'Munich' (, ;
Austro-Bavarian: ''Minga''.
[2]) is the capital of the
state of
Bavaria.
Munich is
Germany's third largest
city. The city has a population of about 1.3 million (
as of 2006) and the
Munich Metropolitan Area is home to around 2.6 million people. The Greater Munich Area (including
Augsburg,
Ingolstadt,
Rosenheim,
Landshut and
Landsberg) is home to over 5 million people. Munich is located on the River
Isar north of the
Bavarian Alps.
The city's
motto was "''Die Weltstadt mit Herz''" (The global city with a heart) for a long time but has recently been replaced by "''München mag dich''" (Munich loves you). Its native name, ''München'', stems from an
Old German word predating the word "Mönche" of today's
High German, meaning "
Monks". Therefore, the figure on
Munich's coat-of-arms is a monk, and is referred to as the
Münchner Kindl, the ''child of Munich''. Black and gold - the colors of the
Holy Roman Empire - have been the city's official colors since the time of
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
Geography
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 520 m. The local rivers are
Isar and
Wuerm.
Munich is situated in the Northern 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
Munich has a
continental climate, strongly modified by the proximity of the
Alps. Because of the city's sticky altitude and proximity 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 downwind 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 -2 °C (28 °F). Snow cover is seen for at least a couple of weeks during winter. Summers in Munich city are fairly warm with average temperature of 19 °C (65 °F) in the hottest month of July. The summers last from May until September.
Demographics
Main articles: Population Growth of Munich
Munich: St. Lukas and River Isar.
In December 2006, Munich had 1.326 Million inhabitants, 300,129 of whom did not hold German citizenship. The city has strong Turkish and Balkan communities. The largest groups of foreign nationals were Turks (43,309), Croats (24,866), Serbs (24,439), Greek (22,486), Austrians (21,411) and Italians (20,847). 37% of foreign nationals come from the EU. 2.7 million people lived in the old
Munich Metropolitan Area. The new one will be home to around 6 million people.
With only 24,000 inhabitants in 1700, the population has somewhat doubled every 30 years. For example, it had 100,000 people in 1852 and then 250,000 people in 1883; by 1901, the figure had doubled again to 500,000. Since then, Munich has become Germany's third largest city. In 1933, 840,000 inhabitants were counted and in 1957, Munich's population passed the 1 million mark.
39.5% of inhabitants are Catholic and 14.2% Protestant (as of 31st of dec 2005).
History
Main articles: History of Munich
Origin and Middle Ages
The year 1158 is assumed to be the foundation date, which is only the earliest date the city is mentioned in a document. By that time the
Guelph Henry the Lion, Duke of
Saxony and
Bavaria, had built a bridge over the river Isar next to a settlement of
Benedictine monks.
Almost two decades later in 1175 Munich was officially granted city status and received fortification. 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 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, starting in 1468.
Capital of reunited 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.
The
Catholic League was founded in Munich in 1609.
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. Under the regency of the Bavarian electors Munich was an important center of baroque life but also had to suffer under several
Habsburg occupations.
In 1806, the city 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. Many of the city's finest buildings belong to this period and were built under the first three Bavarian kings. Later Prince Regent
Luitpold's years as regent were marked by tremendous artistic and cultural activity in Munich.
World War I to World War II
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 by
Anton Graf von Arco-Valley, the
Bavarian Soviet Republic was proclaimed. When
Communists had taken power,
Lenin, who had lived in Munich some years before, sent a congratulatory telegram, but the Soviet Republic was put down on
May 3,
1919 by the
Freikorps. While the republican government had been restored, Munich subsequently became a hotbed of right-wing politics, among which
Adolf Hitler and the
Nazis rose to prominence.
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.
The city would once again become a Nazi stronghold when the Nazis took power in Germany in 1933. The Nazis created the first
concentration camp at
Dachau, 10 miles (16 km) north west of the city. Because of its importance to the rise of Nazism, the Nazis called Munich 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.
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 six 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.
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 2007 survey ranked Munich as 8
th.
[3] The same company also ranks Munich as the world's 39
th most expensive city to live in and the most expensive major city in Germany.
[4] 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 rallies to urge the city council and the State government to take a harder stance on pollution.
