Bavarians

Bavarians are an ethnographic group of Germans who live in Bavaria, a state in Germany. They have their own special way of speaking called Bavarian. This comes from the area known as Altbayern, or "Old Bavaria." This area was part of the historic Electorate of Bavaria in the 1600s.

Like their neighbors, the Austrians, most Bavarians are Catholic. In many parts of Altbayern, many people still belong to the Catholic Church. A political group called the Christian Social Union in Bavaria has been very important in the area for many years. This group is connected to an older one called the Bavarian People's Party, which existed from 1919–1933. Since 1946, leaders from this party have often been in charge of the government in Bavaria.

Areal and dialectal subdivision

There is no linguistic difference between Bavarians and Austrians. The area of Bavaria has changed a lot throughout history. In the 1800s, the Kingdom of Bavaria added parts of Franconia and Swabia but also gave some land back to Austria.

The Bavarian language has three main dialects:

• Upper Palatinian (Oberpfälzisch) is spoken in northern Bavaria (Bohemian Forest, Regensburg).
• Danube Bavarian (Donaubairisch) is spoken in central and south-eastern Bavaria and in parts of Lower Austria (Munich, Salzburg, Vienna).
• Alpine Bavarian is spoken in south-western Bavaria and southern Austria (Carinthia, Styria) and in South Tyrol.

History

Further information: History of Bavaria and House of Wittelsbach

Bavarians are a group of people from Bavaria, a state in Germany. They speak a special dialect called Bavarian. Long ago, groups called the Baiuvarii lived in this area, starting in the 6th century. Their name may come from the area near the Bohemian Forest.

Bavaria became part of the Holy Roman Empire and was ruled by different dukes. Over time, Bavaria grew, and Munich became its main city. In 1623, Bavaria became an important state called an Electorate. Later, in 1805, the Kingdom of Bavaria was created, and its borders were set in 1814. Today, Bavaria is a busy and important part of Germany.

List of notable Bavarians

Scientists

• Johann Schmidlap was a 16th-century maker of fireworks and a pioneer in rockets.
• Joseph von Fraunhofer was a physicist who discovered dark lines in the sun's spectrum, called Fraunhofer lines.
• Max Joseph von Pettenkofer was a chemist and expert in health.
• Johannes Stark won the 1919 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• Ludwig Prandtl was a leading expert in how liquids and gases move.
• Feodor Lynen won the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• Rudolf Mössbauer won the 1961 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Business

• Johanna Händlmaier helped start Händlmaier and made a famous sweet Bavarian mustard.
• Stefan Schörghuber was a well-known businessman.

Politicians

• Maximilian II of Bavaria was King of Bavaria from 1848 to 1864.
• Ludwig II of Bavaria was King of Bavaria from 1864 to 1886.
• Franz Josef Strauß was Minister-President of Bavaria from 1978 to 1988.
• Henry Kissinger was the 56th U.S. Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977.
• Roman Herzog was President of Germany from 1994 to 1999.
• Edmund Stoiber was Minister-President of Bavaria from 1993 to 2007.
• Horst Seehofer was Minister-President of Bavaria from 2008 to 2018.

Artists

• The Asam brothers, Cosmas Damian and Egid Quirin, were skilled sculptors, painters, and architects.
• Christoph Willibald Gluck was a famous composer.
• Carl Spitzweg was a well-known painter.
• Richard Strauss was a composer and conductor.
• Ludwig Thoma was a popular writer.
• Franz Marc was a painter known for his colorful art.
• Carl Orff was a composer and music teacher.
• Michael Ende was a beloved writer of stories.
• Werner Herzog is a filmmaker, actor, and writer.
• Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a famous filmmaker.
• Patrick Süskind is a writer and screenwriter.
• Jonas Kaufmann is an operatic singer.

Athletes

• Franz Beckenbauer was a famous football player and coach.
• Rosi Mittermaier was an alpine skier.
• Philipp Lahm was a former football player and captain of the German national team that won the 2014 World Cup.
• Magdalena Neuner was a professional biathlete.
• Thomas Müller is a professional football player.
• Bastian Schweinsteiger was a professional football player.

Others

• Joseph Ratzinger, known as Pope Benedict XVI, was a theology teacher and served as pope from 2005 to 2013.
• Werner Heisenberg was a major physicist who helped develop Quantum mechanics.