (Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund GmbH).
The main train station is Munich
Hauptbahnhof (Central Station), in the city centre, and there are two smaller main line stations at Pasing, in the west of the city, and Munich Ostbahnhof (East Station) in the east. All three are connected to the public transport system and serve as transportation hubs.
ICE highspeed trains stop at Munich-Pasing and Munich Central only.
InterCity and
EuroCity trains with destinations East of Munich also stop at Munich East.
From
28 May 2006 Munich will be connected to Nuremberg via Ingolstadt by a 300 km/h high speed railway line.
Individual transportation
Munich is an integral part in the
Autobahn network of southern Germany. Highways from
Stuttgart,
Berlin,
Frankfurt and
Hamburg terminate at Munich, making it easy to access the different parts of Germany. However, traffic in and around Munich is often heavy (especially on the beltway and the inner-city highways). Traffic jams are commonplace during rush hour and at the beginning or end of major vacations in Germany.
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Bayern Munich*
TSV 1860 Munich*
SpVgg Unterhaching (not really a club from Munich as Unterhaching is a rural town of its own)
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Munich Irish Rovers FC*
EHC Munich - Local professional hockey club.
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Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), founded in 1472 in
Ingolstadt, moved to Munich in 1826
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Technical University of Munich (TUM), founded in 1868
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Munich University of Applied Sciences (FHM), founded in 1971
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Universität der Bundeswehr München, founded in 1973
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Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, founded in 1830
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Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, founded in 1808
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Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film , founded in 1966
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Hochschule für Philosophie München, founded in 1925 in
Pullach, moved to Munich in 1971
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Hochschule für Politik München*
Katholische Stiftungsfachhochschule München, founded in 1971
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Munich Business School (MBS)
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European School of Management and Technology (esmt)
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Max Planck Institute for Physics (Werner Heisenberg Institute)*
Fraunhofer Institute |
Plaques in the in the Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) showing Munich's sister cities |
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Bordeaux, France,
(since 1964)*
Cincinnati, United States,
(since 1989)*
Edinburgh, Scotland,
(since 1954)*
Harare, Zimbabwe,
(since 1996)*
Kiev, Ukraine,
(since 1989)*
Sapporo, Japan,
(since 1972)*
Verona, Italy,
(since 1960)Famous people born in Munich
Richard Strauss, 1864-1949, composer
Franz Marc, 1880-1916, painter
Heinrich Himmler, 1900-1945, Nazi politician
Alfred Andersch, 1914-1980, writer
Franz Josef Strauß, 1915-1988, politician (
CSU)
Carl Orff, compositor of the
Carmina BuranaWerner Herzog, born in
1942, film director
Moritz Bleibtreu, born in
1971, actor
Thomas Hitzlsperger, born in
1982, footballer
Philipp Lahm, born in
1983, footballer
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Eurovision Song Contest 1983*
Munich Post*
1972 Summer Olympics
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WikiSatellite view of Munich at WikiMapia *
muenchen.de - The city's own website.
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Oktoberfest - official website, information in both English and German
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Lonely Planet guide to Munich*
Toytown Munich - an English language community website for Munich
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Dancing all night long: Carnival in Munich*
Munich Travel Guide insights from a local citizen
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Photos of Munich, sights, daily life, oktoberfest, etc.
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Munich City Panoramas - Views and virtual tours
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Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund*
Munich:Pictures