Public transport is very efficient with an extensive underground (U-Bahn) and suburban (S-Bahn) railway system. 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".
Politics
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.
Subdivisions
Main articles: Boroughs of Munich
Munich is subdivided into 25 boroughs.
Architecture
Main articles: Architecture of Munich
The Theatinerkirche
The inner city
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''. 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 ''
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 St. Peter 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.
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.
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''. Next door to the Residenz the neo-classical opera, the ''
Nationaltheater'' was erected.
The royal avenues and squares
Munich, Ludwigstraße
Four grand royal avenues of the 19th century with magnificent official buildings connect Munich's inner city with the suburbs:
The neoclassical ''
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).
''
Ludwigstraße'' also begins at ''Odeonsplatz'' and runs from south to north, skirting the ''
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität'', the ''St. Louis church'', the ''
Bavarian State Library'' and numerous state ministries and palaces. The southern part of the avenue was constructed in Italian renaissance style while the north is strongly influenced by Italian Romanesque architecture.
Maximilianeum.
The neo-Gothic ''
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 neo-Gothic buildings which house, among others, the ''
Schauspielhaus'' and the building of the district government of Upper Bavaria and the
Museum of Ethnology. After crossing the river Isar, the avenue circles the ''
Maximilianeum'', home of the
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''.
''
Prinzregentenstraße'' runs parallel to Maximilianstraße and begins at ''
Prinz-Carl-Palais''. Many museums can be found along the avenue, such as the ''
Haus der Kunst'', the ''
Bavarian National Museum'', the ''
Schackgalerie'' and the ''Villa Stuck''. The avenue crosses the Isar and circles the ''Friedensengel monument''. The ''
Prinzregententheater'' is at Prinzregentenplatz further to the east.
Suburbs
Nymphenburg.
Two large baroque palaces in Nymphenburg and Oberschleißheim 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. 2 km north west of Nymphenburg Palace is ''Schloss Blutenburg'' (''
Blutenburg Castle''), an old ducal country seat with a late-Gothic palace church. ''Schloss Fürstenried'' (''
Fürstenried Palace''), a baroque palace of similar structure to Nymphenburg but of much smaller size, was contemporaneously erected in the south west of Munich. The second large baroque residence is ''Schloss Schleißheim'' (''
Schleissheim Palace''), located in the suburb of
Oberschleissheim, 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.
''
St Michael in Berg am Laim'' might be the most remarkable church out of the inner city. The oldest church within the city borders is ''Heilig Kreuz'' in Fröttmaning next to the Allianz-Arena, known for its Romanesque fresco.
Highlight Towers.
Especially in its suburbs 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 in the skyline, 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. A landmark of modern Munich is also the architecture of the sport stadiums (as described
below).
The parks
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 ''
Westpark'' as well as 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 deer 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. Another notable park is Ostpark, located in Perlach-Ramersdorf area which houses the swimming area, ''
Michaelibad'', one of the largest in Munich.
Sports
Main articles: Sports in Munich,
Football in Munich
Olympiagelände
Allianz Arena
Munich is home to several professional
football (soccer) teams, including Germany's most popular club,
FC Bayern Munich. The Munich area currently has two teams in the
Bundesliga system, which comprises the two top divisions of
German football. It's hockey club is
EHC Munich.
Munich has also hosted the
Munich Summer Olympics in 1972 and was one of the host cities for the
2006 World Cup which was held in Munich's new
soccer specific stadium,
Allianz Arena.
Culture
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. Deutsches Museum's ''Flugwerft Schleißheim'' flight exhibition centre is located nearby, on the Schleißheim Special Landing Field.
Several non-centralised museums (many of those are public collections at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität) show the expanded state collections of
palaeontology,
geology, mineralogy,
[5] 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,
Raphael'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). King Ludwig I managed to acquire such famous pieces as the
Medusa Rondanini, the
Barberini Faun and the figures from the
Temple of Aphaea 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 gothic arsenal building in the inner city.
Another area for the arts next to the Kunstareal is the
Lehel quarter between the old town and the river Isar: 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.
The
Dachau concentration camp is just a few kilometers outside the city.
