History
Etymology
The name of the city is usually interpreted as deriving from thePrehistory
Archeological finds in Munich, such as in Freiham/Aubing, indicate early settlements and graves dating back to theRoman period
The ancient Roman road Via Julia, which connected Augsburg and Salzburg, crossed over the Isar River south of modern-day Munich, at the towns of Baierbrunn and Gauting. A Roman settlement north-east of downtown Munich was excavated in the neighborhood of Denning/Bogenhausen.Post-Roman settlements
In the 6th Century and beyond, various ethnic groups, such as the Baiuvarii, populated the area around what is now modern Munich, such as in Johanneskirchen, Feldmoching, Bogenhausen and Pasing. The first known Christian church was built ca. 815 in Fröttmanning.Origin of medieval town
The origin of the modern city of Munich is the result of a power struggle between a military warlord and an influential Catholic bishop. Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Duke of Bavaria (d. 1195) was one of the most powerful German princes of his time. He ruled over vast territories in the GermanCapital of reunited Bavaria
When Bavaria was reunited in 1506 after a brief war against the Duchy ofWorld 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. In March 1916, three separate aircraft-engine and automobile companies joined to form 'Bayerische Motoren Werke' ( BMW) in Munich. After World War I, the city was at the centre of substantial political unrest. In November 1918, on the eve of the German revolution,Postwar
After US occupation in 1945, Munich was completely rebuilt following a meticulous plan, which preserved its pre-war street grid, bar a few exceptions owing to then modern traffic concepts. In 1957, Munich's population surpassed one million. The city continued to play a highly significant role in the West Germany, German economy, politics and culture, giving rise to its nickname ''Heimliche Hauptstadt'' ("secret capital") in the decades after World War II. In Munich, Bayerischer Rundfunk began its first television broadcast in 1954. Since 1963, Munich has been the host city for Munich Security Conference, annual conferences on international security policy. Munich also became known on the political level due to the strong influence of Bavarian politician Franz Josef Strauss from the 1960s to the 1980s. The Munich Airport (built in 1992) was named in his honor. Munich was the site of theGeography
Topography
Munich lies on the elevated plains of Upper Bavaria, about north of the northern edge of the Alps, at an altitude of about Above mean sea level, ASL. The local rivers are the Isar and the Würm. Munich is situated in the Northern Foothills, Alpine Foreland. The northern part of this sandy plateau includes a highly fertile flint area which is no longer affected by the fold (geology), folding processes found in the Alps, while the southern part is covered with moraine, morainic hills. Between these are fields of fluvio-glacial out-wash, such as around Munich. Wherever these deposits get thinner, the Groundwater, ground water can permeate the gravel surface and flood the area, leading to marshes as in the north of Munich.Climate
By Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification templates and updated data the climate is Oceanic climate, oceanic (''Cfb''), independent of the isotherm but with some Humid continental climate, humid continental (''Dfb'') features like warm to hot summers and cold winters, but without permanent snow cover. The proximity to the Alps brings higher volumes of rainfall and consequently greater susceptibility to Urban flooding, flood problems. Studies of climate change adaptation, adaptation to climate change and extreme events are carried out, one of them is the Isar Plan of the European Union, EU Adaptation Climate. The city centre lies between both climates, while the Munich Airport, airport of Munich has a humid continental climate. The warmest month, on average, is July. The coolest is January. Showers and thunderstorms bring the highest average monthly precipitation in late spring and throughout the summer. The most precipitation occurs in July, on average. Winter tends to have less precipitation, the least in February. The higher elevation and proximity to the Alps cause the city to have more rain and snow than many other parts of Germany. The Alps affect the city's climate in other ways too; for example, the warm downhill wind from the Alps (föhn wind), which can raise temperatures sharply within a few hours even in the winter. Being at the centre of Europe, Munich is subject to many climatic influences, so that weather conditions there are more variable than in other European cities, especially those further west and south of the Alps. At Munich's official weather stations, the highest and lowest temperatures ever measured are , on 27 July 1983 in Trudering-Riem, and , on 12 February 1929 in Botanic Garden of the city.Climate change
In Munich, the general trend of global warming with a rise of medium yearly temperatures of about 1 °C in Germany over the last 120 years can be observed as well. In November 2016 the city council concluded officially that a further rise in medium temperature, a higher number of heat extremes, a rise in the number of hot days and nights with temperatures higher than 20 °C (tropical nights), a change in Precipitation, precipitation patterns, as well as a rise in the number of local instances of heavy rain, is to be expected as part of the ongoing climate change. The city administration decided to support a joint study from its own Referat für Gesundheit und Umwelt (department for health and environmental issues) and the Deutscher Wetterdienst, German Meteorological Service that will gather data on local weather. The data is supposed to be used to create a plan for action for adapting the city to better deal with climate change as well as an integrated action program for climate protection in Munich. With the help of those programs issues regarding spatial planning and settlement density, the development of buildings and green spaces as well as plans for functioning Ventilation (architecture), ventilation in a cityscape can be monitored and managed.Demographics
From only 24,000 inhabitants in 1700, the city population doubled about every 30 years. It was 100,000 in 1852, 250,000 in 1883 and 500,000 in 1901. Since then, Munich has become Germany's third-largest city. In 1933, 840,901 inhabitants were counted, and in 1957 over 1 million.Immigration
In July 2017, Munich had 1.42 million inhabitants; 421,832 foreign nationals resided in the city as of 31 December 2017 with 50.7% of these residents being citizens of EU member states, and 25.2% citizens in European states not in the EU (including Russia and Turkey). The largest groups of foreign nationals were Turkish people, Turks (39,204), Croats (33,177), Italian people, Italians (27,340), Greeks (27,117), Poles (27,945), Austrians (21,944), and Romanians (18,085).Religion
