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MUNCHEN - GERMANY Munich (German: München)
is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. Behind Berlin and
Hamburg, Munich is Germany's third largest city with a population of about
1.261 million (as of 2003). It is located on the river Isar.
History
The settlement was founded as Munichen in 1158 by Henry the Lion, Duke of
Saxony, and half a century later it was granted city status and fortified.
Initially, bishop Otto von Freising (Freising) and Henry quarreled about the
city before the emperor at a Reichstag held in Augsburg. In 1180, with the
trial of Henry the Lion, Otto of Wittelsbach became Duke of Bavaria. His
Wittelsbach dynasty would rule Bavaria until 1918. In 1255, the dukedom of
Bavaria was cut in two, and Munich became the residence of Upper Bavaria.
In 1327, the entire city was destroyed by
fire but was successfully rebuilt some years later by Louis IV, the
ruling Holy Roman Emperor of the time. In 1632 the city was brought
under the control of Gustav II Adolph of Sweden during the Thirty Years'
War, but in 1705 it was recaptured and brought under Habsburg rule. The
city's first academic institution, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, was
founded in 1759.
By this time, the city was growing at a very quickly and was one of the
largest cities in mainland Europe. In 1806, it became the capital of the
Bavarian monarchical state, with the state's parliament (the Landtag)
sitting in the city along with the new archdiocese of Munich and
Freising. Twenty years later another prestigious educational institution,
the Landshut University, also based itself in Munich.
Many of the city's finest buildings belong to this period, all of which
come under the Maximilian style of architecture, named after the
reigning king of the day, Maximilian I. These buildings include the
Ludwigstraße, the Ruhmeshalle, and the Königsplatz built by architects
Leo von Klenze and Friedrich von Gärtner, and the "Bavaria" statue,
built by Schwanthaler.
In 1882 electric lighting was introduced to Munich, and the city hosted
Germany's first exhibition of electricity. Nineteen years later the
Hellabrunn Zoo opened in the city. After World War I, the city was at
the center of much unrest. In November 1918, Communists took power
establishing the Munich Soviet which was put down on May 3, 1919 by the
right wing Freikorps many of whom were later drawn to Adolf Hitler and
National Socialism. In 1923 Hitler and his supporters, who then were
concentrated in Munich, staged the Beer Hall Putsch, an attempt at
overthrowing the Weimar Republic and gaining power for himself. The
revolt was, however, a failure, resulting in Hitler's arrest and the
crippling of the Nazi Party, which was virtually unknown outside Munich.
However, the city would again become one of the strongholds of the
Nazis, when they took power in Germany in 1933. Because of its
importance the Nazis also called it Hauptstadt der Bewegung ("capital of
the movement"), which indeed it was, with the headquarters of the NSDAP
based there. Many Führerbauten ("Führer-buildings") were built around
the Königsplatz, and some have survived to this day.
In 1938, the Munich Agreement was signed in the city, ceding the
Sudetenland, previously a part of Czechoslovakia, to Germany. It was
signed by representatives of Germany, Italy, France and Britain. A year
later, in 1939, Georg Elser attempted, but failed, to assassinate Hitler
with a bomb in Munich -- an event which could have changed the course of
history.
Munich was the city where the White Rose (German: Die Weiße Rose), a
group of students that formed a resistance movement from June 1942 to
February 1943, was based. They were arrested following a distribution of
leaflets in Munich University by Hans and Sophie Scholl.
The city was very heavily damaged during World War II but, after
American occupation in 1945, it was rebuilt to a meticulous masterplan.
Munich was the site of the 1972 Summer Olympics, during which Israeli
athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists (see Munich massacre).
Sights
Munich is a popular tourist destination and has been described as
Germany's "second city".
The city has several important art museums, among them the Alte
Pinakothek, Neue Pinakothek, and the Pinakothek der Moderne. Before
World War I, it was also the site of the Blaue Reiter group of artists.
Other famous tourist attractions include the English Garden (Englischer
Garten - a formal garden park roughly in the center of the city that
contains a nudist area, beautiful jogging tracks and much more), the
Deutsches Museum (Science Museum), and the Rathaus-Glockenspiel, an
ornate clock with moving figures atop the town hall. Perhaps Munich's
most famous attraction is the Oktoberfest, a 2-week-long fair with many
rides and several very large tents. The Oktoberfest was first held
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.
Other famous buildings in Munich include the Frauenkirche (Cathedral of
Our Lady) and the Olympiaturm ("Olympic Tower"), a radio and TV
broadcasting station.
The Olympiaturm (Olympic Tower) was built for the 1972 Summer Olympics
which were held in Munich and during which 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, 5 of
the terrorists, and one German police officer. Several games of the 1974
Soccer World Cup were also held in the city and in 2006 it will again be
host to several games, including the opening match of the next FIFA
Soccer World Cup. The 2006 World Cup, however, will not take place in
the traditional Olympia Stadium, but in Munich's new soccer stadium.
Around Munich
Lying on the plain of the Voralpenland, the Munich agglomeration sprawls
unhindered by geography. Several smaller traditional Bavarian cities are
today part of the Munich suburbia and are worth a visit ehrn the main
Munich sights are exhausted.
Dachau
Fürstenfeldbruck
Freising
Erding
Starnberg
Sights
Nymphenburg palace
Oberschleissheim Palace
Economy
Munich was one of the centers of the new economy in Germany, and even
today important future industries like biotechnology or Internet are
strongly represented in the "Weltstadt mit Herz" (cosmopolitan city with
heart). The city is home to the global headquarters of German insurance
companies Allianz AG and Münchener Rück, the car manufacturer BMW, the
technology firms Siemens AG and Infineon Technologies , as well as the
German headquarters of McDonald’s and Microsoft. In addition to this,
Munich is also the world's second largest site for publishing houses.
Miscellaneous
The current mayor of Munich is Christian Ude of the SPD
(Social-democratic Party of Germany). This is extraordinary because most
of the rest of Bavaria is governed on the communal level by members
(mayors, etc.) of the CSU (Christian Social Union).
Transportation
Munich airport, named after Franz Josef Strauß, is Franz Josef Strauß
International Airport. The airport can be reached by suburban train
lines S1 and S8.
Munich has a large public transport system including subways, suburban
trains, trams and buses. The local transportation is supervised by the
Munich Transport and Tariff Association (Münchner Verkehrs- und
Tarifverbund, MVV).
Colleges and universities
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Munich University of Applied Sciences (FHM)
Universität der Bundeswehr München
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Akademie der Bildenden Künste München
Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film
Hochschule für Philosophie München
Hochschule für Politik München
Katholische Stiftungsfachhochschule München
Munich Business School (MBS)
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