Arts and literature
Munich is a major European cultural centre and the domain of many prominent composers including
Orlando di Lasso,
Carl Maria von Weber,
Gustav Mahler,
Richard Strauss and
Carl Orff. With the Biennale, founded by
Hans Werner Henze the city still contributes to modern music theatre.
Nationaltheater
The ''
Nationaltheater'' where several of
Richard Wagner's operas had their premieres under the patronage of
Ludwig II of Bavaria 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. Many operas were staged there, including the premiere of
Mozart's "Idomeneo" in 1781. The ''
Gärtnerplatz Theatre'' is a ballet and musical state theatre while another opera house the ''
Prinzregententheater'' has become the home of the Bavarian Theatre Academy.
The modern ''
Gasteig'' center houses the
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. The third orchestra in Munich with international importance is the
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Its primary concert venue is the ''Herkulesaal'' in the Residenz. A stage for shows, big events and musicals is the ''Deutsche Theater''.
Next to the Bavarian Staatsschauspiel in the Residenz Theatre (Residenztheater), the ''
Munich Kammerspiele'' in the Schauspielhaus is one of the most important
German language theatres in the world. Since
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's premieres in 1775 many important writers have staged their plays in Munich such as
Christian Friedrich Hebbel,
Henrik Ibsen and
Hugo von Hofmannsthal.
Prominent literary figures worked in Munich especially during the final centuries of the Kingdom of Bavaria such as
Paul Heyse,
Rainer Maria Rilke and
Frank Wedekind.
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 who also lived there wrote in his novella Gladius Dei about this period "Munich shone". Munich remained a center of cultural life also during the Weimar period, as figures such as
Lion Feuchtwanger,
Bertolt Brecht and
Oskar Maria Graf were active. In 1919 the
Bavaria Film Studios were founded.
Munich had already become an important place for painters like
Carl Rottmann,
Lovis Corinth,
Wilhelm von Kaulbach,
Carl Spitzweg,
Franz von Lenbach,
Franz von Stuck and
Wilhelm Leibl when
Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group of expressionist artists, was established in Munich in 1911. The city was a home the Blue Rider's painters
Paul Klee,
Wassily Kandinsky,
Alexej von Jawlensky,
Gabriele Münter,
Franz Marc,
August Macke and
Alfred Kubin.
Hofbräuhaus and Oktoberfest
''Main article:''
Oktoberfest
The
Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, arguably the most famous beer hall worldwide, is located in the city center. It also operates the second largest tent at the
Oktoberfest, one of Munich's most famous attractions. For two weeks, the Oktoberfest, or ''d' Wiesn'' as the locals call it, attracts millions of people visiting its beer tents ("Bierzelte") and fairground attractions. 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 remains open for these days.
Culinary specialities
Weißwürste with sweet mustard and bretzel.
The
''Weißwürste'' ('white sausages'), traditionally eaten only before 12 p.m., often served with sweet mustard and freshly baked pretzels are a Munich speciality, as is ''Leberkäs'', Bavarian baked 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'' (pork knuckle) are served as lunch or dinner. ''Beuscherl'', a plate of lung, heart and spleen is also served with dumplings.
Popular as dessert is the traditional Bavarian apple strudel with vanilla sauce, ''Dampfnudeln'' (yeast dumplings served with custard) 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 thin 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, such as 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 beer, a ''Radler'' consists of half beer and half lemonade.
Local beers brewed in Munich
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'' (''
Dunkles''), which gets its dark colour from burnt malt, the most popular beer in Munich within the 19th century.
''Starkbier'' is the strongest Munich beer, 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 season), which begins on or before St. Joseph’s Day (March 19th). 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.
★
Augustiner Bräu
★
Hacker-Pschorr
★
Hofbräu
★
Löwenbräu
★
Paulaner
★
Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu
Markets
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.
Three weeks before Christmas the ''
Christkindlmarkt'' opens at Marienplatz and other squares in the city, selling Christmas goods.
Nightlife in Munich
Nightlife in Munich is thriving with over 6,000 licensed establishments in the city, especially in
Schwabing, which is still the main quarter for students and artists. Some notable establishments are: the touristy ''Hofbräuhaus'', one of the oldest breweries in Munich, located in the city center near Tal; Kultfabrik and Optimolwerke, former industrial areas converted to host many different discos and pubs; Munich's gay quarter is in Isarvorstadt, surrounding the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, also known as the Glockenbachviertel.