About 45% of Munich's residents are not affiliated with any religious group; this ratio represents the fastest growing segment of the population. As in the rest of Germany, the Catholic and Protestant churches have experienced a continuous decline in membership. As of 31 December 2017, 31.8% of the city's inhabitants were Catholic, 11.4% Protestantism, Protestant, 0.3% Jewish, and 3.6% were members of an Orthodox Church (Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodox). About 1% adhere to other Christian denominations. There is also a small Old Catholic parish and an English-speaking parish of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church in the city. According to Munich Statistical Office, in 2013 about 8.6% of Munich's population was Islam, Muslim.Government and politics
As the capital of Bavaria, Munich is an important political centre for both the state and country as a whole. It is the seat of the Landtag of Bavaria, the Bayerische Staatskanzlei, State Chancellery, and all state departments. Several national and international authorities are located in Munich, including the Federal Finance Court of Germany, the German Patent Office and the European Patent Office.Mayor
The current mayor of Munich is Dieter Reiter of the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), who was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. Munich has a much stronger left-wing tradition than the rest of the state, which has been dominated by the conservative Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) on a federal, state, and local level since the establishment of the Federal Republic in 1949. Munich, by contrast, has been governed by the SPD for all but six years since 1948. As of the 2020 local elections, green and centre-left parties also hold a majority in the city council (''Stadtrat''). The most recent mayoral election was held on 15 March 2020, with a runoff held on 29 March, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Dieter Reiter , align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party , 259,928 , 47.9 , 401,856 , 71.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Kristina Frank , align=left, Christian Social Union in Bavaria, Christian Social Union , 115,795 , 21.3 , 158,773 , 28.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Katrin Habenschaden , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens , 112,121 , 20.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Wolfgang Wiehle , align=left, Alternative for Germany , 14,988 , 2.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Tobias Ruff , align=left, Ecological Democratic Party , 8,464 , 1.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jörg Hoffmann , align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party , 8,201 , 1.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Thomas Lechner , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left , 7,232 , 1.3 , - , bgcolor=#007E82, , align=left, Hans-Peter Mehling , align=left, Free Voters of Bavaria , 5,003 , 0.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Moritz Weixler , align=left, Die PARTEI , 3,508 , 0.6 , - , , align=left, Dirk Höpner , align=left, Munich List , 1,966 , 0.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Richard Progl , align=left, Bavaria Party , 1,958 , 0.4 , - , , align=left, Ender Beyhan-Bilgin , align=left, FAIR , 1,483 , 0.3 , - , , align=left, Stephanie Dilba , align=left, mut , 1,267 , 0.2 , - , , align=left, Cetin Oraner , align=left, Together Bavaria , 819 , 0.2 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 542,733 ! 99.6 ! 560,629 ! 99.7 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 1,997 ! 0.4 ! 1,616 ! 0.3 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 544,730 ! 100.0 ! 562,245 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 1,110,571 ! 49.0 ! 1,109,032 ! 50.7 , - , colspan=7, Source: Wahlen MünchenCity council
The Munich city council (''Stadtrat'') governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 15 March 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Lead candidate ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , align=left, Katrin Habenschaden , 11,762,516 , 29.1 , 12.5 , 23 , 10 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Social Union in Bavaria, Christian Social Union (CSU) , align=left, Kristina Frank , 9,986,014 , 24.7 , 7.8 , 20 , 6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD) , align=left, Dieter Reiter , 8,884,562 , 22.0 , 8.8 , 18 , 7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) , align=left, Tobias Ruff , 1,598,539 , 4.0 , 1.4 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , align=left, Iris Wassill , 1,559,476 , 3.9 , 1.4 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party (FDP) , align=left, Jörg Hoffmann , 1,420,194 , 3.5 , 0.1 , 3 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left (Die Linke) , align=left, Stefan Jagel , 1,319,464 , 3.3 , 0.8 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=#007E82, , align=left, Free Voters of Bavaria (FW) , align=left, Hans-Peter Mehling , 1,008,400 , 2.5 , 0.2 , 2 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Volt Europa#Germany, Volt Germany (Volt) , align=left, Felix Sproll , 732,853 , 1.8 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Die PARTEI (PARTEI) , align=left, Marie Burneleit , 528,949 , 1.3 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=deeppink, , align=left, Pink List (Rosa Liste) , align=left, Thomas Niederbühl , 396,324 , 1.0 , 0.9 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Munich List , align=left, Dirk Höpner , 339,705 , 0.8 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Bavaria Party (BP) , align=left, Richard Progl , 273,737 , 0.7 , 0.2 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, mut , align=left, Stephanie Dilba , 247,679 , 0.6 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, FAIR , align=left, Kemal Orak , 142,455 , 0.4 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, Together Bavaria (ZuBa) , align=left, Cetin Oraner , 120,975 , 0.3 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, BIA , align=left, Karl Richter , 86,358 , 0.2 , 0.5 , 0 , ±0 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 531,527 ! 97.6 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 12,937 ! 2.4 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 544,464 ! 100.0 ! ! 80 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 1,110,571 ! 49.0 ! 7.0 ! ! , - , colspan=8, SourceState Landtag
In the Landtag of Bavaria, Munich is divided between nine constituencies. After the 2018 Bavarian state election, the composition and representation of each was as follows:Federal parliament
In the Bundestag, Munich is divided between four constituencies. In the List of members of the 20th Bundestag, 20th Bundestag, the composition and representation of each was as follows:Sister cities
