Munich

Munich (German: München) is the capital and biggest city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, the city had a population of 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Located on the river Isar north of the Alps, Munich is known for its rich history, beautiful buildings, and importance in culture.

The city was first recorded in 1158 and has been important in Bavarian and German history. It became the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1806 and grew into a center for arts, culture, and science. Munich has hosted major events, including the 1972 Summer Olympics and the annual Oktoberfest, the world's largest Volksfest.

Today, Munich is a major center for science, technology, and business. It is home to famous companies like BMW, Siemens, and Allianz SE, as well as research universities and scientific institutions. The city is known for its high quality of life, beautiful buildings, and many cultural places.

History

Main article: History of Munich

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Munich.

Munich started as a small village of monks in the 1100s, named after them. The nearby river Isar helped people trade, and many groups lived in the area long ago, like the Celts and Romans.

Henry the Lion created Munich around 1158 to manage the salt trade. The city grew bigger and became more important over time. It became the capital of Bavaria in 1506 and experienced many changes, such as wars and fires.

In recent years, Munich became a place known for art, culture, and industry. It hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics and is now one of Germany's biggest cities. People visit every year for its technology, strong economy, and famous Oktoberfest celebrations.

Geography

Munich is located in Upper Bavaria, about 50 km north of the Alps. The city sits at an altitude of around 520 meters and is crossed by the Isar and Würm rivers. It lies in the Northern Alpine Foreland, an area with fertile fields and sandy soil.

Munich has an oceanic climate with warm summers and cold winters. The city gets more rain and snow than many other German cities because it is near the Alps. July is the warmest month, while January is the coldest. Climate change is making Munich warmer and causing more extreme weather. The city is making plans to deal with these changes.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Munich

Munich has grown a lot over the years. In 1700, only about 24,000 people lived there. By 1852, the population had doubled to 100,000, and it kept growing. In 1901, over 500,000 people called Munich home, and by 2022, the city had more than 1.5 million residents, making it Germany’s third-largest city.

Many people from other countries live in Munich. In late 2023, there were over 1.5 million people in the city, and about 477,855 of them were foreign nationals. Some of the largest groups come from Turkey, Croatia, Italy, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, and Austria. Today, many people in Munich do not follow any particular religion. About 31.8% are Catholic, 11.4% are Protestant, and smaller groups follow other faiths, including Muslim traditions.

Foreign residents by citizenship, 2023

Country	Population
Turkey	39,757
Croatia	36,934
Italy	28,723
Greece	24,684
Bosnia and Herzegovina	24,729
Ukraine	24,744
Austria	19,185
India	17,417
Romania	16,793
Poland	16,530
Serbia	14,869
Bulgaria	14,561
Kosovo	13,274
China	13,259
Russia	12,022
Spain	10,135
Afghanistan	10,128
France	10,088
Iraq	9,165
Hungary	7,014
United States	6,789
Vietnam	6,350
North Macedonia	4,633
Syria	4,545
Albania	4,106
Nigeria	3,648
United Kingdom	3,694
Portugal	3,472
Somalia	3,240

Government and politics

Munich is the capital of Bavaria and an important political center. It is home to the Landtag of Bavaria, the State Chancellery, and many state departments. Important offices such as the Federal Finance Court of Germany, the German Patent Office, and the European Patent Office are also located in Munich.

The current mayor of Munich is Dieter Reiter from the Social Democratic Party of Germany. He was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. Munich’s city council helps govern the city together with the mayor. The city is divided into 25 administrative boroughs, each with its own identity and community.

Architecture

Main article: Architecture of Munich

Munich has many important buildings and places. In the Old Town, you can find Marienplatz with the Old Town Hall and New Town Hall. There is also the Peterskirche, the oldest church in the city center, and three old gates from the medieval walls: the Isartor, Sendlinger Tor, and Karlstor. The Frauenkirche is the main Catholic church, and the Michaelskirche is a large Renaissance church.

There are also beautiful palaces like Schloss Nymphenburg, which is open to visitors. The Munich Residenz is a huge old palace that is now a museum. Modern buildings include several tall towers, such as the HVB Tower and the BMW Headquarters, located near the Olympic Park. Munich continues to grow with new housing plans to provide more homes for its people.

Parks

Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell designed the Englischer Garten, one of the largest urban parks in the world, between 1789 and 1807. He also redesigned the gardens at Nymphenburg Palace and the Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg.

Munich has many beautiful green spaces. These include the Olympiapark, the Westpark, and the Ostpark. The city's oldest park is the Hofgarten, which dates back to the 16th century. The Hirschgarten was once the largest beer garden in the city, founded in 1780.

Sports

Main article: Sport in Munich

Munich is a city with many sports teams and events. The most famous football (soccer) team is FC Bayern Munich. The team is very successful in Germany and around the world. Munich also hosted some matches during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

The city has other sports too, like basketball with FC Bayern Munich Basketball and ice hockey with EHC Red Bull München. Munich hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics. The city has many running events such as the Munich Marathon. There are also many places to swim, including indoor and outdoor pools and artificial lakes. River surfing is popular in Munich, especially at the Eisbach standing wave.

Culture

Language

Main article: Bavarian language

People in and around Munich speak German. German has many dialects. "Standard German" or "High German" is learned in schools and spoken by Germans, Austrians, and in some parts of Switzerland. Bavarian dialects are also spoken.

Museums

The Munich City Museum shows the gothic Morris dancers of Erasmus Grasser.

In 1903 Oskar von Miller started the Deutsches Museum. It opened in 1925 and now has three locations.