Colleges and universities
Munich is a leading location for science and research with a long list of Nobel Prize laureates from
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1901 to
Theodor Hänsch in 2005. Munich has become a spiritual center already since the times of Emperor Louis IV when philosophers like
Michael of Cesena,
Marsilius of Padua and
William of Ockham were protected at the emperor's court. Both the universities of the Bavarian metropolis, the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) and the Technical University (TU or TUM), were found to be worthy of the title of elite university by the selection committee, which consisted of academics and members of the Ministries of Education and Research of the Federation and the German states (Länder). Only Munich's two universities and the Technical University of Karlsruhe have been awarded the title of elite university of Germany and millions of euro in funding.
Main building of the Ludwig Maximilians University
★
University of Munich (LMU), founded in 1472 in
Ingolstadt, moved to Munich in 1826
★
Technical University of Munich (TUM), founded in 1868
★
Munich University of Applied Sciences (FHM), founded in 1971
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Munich Intellecual Property Law Center (MIPLC)
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Universität der Bundeswehr München, founded in 1973
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Pionierschule und Fachschule des Heeres für Bautechnik
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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
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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
Economy
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 has the strongest economy of any German city.
[6] The city is also the economic center of
southern Germany. 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 the ranking of the magazine “Capital” in February 2005 for the economic prospects between 2002 and 2011 in sixty German cities. Munich is considered a
global city and holds the headquarters of
Siemens A.G. (electronics),
BMW (car),
MAN AG (truck manufacturer, engineering),
Linde (gases),
Allianz (insurance) and
Munich Re (
re-insurance). Among German cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants purchasing power is highest in Munich (26.648 Euros per inhabitant) as of 2007.
[7]
Munich is also a center for
biotechnology,
software and other
service industries. Munich is also the home of the headquarters of many other large companies like 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 camera and lighting manufacturer
Arri, the semiconductor firm
Infineon Technologies (headquartered in the suburban town of
Neubiberg), as well as the German or European headquarters of many foreign companies like
Precision Plus,
McDonald’s and
Microsoft.
Munich has significance as a financial center (secondary to
Frankfurt), being home of
HypoVereinsbank and the Bayerische Landesbank. It outranks
Frankfurt though as home of insurance companies like
Allianz and
Munich Re.
Munich is home to many publishing houses (second only to
New York City) and also to the
Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany's largest daily newspapers. Munich is home to Germany's largest public broadcasting network,
ARD, and its largest commercial network,
Pro7-Sat1 Media AG, and is also host to the
Burda publishing group.
The
Bavaria Film Studios are located in the suburb of
Grünwald, they are one of Europe's biggest and most famous movie production studios.
Also, 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.
Transportation
Public transport network
Munich International 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 suburban train lines 'S1' from the east and 'S8' from the west part of the city. However, from the Hauptbahnhof (main railway station), the journey takes 40–45 minutes. A
magnetic levitation train (called
Transrapid) which will run at speeds of up to 400 km/h from the central station to the airport is under consideration. It will reduce the travel time from the Hauptbahnhof to only 10 minutes. The airport began operations in 1992, replacing the former main airport, the
Munich-Riem airport (active 1939–1992).
Also, the Bavarian state government has announced plans to expand the Oberpfaffenhofen Air Station, located west 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 the
Munich U-Bahn (subways), the
Munich S-Bahn (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 (Pasing Station), 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. Since
28 May 2006 Munich is connected to
Nuremberg via
Ingolstadt by a 300 km/h ICE high speed railway line.
Individual transportation
Munich is an integral part of the
Autobahn network of southern Germany. Freeways from
Stuttgart,
Berlin,
Frankfurt,
Lindau,
Garmisch Partenkirchen and
Salzburg terminate at Munich, making it easy to access the different parts of Germany, Austria and Italy. However, traffic in and around Munich is often heavy (especially on the beltway and the inner-city freeways). Traffic jams are commonplace during rush hour and at the beginning and end of major vacations in Germany.
Cycling is recognised as a good alternative to motorised transport and the growing number of
bicycle lanes are widely used throughout the year.