Munich is twin towns and sister cities, twinned with the following cities (date of agreement shown in parentheses): Edinburgh, Scotland ''(1954)'', Verona, Italy ''(March 17, 1960)'', Bordeaux, France ''(1964)'', Sapporo, Japan ''(1972)'', Cincinnati, Ohio, United States ''(1989)'', Kyiv, Ukraine ''(1989)'', Harare, Zimbabwe ''(1996)'' and Beersheba, Israel ''(2022)''.Subdivisions
Since the administrative reform in 1992, Munich is divided into 25 boroughs or ''Stadtbezirke'', which themselves consist of smaller 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 (District of Munich), 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).Architecture
The city has an eclectic mix of historic and modern architecture because historic buildings destroyed in World War II were reconstructed, and new landmarks were built. A survey by the Society's Centre for Sustainable Destinations for the National Geographic Traveller chose over 100 historic destinations around the world and ranked Munich 30th.Inner city
At the centre of the city is the Marienplatz – a large open square named after the Mariensäule, a Marian and Holy Trinity columns, Marian column in its centre – with the Old Town Hall, Munich, Old and the New Town Hall, Munich, New Town Hall. Its tower contains the Rathaus-Glockenspiel. Three gates of the demolished medieval fortification survive – the Isartor in the east, the Sendlinger Tor in the south and the Karlstor in the west of the inner city. The Karlstor leads up to the Karlsplatz (Stachus), Stachus, a square dominated by the Justizpalast (Munich), Justizpalast (Palace of Justice) and a fountain. The St. Peter's Church, Munich, Peterskirche close to Marienplatz is the oldest church of the inner city. It was first built during the Romanesque architecture, 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 (Munich), Heiliggeistkirche (The Church of the Holy Spirit) was converted to baroque style from 1724 onwards and looks down upon the Viktualienmarkt. The Frauenkirche serves as the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. The nearby Michaelskirche is the largest renaissance church north of the Alps, while the Theatine Church, Munich, 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 include the Bürgersaalkirche (Munich), Bürgersaalkirche, the Trinity Church (Munich), Trinity Church and the St. Anna Damenstiftskirche (Munich), St. Anna Damenstiftskirche. The Asamkirche, Munich, Asamkirche was endowed and built by the Brothers Cosmas Damian Asam, Asam, pioneering artists of the rococo period. The large Munich Residenz, Residenz palace complex (begun in 1385) on the edge of Munich's Old Town, Germany's largest urban palace, 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 National Theatre Munich, National Theatre was erected. Among the baroque and neoclassical mansions which still exist in Munich are the Palais Porcia, the Palais Preysing, the Palais Holnstein and the Prinz-Carl-Palais. All mansions are situated close to the Residenz, same as the Alter Hof, Alte Hof, a medieval castle and first residence of the Wittelsbach dukes in Munich. Lehel, a middle-class quarter east of the Altstadt, is characterised by numerous well-preserved townhouses. The Parish Church of St. Anna (Lehel, Munich), St. Anna im Lehel is the first rococo church in Bavaria. St. Luke's Church, Munich, St. Lukas is the largest Protestant Church in Munich.Royal avenues and squares
Four grand royal avenues of the 19th century with official buildings connect Munich's inner city with its then-suburbs: The neoclassical Brienner Straße (Munich), 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 Königsplatz, Munich, Königsplatz, designed with the "Doric order, Doric" Propylaea (Munich), Propyläen, the "Ionic order, Ionic" Glyptothek and the "Corinthian order, Corinthian" Staatliche Antikensammlungen, State Museum of Classical Art, behind it St. Boniface's Abbey, Munich, St. Boniface's Abbey was erected. The area around Königsplatz is home to the Kunstareal, Munich's gallery and museum quarter (as described #Museums, below). Ludwigstraße (Munich), Ludwigstraße also begins at Odeonsplatz and runs from south to north, skirting the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, the Ludwigskirche (Munich), 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. The Siegestor (gate of victory) sits at the northern end of Ludwigstraße, where the latter passes over into Leopoldstraße and the district of Schwabing begins. The neo-Gothic Maximilianstraße (Munich), 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 elaborately structured neo-Gothic buildings which house, among others, the Munich Kammerspiele, Schauspielhaus, the Building of the district government of Upper Bavaria and the State Museum of Ethnology, Museum of Ethnology. After crossing the river Isar, the avenue circles the Maximilianeum, which houses the Landtag of Bavaria, 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 (Munich), Prinzregentenstraße runs parallel to Maximilianstraße and begins at Prinz-Carl-Palais. Many museums are on the avenue, such as the Haus der Kunst, the Bavarian National Museum and the Schackgalerie. The avenue crosses the Isar and circles the Angel of Peace, Friedensengel monument, then passing the Villa Stuck and Hitler's old apartment. The Prinzregententheater is at Prinzregentenplatz further to the east.Other boroughs
In Schwabing and Maxvorstadt, many beautiful streets with continuous rows of Gründerzeit buildings can be found. Rows of elegant town houses and spectacular urban palais in many colours, often elaborately decorated with ornamental details on their façades, make up large parts of the areas west of Leopoldstraße (Schwabing's main shopping street), while in the eastern areas between Leopoldstraße and Englischer Garten similar buildings alternate with almost rural-looking houses and whimsical mini-castles, often decorated with small towers. Numerous tiny alleys and shady lanes connect the larger streets and little plazas of the area, conveying the legendary artist's quarter's flair and atmosphere convincingly like it was at the turn of the 20th century. The wealthy district of Bogenhausen in the east of Munich is another little-known area (at least among tourists) rich in extravagant architecture, especially around Prinzregentenstraße. One of Bogenhausen's most beautiful buildings is Villa Stuck, famed residence of painter Franz von Stuck. Two large Baroque palaces in Nymphenburg and Oberschleissheim are reminders of Bavaria's royal past. Schloss Nymphenburg (Nymphenburg Palace), some north west of the city centre, is surrounded by an park and is considered to be one of Europe's most beautiful royal residences. northwest 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 erected around the same time in the south west of Munich. The second large Baroque residence is Schloss Schleissheim (Schleissheim Palace), located in the suburb of Oberschleißheim, 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. The Bavaria statue before the neo-classical Ruhmeshalle (Munich), Ruhmeshalle is a monumental, bronze sand-cast 19th-century statue at Theresienwiese. The Grünwald castle is the only medieval