Munich has many art galleries, especially in the Kunstareal. The Lenbachhaus shows art by Der Blaue Reiter. The Neue Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne show contemporary art. The Alte Pinakothek has art from European masters from the 14th to 18th centuries.

Music

Munich is an important place for music. Many famous composers lived and worked there, including Orlande de Lassus, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Max Reger and Carl Orff.

Opera

Richard Wagner first performed Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in Munich. The National Theatre Munich is home to the Bavarian State Opera and the Bavarian State Orchestra.

Orchestra

The Gasteig centre has the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra plays in the Herkulessaal at the Munich Residenz.

Pop and electronica

Munich was important for Krautrock and electronic music. Famous musicians and bands from Munich include Konstantin Wecker, Willy Astor, Spider Murphy Gang, Münchener Freiheit, Lou Bega, Megaherz, FSK, Colour Haze and Sportfreunde Stiller.

Theatre

The Munich Kammerspiele is a very important German-language theatre.

Schwabing

In the early 1900s, Schwabing was a key cultural area for books and art.

Biedermeier

The Biedermeier era was named after a character in the magazine Münchner Fliegende Blätter.

Prinzregentenzeit

Many famous writers lived and worked in Munich during the later years of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Weimar Republic

Before World War I, Munich was busy and important for culture. It stayed a cultural centre during the Weimar Republic.

Post-war literature

After World War II, Munich became important for German books again.

Fine arts

Many famous artists worked in Munich from the Gothic to the Baroque periods.

Cinema

Munich was home to important filmmakers of the New German Cinema movement. The Bavaria Film Studios were founded in 1919 and grew to be one of Europe's largest film studios.

Festivals

The Coopers' Dance is a dance for coopers. Starkbierfest celebrates strong beer. Frühlingsfest is for spring beers. The Auer Dult is a market and folk festival. The Kocherlball remembers servants. The Tollwood Festival shows arts. The Oktoberfest is the world's largest beer festival. The Christkindlmarkt began in the 14th century.

Cuisine and culinary specialities

Munich food is part of Bavarian cuisine. Weißwurst was created in Munich in 1857.

Beers and breweries

Munich is famous for its breweries and Weissbier. Helles is the most popular Munich beer today.

Circus

The Circus Krone in Munich is one of Europe's largest circuses.

Nightlife

Nightlife in Munich is found in many areas. The Feierbanane is a party zone on Sonnenstraße. In the 1960s and 1970s, Schwabing was a nightlife centre. Since the mid-1990s, Kunstpark Ost has many clubs. Munich has more music venues than any other German city.

Education

Munich is a great place for learning. The city has many well-known schools and universities. Two of the biggest are LMU Munich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). LMU Munich started in 1472 and moved to Munich in 1826. TUM began in 1868. There are also special schools like the Munich School of Philosophy and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München for music and theater.

Munich has many important research centers too. The Max Planck Society and the Fraunhofer Society, both large research groups, have their main offices in the city. Other research places include the Ifo Institute for Economic Research and the European Southern Observatory.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Munich has many friends in cities around the world. These are called twin towns or sister cities. Munich is twinned with Edinburgh in Scotland since 1954, Verona in Italy since 1960, Bordeaux in France since 1964, Sapporo in Japan since 1972, Cincinnati in the United States since 1989, Kyiv in Ukraine since 1989, Harare in Zimbabwe since 1996, and Beersheba in Israel since 2021. These partnerships help cities learn from each other and work together.

Economy

Munich has a very strong economy and is one of the best places for businesses in Germany. It has a low unemployment rate and ranks high in economic output. Many important companies have their headquarters in Munich, including well-known names like BMW, Siemens AG, and McDonald's.

The city is also a key center for finance, publishing, and technology. It is home to major insurance companies, large newspapers like the Süddeutsche Zeitung, and important film studios. Many technology startups and international companies also choose Munich as their base.

Quality of life

Most people in Munich live very well. Experts say the city is one of the best places to live in the world. Munich has a strong economy with many jobs in technology, medicine, and publishing. The city also has clean air, though some areas need better air quality. Because so many people want to live there, Munich's population has grown quickly in recent years.

Transport

Munich has good public transport with an underground metro, trams, buses, and fast trains. The city is a big transportation hub with the second-largest airport in Germany and a fast railway to Berlin in about 4 hours. Flixmobility provides coach services and is based in Munich.

Munich’s public transport includes the Munich U-Bahn, Munich S-Bahn, trams, and buses, managed by the Munich Transport and Tariff Association. The Munich tramway, started in 1876, is the city’s oldest public transport. Cycling is popular, with many bike lanes and a modern bike hire system. Munich Central Train Station is a key hub, serving many passengers each day and connecting the city to places across Europe. The city is also linked by Autobahn roads to cities like Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Berlin. Munich International Airport is the second-largest airport in Germany.

Around Munich

Munich is surrounded by many smaller towns and beautiful lakes. Nearby towns such as Dachau, Freising, Erding, Landshut, and Moosburg are part of the larger Munich area, which includes about 6 million people.

South of Munich, there are many lovely lakes like Lake Starnberg, Ammersee, Chiemsee, Walchensee, Tegernsee, Schliersee, Simssee, Staffelsee, Wörthsee, Kirchsee, and the Osterseen. These lakes are favorite spots for swimming, boating, and other fun activities.

• Lake Starnberg
• Ammersee
• Chiemsee
• Walchensee
• Tegernsee
• Großer Ostersee
• Kirchsee
• Simssee
• Wörthsee

Notable people

See also: List of honorary citizens of Munich

Munich has been home to many famous people. Some were born there and helped make the city rich in culture. Others lived in Munich and made big impacts in arts, sports, and science. The city still attracts people from all over the world who help make it a lively place.