Around Munich
Oberschleissheim, New Palace
Fürstenfeldbruck, St.Mary
The Munich
agglomeration sprawls across the plain of the
Alpine foothills. Several smaller traditional Bavarian towns are today part of the Munich suburbs:
★
Dachau
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Erding
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Fürstenfeldbruck
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Freising
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Garching bei München
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Germering
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Gräfelfing
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Gröbenzell
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Grünwald
★
Gauting
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Haar
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Mering
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Oberschleissheim
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Planegg
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Starnberg
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Unterhaching
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Unterschleissheim
Twin cities
Plaques in the
Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) showing Munich's sister cities.
★
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
★
Percy Adlon, born in 1935, film director
★
Carl Amery, 1922–2005, writer, President of the German PEN Center and founding member of the German Green Party
★
Alfred Andersch, 1914–1980, writer
★
Andreas Baader, 1943–1977,
Red Army Faction leader
★
Franz Beckenbauer, born in 1945, footballer, former player and coach of
FC Bayern Munich, football coach, President of the Organising Committee of the
2006 FIFA World Cup, President of the Supervisory Board of FC Bayern Munich
★
Moritz Bleibtreu, born in 1971, actor
★
Willy Bogner, born in 1942, fashion designer and director of photography
★
Isabeau de Bavière, 1371–1435,
queen-consort of
France
★
Elisabeth of Bavaria, 1837–1898, Empress "Sisi" of
Austria
★
Harold Faltermeyer, born in 1952, composer and record producer
★
Leon Feuchtwanger, 1884–1958, writer
★
Ernst Otto Fischer, 1918–2007, chemist and Nobel Prize winner
★
Adolf Abraham Halevi Fraenkel, 1891–1965, mathematician
★
Franz Xaver Gabelsberger, 1789–1849, inventor of the Gabelsberger shorthand writing system
★
Werner Herzog, born in 1942, film director
★
Heinrich Himmler, 1900–1945, Nazi, leading organizer of the Holocaust
★
Thomas Hitzlsperger, born in 1982, footballer
★
Curt Jürgens, 1915–1982, actor
★
Charlotte Knobloch, born in 1932, President of Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland, also Vice President of the European Jewish Congress and the World Jewish Congress
★
Philipp Lahm, born in 1983, footballer for
Bayern Munich
★
Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, 1911–1979, biochemist and Nobel Prize winner
★
Josef Dieter 'Sepp' Maier, born in 1944, footballer
★
Klaus Mann, 1906–1949, writer
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Franz Marc, 1880–1916, painter
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Rudolph Moshammer, 1940–2005, fashion designer and crime victim
★
Rudolf Mößbauer, born in 1927, physicist and Nobel Prize winner
★
Gerhard 'Gerd' Müller, born in 1945, footballer, former player of
FC Bayern München
★
Brent Mydland, born in 1952,
Grateful Dead keyboardist
★
Carl Orff, 1895–1982, composer
★
Andreas Ottl, born in 1985, footballer for
FC Bayern Munich
★
Eugen Roth, 1895–1976, writer
★
Wolfgang Sawallisch, born in 1923, conductor and pianist
★
Franz Josef Strauß, 1915–1988, Minister-President of the Free State of Bavaria
★
Richard Strauss, 1864–1949, composer
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Karl Valentin, 1882–1948, comedian, author and film producer
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Fritz Wepper, actor, born 1941
External links
★
muenchen.de - the city's own website
★
★
WikiSatellite view of Munich at WikiMapia
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Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund - public transport network
★
Oktoberfest - official website, information in both English and German
★
Toytown Munich - community website for Munich's English-speaking population
; Photos
★
Europe Pictures - Munich
★
Geocoded Pictures of Munich
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München Eindrücke - Meshup of up-to-date photos, events, hotel information, maps and articles on Munich (German/English)
★
Munich City Panoramas - Panoramic Views and virtual Tours
References
1. Monthly population figures Landeshauptstadt München
2. Names of European cities in different languages#M
3. 2007 survey Mercer Human Resource Consulting
4. 2007 Cost of Living Report Munich Mercer Human Resource Consulting
5. http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~Mineralogische.Staatssammlung/
6. [1] Study conducted by INSM (New Social Market Economy Initiative) and WirtschaftsWoche magazine
7. [2] Germany, statistics, studies, consumers
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