castle in the Munich area which still exists. St Michael in Berg am Laim (Munich), St Michael in Berg am Laim is a church in the suburbs. Another church of Johann Michael Fischer is St George in Bogenhausen. Most of the boroughs have parish churches that originate from the Middle Ages, such as the church of pilgrimage St. Mary's Church, Ramersdorf, St Mary in Ramersdorf. The oldest church within the city borders is Holy Cross Church, Munich, Heilig Kreuz in Fröttmaning next to the Allianz Arena, known for its Romanesque fresco. Moosach features one of the oldest churches, St. Martin, Moosach, Alt-St. Martin, but a larger one was built in 1925. Especially in its suburbs, Munich features a wide and diverse array of modern architecture, although strict culturally sensitive height limitations for buildings have limited the construction of skyscrapers to avoid a loss of views to the distant Bavarian Alps. Most high-rise buildings are clustered at the northern edge of Munich in the skyline, like the Hypo-Haus, the Arabella High-Rise Building, the Highlight Towers, Uptown Munich, Münchner Tor and the BMW Headquarters next to the Olympiapark (Munich), Olympic Park. Several other high-rise buildings are located near the city centre and on theParks
Munich is a densely-built city but has numerous public parks. In 1789, the Englischer Garten was created just north of Munich's old city center. Covering an area of , it is larger than Central Park in New York City, and it is one of the world's largest urban public parks. It contains a Naturism, naturist (nudist) area, numerous bicycle and jogging tracks as well as bridle-paths. It was designed and laid out by Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, both for pleasure and as a work area for the city's vagrants and homeless. Nowadays it is entirely a park, its southern half being dominated by wide-open areas, hills, monuments and beach-like stretches (along the streams Eisbach and Schwabinger Bach). In contrast, its less-frequented northern part is much quieter, with many old trees and thick undergrowth. Multiple beer gardens can be found in both parts of the Englischer Garten, the most well-known being located at the Englischer Garten#Chinese Tower, Chinese Pagoda. Other large green spaces are the modern Olympiapark, Munich, Olympiapark, the Westpark (Munich), Westpark, and the parks of Nymphenburg Palace (with the Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg to the north), and Schleissheim Palace. The city's oldest park is the Hofgarten (Munich), Hofgarten, near the Residenz, dating back to the 16th century. The site of the largest beer garden in town, the former royal Hirschgarten was 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 (Munich), Ostpark located in the Ramersdorf-Perlach borough which also houses the Michaelibad, the largest water park in Munich.Sports
Football
Munich is home to several professional Association football, football teams including FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich, Germany's most successful club and a multiple UEFA Champions League winner. Other notable clubs include TSV 1860 Munich, 1860 Munich, who were long time their rivals on a somewhat equal footing, but currently play in the 3rd Division 3. Liga, and former Bundesliga club SpVgg Unterhaching, who currently play in the Regionalliga Bayern, in Germany's 4th division.Basketball
FC Bayern Munich (basketball), FC Bayern Munich Basketball is currently playing in the Beko Basket Bundesliga. The city hosted the final stages of the FIBA EuroBasket 1993, where the German national basketball team won the gold medal.Ice hockey
The city's ice hockey club is EHC Red Bull München who play in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team has won three DEL Championships, in 2016, 2017 and 2018.Olympics
Munich hosted theRoad running
Regular annual road running events in Munich are the Munich Marathon in October, the Stadtlauf end of June, the company run B2Run in July, the New Year's Run on 31 December, the Spartan Race Sprint, the Olympia Alm Crosslauf and the Bestzeitenmarathon.Swimming
Public sporting facilities in Munich include ten indoor swimming pools and eight outdoor swimming pools, which are operated by the Stadtwerke München, Munich City Utilities (SWM) communal company. Popular indoor swimming pools include the Olympia Schwimmhalle of theRiver surfing
Munich has a reputation as a surfing hotspot, offering the world's best known river surfing spot, the Eisbach (Isar), Eisbach wave, which is located at the southern edge of the Englischer Garten park and used by surfers day and night and throughout the year. Half a kilometre down the river, there is a second, easier wave for beginners, the so-called Kleine Eisbachwelle. Two further surf spots within the city are located along the river Isar, the wave in the Floßlände channel and a wave downstream of the Wittelsbacherbrücke bridge.Other Sports
Starting in 2023, Munich will have a team enter into the European League of Football, a professional American football league with teams throughout Europe.Culture
Language
The Bavarian dialects are spoken in and around Munich, with its variety West Middle Bavarian or Old Bavarian (''Westmittelbairisch'' / ''Altbairisch''). Austro-Bavarian has no official status by the Bavarian authorities or local government, yet is recognised by the SIL International, SIL and has its own ISO-639 code.Museums
The Deutsches Museum or German Museum, located on an island in the River Isar, is the largest and one of the oldest science museums in the world. Three redundant exhibition buildings that 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 Paläontologisches Museum München, palaeontology, geology, mineralogy, Zoologische Staatssammlung München, zoology, botany and anthropology. The city has several important art museum, art galleries, most of which can be found in the Kunstareal, including the Alte Pinakothek, the Neue Pinakothek, the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Museum Brandhorst. The Alte Pinakothek 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 floors. Major displays include Albrecht Dürer's Christ-like Self-Portrait (Dürer, Munich), ''Self-Portrait'' (1500), his ''The Four Apostles, Four Apostles'', Raphael's paintings ''Canigiani Holy Family (Raphael), The Canigiani Holy Family'' and ''Tempi Madonna (Raphael), Madonna Tempi'' as well as Peter Paul Rubens large ''Judgment Day''. The gallery houses one of the world's most comprehensive Rubens collections. The Lenbachhaus houses works by the group of Munich-based modernist artists known as Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). An important collection of Greek and Roman art is held in the Glyptothek and the Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Staatliche Antikensammlung (State Antiquities Collection). King Ludwig I managed to acquire such pieces as the Medusa Rondanini, the Barberini Faun and figures from the Temple of Aphaea on Aegina for the Glyptothek. Another important museum in the Kunstareal is the Staatliche Sammlung für Ägyptische Kunst, Egyptian Museum. The gothic Morris dancers of Erasmus Grasser are exhibited in the Munich Stadtmuseum, Munich City Museum in the old gothic arsenal building in the inner city. Another area for the arts next to the Kunstareal is the Altstadt-Lehel, Lehel quarter between the old town and the river Isar: the Museum Five Continents in Maximilianstraße is the second largest collection in Germany of artefacts and objects from outside Europe, while the Bavarian National Museum and the adjoining Bavarian State Archaeological Collection 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 former Dachau concentration camp is outside the city.Arts and literature
Munich is a major international cultural centre and has played host to many prominent composers including Orlando di Lasso, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, W.A. Mozart, Carl Maria von Weber,Festivals
Annual "High End Munich" trade show.Starkbierfest
March and April, city-wide: Starkbierfest is held for three weeks during Lent, between Carnival and Easter, celebrating Munich's “strong beer”. Starkbier was created in 1651 by the local Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Paulaner monks who drank this 'Flüssiges Brot', or ‘liquid bread’ to survive the fasting of Lent. It became a public festival in 1751 and is now the second largest beer festival in Munich. Starkbierfest is also known as the “fifth season”, and is celebrated in beer halls and restaurants around the city.Frühlingsfest
April and May, Theresienwiese: Held for two weeks from the end of April to the beginning of May, Frühlingsfest celebrates Spring (season), spring and the new local spring beers, and is commonly referred to as the "little sister of Oktoberfest". There are two beer tents, Hippodrom and Festhalle Bayernland, as well as one roofed beer garden, Münchner Weißbiergarten. There are also roller coasters, Funhouse, fun houses, Playground slide, slides, and a Ferris wheel. Other attractions of the festival include a flea market on the festival's first Saturday, a “Beer Queen” contest, a Vintage (design), vintage Auto show, car show on the first Sunday, fireworks every Friday night, and a "Day of Traditions" on the final day.Auer Dult
May, August, and October, Mariahilfplatz: Auer Dult is Europe's largest jumble sale, with fairs of its kind dating back to the 14th century. The Auer Dult is a traditional market with 300 stalls selling handmade crafts, household goods, and local foods, and offers carnival List of amusement rides, rides for children. It has taken place over nine days each, three times a year. since 1905.Kocherlball
July, English Garden (Munich), English Garden: Traditionally a Ballroom dance, ball for Munich's Domestic worker, domestic servants, cooks, Nanny, nannies, and other household staff, Kocherlball, or ‘cook’s ball’ was a chance for the Social class, lower classes to take the morning off and dance together before the families of their households woke up. It now runs between 6 and 10 am the third Sunday in July at the Chinese Tower in Munich's English Garden.Tollwood
July and December, Olympia Park: For three weeks in July, and then three weeks in December, Tollwood Festival, Tollwood showcases fine and performing arts with live music, List of circus skills, circus acts, and several lanes of booths selling handmade crafts, as well as Organic food, organic Fusion cuisine, international cuisine. According to the festival's website, Tollwood's goal is to promoteOktoberfest
September and October, Theresienwiese: The largest beer festival in the world, Munich's Oktoberfest runs for 16–18 days from the end of September through early October. Oktoberfest is a celebration of the wedding ofChristkindlmarkt
November and December, city-wide: Munich's Christmas Markets, or Christmas market, Christkindlmärkte, are held throughout the city from late November until Christmas Eve, the largest spanning the Marienplatz and surrounding streets. There are hundreds of stalls selling handmade goods, Christmas ornaments and Christmas decoration, decorations, and Bavarian Christmas foods including Pastry, pastries, roasted Peanut, nuts, and Mulled wine, gluwein.Mini-Munich
Late-July to mid-August, city-wideCoopers' Dance
The Coopers' Dance (german: Schäfflertanz) is a guild dance of cooper (profession), coopers originally started in Munich. Since early 1800s the custom spread via journeyman, journeymen in it is now a common tradition over the Old Bavaria region. The dance was supposed to be held every 7 years."Gründungsmythos der Schäffler: So wahr wie die offiziellen Abgaswerte der Autoindustrie"Cultural history trails and bicycle routes
Since 2001, historically interesting places in Munich can be explored via the List of cultural history trails in Munich, cultural history trails (''KulturGeschichtsPfade''). Sign-posted cycle routes are the Outer ''Äußere Radlring'' (outer cycle route) and the ''RadlRing München''.Cuisine and culinary specialities
The Munich cuisine contributes to the Bavarian cuisine. Munich Weisswurst ("white sausage", ''German: Münchner Weißwurst'') was invented here in 1857. It is a Munich speciality. Traditionally eaten only before noon – a tradition dating to a time before refrigerators – these morsels are often served with sweet mustard and freshly baked pretzels. Munich offers 11 restaurants that have been awarded one or more Michelin Guide#Stars, Michelin stars in the Michelin Guide of 2021.Beers and breweries
Munich is known for its breweries and the ''Weissbier'' (or ''Weißbier'' / ''Weizenbier'', wheat beer) is a speciality from Bavaria. Helles, a pale lager with a translucent gold colour is the most popular Munich beer today, although it's not old (only introduced in 1895) and is the result of a change in beer tastes. Helles has largely replaced Munich's dark beer, Dunkel, Dunkles, which gets its colour from roasted malt. It was the typical beer in Munich in the 19th century, but it is now more of a speciality. Starkbier is the strongest Munich beer, with 6%–9% alcohol content. It is dark amber in colour and has a heavy malty taste. It is available and is sold particularly during the Lenten ''Starkbierzeit'' (strong beer season), which begins on or before St. Joseph's Day (19 March). The beer served at Oktoberfest is a special type of Märzen beer with a higher alcohol content than regular Helles. There are countless ''Wirtshäuser'' (traditional Bavarian ale houses/restaurants) all over the city area, many of which also have small outside areas. ''Biergärten'' (beer gardens) are popular fixtures of Munich's gastronomic landscape. They are central to the city's culture and serve as a kind of melting pot for members of all walks of life, for locals, expatriates and tourists alike. It is allowed to bring one's own food to a beer garden, however, it is forbidden to bring one's own drinks. There are many smaller beer gardens and around twenty major ones, providing at least a thousand seats, with four of the largest in the Englischer Garten: Chinesischer Turm (Munich's second-largest beer garden with 7,000 seats), Seehaus, Hirschau and Aumeister. Nockherberg, Hofbräukeller (not to be confused with the Hofbräuhaus) and Löwenbräukeller are other beer gardens. Hirschgarten is the largest beer garden in the world, with 8,000 seats. There are six main breweries in Munich: Augustiner-Bräu, Hacker-Pschorr Brewery, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräuhaus, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu (separate brands Spaten and Franziskaner, the latter of which mainly for Weissbier). Also much consumed, though not from Munich and thus without the right to have a tent at the Oktoberfest, are Tegernseer and Schneider Weisse, the latter of which has a major beer hall in Munich. Smaller breweries are becoming more prevalent in Munich, such as Giesinger Bräu. However, these breweries do not have tents at Oktoberfest.Circus
The Circus Krone based in Munich is one of the largest circuses in Europe. It was the first and still is one of only a few in Western Europe to also occupy a Circus Krone Building, building of its own.Nightlife
Nightlife in Munich is located mostly in the city centre (Altstadt-Lehel) and the boroughs Maxvorstadt, Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt, Au-Haidhausen and Schwabing. Between Sendlinger Tor and Maximiliansplatz lies the so-called Feierbanane (party banana), a roughly banana-shaped unofficial party zone spanning along Sonnenstraße, characterised by a high concentration of clubs, bars and restaurants. The Feierbanane has become the mainstream focus of Munich's nightlife and tends to become crowded, especially at weekends. It has also been the subject of some debate among city officials because of alcohol-related security issues and the party zone's general impact on local residents as well as day-time businesses. Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt's two main quarters, Gärtnerplatzviertel and Glockenbachviertel, are both considered decidedly less mainstream than most other nightlife hotspots in the city and are renowned for their many hip and laid back bars and clubs as well as for being Munich's main centres of gay culture. On warm spring or summer nights, hundreds of young people gather at Gärtnerplatz to relax, talk with friends and drink beer. Maxvorstadt has many smaller bars that are especially popular with university students, whereas Schwabing, once Munich's first and foremost party district with legendary clubs such as ''Big Apple'', ''PN hit-house'', ''Domicile'', ''Hot Club'', ''Piper Club'', ''Tiffany'', Germany's first large-scale disco Blow Up (club), Blow Up and the underwater nightclub Yellow Submarine (club), Yellow Submarine, as well as many bars such as Schwabinger 7 or ''Schwabinger Podium'', has lost much of its nightlife activity in the last decades, mainly due to gentrification and the resulting high rents. It has become the city's most coveted and expensive residential district, attracting affluent citizens with little interest in partying. Since the mid-1990s, the ''Kunstpark Ost'' and its successor ''Kultfabrik'', a former industrial complex that was converted to a large party area near München Ostbahnhof in Berg am Laim, hosted more than 30 clubs and was especially popular among younger people from the metropolitan area surrounding Munich and tourists. The Kultfabrik was closed at the end of the year 2015 to convert the area into a residential and office area. Apart from the Kultfarbik and the smaller ''Optimolwerke'', there is a wide variety of establishments in the urban parts of nearby Haidhausen (Munich), Haidhausen. Before the Kunstpark Ost, there had already been an accumulation of internationally known nightclubs in the remains of the abandoned former Munich-Riem Airport#Reuse, Munich-Riem Airport. Munich nightlife tends to change dramatically and quickly. Establishments open and close every year, and due to gentrification and the overheated housing market many survive only a few years, while others last longer. Beyond the already mentioned venues of the 1960s and 1970s, nightclubs with international recognition in recent history included ''Tanzlokal Größenwahn'', ''Atomic Cafe'' and the techno clubs Babalu Club, Ultraschall, , , , ''Die Registratur'' and ''Bob Beaman''. From 1995 to 2001, Munich was also home to the Union Move, one of the largest technoparades in Germany. Munich has two directly connected gay quarters, which basically can be seen as one: Gärtnerplatzviertel and Glockenbachviertel, both part of the Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt district. From 1979 to 1985 Freddie Mercury lived near the Gärtnerplatz and is known for his role in Munich's gay nightlife of the 1980s, including his 39th birthday party at the club ''Old Mrs. Henderson''. Transsexual icon Romy Haag had a club in the city centre for many years. Munich has the highest density of music venues of any German city, followed by Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin. Within the city's limits are more than 100 nightclubs and thousands of bars and restaurants. Some notable nightclubs are: popular techno clubs are Blitz Club, ''Harry Klein'', ''Rote Sonne'', Bahnwärter Thiel (club), Bahnwärter Thiel, ''Pimpernel'', ''Charlie'', ''Palais'' and ''Pathos''. Popular mixed music clubs are ''Call me Drella'', ''Wannda Circus'', ''Tonhalle'', ''Backstage'', ''Muffathalle'', ''Ampere'', ''Pacha'', ''P1'', Zenith (building), Zenith, ''Minna Thiel'' and the party ship Alte Utting. Some notable bars (pubs are located all over the city) are ''Schumann's Bar'', ''Havana Club'', ''Sehnsucht'', ''Bar Centrale'', ''Holy Home'', ''Negroni'', ''Die Goldene Bar'' and ''Bei Otto''.Education
Colleges and universities
Munich is a leading location for science and research with a long list of Nobel Prize laureates from Wilhelm Röntgen, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1901 to Theodor W. Hänsch, Theodor Hänsch in 2005. Munich has become a spiritual centre 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. The Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) and the Technische Universität München (TUM), were two of the first three German universities to be awarded the title ''elite university'' by a selection committee composed of academics and members of the Ministries of Education and Research of the Federation and the German states (Länder). Only the two Munich universities and the Technical University of Karlsruhe (now part of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) have held this honour, and the implied greater chances of attracting research funds, since the first evaluation round in 2006. * Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), founded in 1472 in Ingolstadt, moved to Munich in 1826 * Technical University of Munich (TUM), founded in 1868 * Academy of Fine Arts Munich, Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, founded in 1808 * Bundeswehr University Munich, founded in 1973 (located in Neubiberg) * German School of Journalism, Deutsche Journalistenschule, founded in 1959 * Bayerische Akademie für Außenwirtschaft, founded in 1989 * Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, founded in 1830 * International Max Planck Research School for Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences, founded in 2005 * International School of Management, Germany, International School of Management, founded in 1990 * Katholische Stiftungsfachhochschule München, founded in 1971 * Munich Business School (MBS), founded in 1991 * Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC), founded in 2003 * Munich School of Philosophy, founded in 1925 in Pullach, moved to Munich in 1971 * Munich School of Political Science, founded in 1950 * Munich University of Applied Sciences (HM), founded in 1971 * New European College, founded in 2014 * Ukrainian Free University, founded in 1921 (from 1945 – in Munich) * University of Television and Film Munich (''Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film''), founded in 1966Primary and secondary schools
Grundschulen in Munich: * Grundschule an der Gebelestraße * Grund- und Mittelschule an der Hochstraße * Grundschule an der Kirchenstraße * Grundschule Flurstraße * Grundschule an der Stuntzstraße * Ernst-Reuter-Grundschule * Grundschule Gertrud Bäumer Straße * Grundschule an der Südlichen Auffahrtsallee Gymnasien in Munich: * Pestalozzi-Gymnasium München, Pestalozzi-Gymnasium * Maria-Theresia-Gymnasium * Gymnasium Max-Josef-Stift * Luitpold Gymnasium * Edith-Stein-Gymnasium der Erzdiözese München und Freising * Maximiliansgymnasium * Oskar-von-Miller-Gymnasium * Städtisches St.-Anna-Gymnasium * Wilhelmsgymnasium (Munich), Wilhelmsgymnasium * Städtisches Luisengymnasium * Wittelsbacher-Gymnasium München, Wittelsbacher Gymnasium * Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium Realschulen in Munich: * Städt. Fridtjof-Nansen-Realschule * Städtische Adalbert-Stifter-Realschule * Maria Ward Mädchenrealschule * Städtische Ricarda-Huch-Realschule * Isar Realschule München * Städtische Hermann-Frieb Realschule International schools in Munich: * Lycée Jean Renoir (Munich), Lycée Jean Renoir (French school) * Japanische Internationale Schule München * Bavarian International School * Munich International School * European School, MunichScientific research institutions
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society, an independent German non-profit research organisation, has its administrative headquarters in Munich. The following institutes are located in the Munich area: * Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching bei München, Garching * Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried * Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Garching bei München, Garching * Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Social Law, München * Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, München * Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried * Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Andechs-Erling, Germany, Erling (Biological Rhythms and Behaviour), Radolfzell, Seewiesen (Reproductive Biology and Behaviour) * Max Planck Institute for Physics (Max Planck Institute for Physics, Werner Heisenberg Institute), München * Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Garching bei München, Garching (also in Greifswald) * Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, München * Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research, München (closed) * Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Garching bei München, GarchingFraunhofer Society
The Fraunhofer Society, the German non-profit research organization for applied research, has its headquarters in Munich. The following institutes are located in the Munich area: * Applied and Integrated SecurityOther research institutes
* Botanische Staatssammlung München, a notable herbarium * Ifo Institute for Economic Research, theoretical and applied research in economics and finance * Doerner Institute * European Southern Observatory * Helmholtz Zentrum München * Zoologische Staatssammlung München * German Aerospace Center (GSOC), Oberpfaffenhofen, Oberpfaffenhofen bei MünchenEconomy
Munich has the strongest economy of any German city according to a study and the lowest unemployment rate (5.4% in July 2020) of any German city of more than a million people (the others beingManufacturing
Munich holds the headquarters of Siemens, Siemens AG (electronics), BMW (car), MAN SE, MAN AG (truck manufacturer, engineering), MTU Aero Engines (aircraft engine manufacturer), The Linde Group, Linde (gases) and Rohde & Schwarz (Finance
Munich has significance as a Munich's financial community, financial centre (second only to Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt), being home of HypoVereinsbank and the Bayerische Landesbank. It outranks Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt though as home of insurance companies such as Allianz (insurance) and Munich Re (Reinsurance, re-insurance).Media
Munich is the largest publishing city in Europe and home to the ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'', one of Germany's biggest daily newspapers. The city is also the location of the programming headquarters of Germany's largest public broadcasting network, ARD (broadcaster), ARD, while the largest commercial network, ProSieben, Pro7-Sat1 Media AG, is headquartered in the suburb of Unterföhring. The headquarters of the German branch of Random House, the world's largest publishing house, and of Hubert Burda Media, Burda publishing group are also in Munich. The Bavaria Film Studios are located in the suburb of Grünwald, Bavaria, Grünwald. They are one of Europe's biggest film production studios.Quality of life
Most Munich residents enjoy a high quality of life. Mercer HR Consulting consistently rates the city among the top 10 cities with the highest quality of life worldwide – a 2011 survey ranked Munich as 4th. In 2007 the same company also ranked Munich as the 39th most expensive in the world and most expensive major city in Germany. Munich enjoys a thriving economy, driven by the information technology, biotechnology, and publishing sectors. Environmental pollution is low, although the city council is concerned about levels of particulate matter (PM), especially along the city's major thoroughfares. Since the enactment of particulate#EU legislation, 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. Due to the high standard of living in and the thriving economy of the city and the region, there was an influx of people and Munich's population surpassed 1.5 million by June 2015, an increase of more than 20% in 10 years.Transport
Munich has an extensive public transport system consisting of an underground metro, trams, buses and high-speed rail. In 2015, the transport modal share in Munich was 38 percent public transport, 25 percent car, 23 percent walking, and 15 percent bicycle. Its public transport system delivered 566 million passenger trips that year. Munich is the hub of a well-developed regional transportation system, including the second-largest airport in Germany and the Berlin–Munich high-speed railway, which connects Munich to the German capital city with a journey time of about 4 hours. The trade fair Transport Logistic, transport logistic is held every two years at the ''Neue Messe München'' (Messe München International). Flixmobility which offers intercity coach service is headquartered in Munich.Public transport
For its urban population of 2.6 million people, Munich and its closest suburbs have a comprehensive network of public transport incorporating the Munich U-Bahn, Munich U-Bahn (underground railway), the Munich S-Bahn, Munich S-Bahn (suburban trains), trams and buses. The system is supervised by the Munich Transport and Tariff Association (''Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH''). The Munich tramway is the oldest existing public transportation system in the city, which has been in operation since 1876. Munich also has an extensive network of bus lines. The extensive network of subway and tram lines assists and complement pedestrian movement in the city centre. The 700m-long Kaufinger Straße, which starts near the Main train station, forms a pedestrian east–west spine that traverses almost the entire centre. Similarly, Weinstraße leads off northwards to the Hofgarten. These major spines and many smaller streets cover an extensive area of the centre that can be enjoyed on foot and bike. The transformation of the historic area into a pedestrian priority zone enables and invites walking and biking by making these active modes of transport comfortable, safe and enjoyable. These attributes result from applying the principle of Permeability (spatial and transport planning), "filtered permeability", which selectively restricts the number of roads that run through the centre. While certain streets are discontinuous for cars, they connect to a network of pedestrian and bike paths, which permeate the entire centre. In addition, these paths go through public squares and open spaces increasing the enjoyment of the trip (see image). The logic of filtering a mode of transport is fully expressed in a comprehensive model for laying out neighbourhoods and districts – the Fused Grid.Statistics
The average amount of time people spend commuting to and from work with public transit in Munich on a weekday is 56 min. 11% of public transit users, spend more than two hours travelling each day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is ten minutes, whilst 6% of passengers wait for over twenty minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 9.2 km, while 21% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.Cycling
Cycling has a strong presence in the city and is recognised as a good alternative to motorised transport. The growing number of Segregated cycle facilities, bicycle lanes are widely used throughout the year. Cycle paths can be found alongside the majority of sidewalks and streets, although the newer and/or renovated ones are much easier to tell apart from pavements than older ones. The cycle paths usually involve a longer route than by the road, as they are diverted around objects, and the presence of pedestrians can make them quite slow. A modern Call a Bike, bike hire system is available within the area bounded by the ''Mittlerer Ring''.München Hauptbahnhof
Autobahns
Munich is an integral part of the Autobahn, motorway network of southern Germany. Motorways from Stuttgart (W), Nuremberg, Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt and Berlin (N), Deggendorf and Passau (E), Salzburg and Innsbruck (SE), Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Garmisch Partenkirchen (S) and Lindau (SW) terminate at Munich, allowing direct access to the different parts of Germany, Austria and Italy. Traffic, however, is often very heavy in and around Munich. Traffic jams are commonplace during rush hour as well as at the beginning and end of major holidays in Germany. There are few "green waves" or roundabouts, and the city's prosperity often causes an abundance of obstructive construction sites. Other contributing factors are the extraordinarily high rates of car ownership per capita (multiple times that of Berlin), the city's historically grown and largely preserved centralised urban structure, which leads to a very high concentration of traffic in specific areas, and sometimes poor planning (for example bad traffic light synchronisation and a less than ideal ring road).Munich International Airport
Munich Airport, Franz Josef Strauss International Airport (International Air Transport Association, IATA: MUC, International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO: EDDM) is the second-largest airport in Germany and seventh-largest in Europe after London Heathrow Airport, London Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterdam, Barajas Airport, Madrid and Atatürk International Airport, Istanbul Atatürk. It is used by about 46 million passengers a year, and lies some north east of the city centre. It replaced the smaller Munich-Riem Airport, Munich-Riem airport in 1992. The airport can be reached by suburban train lines from the city. From the München Hauptbahnhof, main railway station the journey takes 40–45 minutes. An express train will be added that will cut down travel time to 20–25 minutes with limited stops on dedicated tracks. A maglev (transport), magnetic levitation train (called Transrapid), which was to have run at speeds of up to from the central station to the airport in a travel time of 10 minutes, had been approved, but was cancelled in March 2008 because of cost escalation and after heavy protests. Lufthansa opened its second hub at the airport when Terminal 2 was opened in 2003.Other airports
In 2008, the Bavarian state government granted a licence to expand Oberpfaffenhofen Air Station located west of Munich, for commercial use. These plans were opposed by many residents in the Oberpfaffenhofen area as well as other branches of local Government, including the city of Munich, which took the case to court. However, in October 2009, the permit allowing up to 9725 business flights per year to depart from or land at Oberpfaffenhofen was confirmed by a regional judge. Despite being from Munich, Memmingen Airport has been advertised as Airport Munich West. After 2005, passenger traffic of nearby Augsburg Airport was relocated to Munich Airport, leaving the Augsburg region of Bavaria without an air passenger airport within close reach.Around Munich
Nearby towns
The Munich agglomeration sprawls across the plain of the Foothills, Alpine foothills comprising about 2.6 million inhabitants. Several smaller traditional Bavarian towns and cities like Dachau, Bavaria, Dachau, Freising, Erding, Starnberg, Landshut and Moosburg are today part of the Greater Munich Region, formed by Munich and the surrounding districts, making up the Munich Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about 6 million people.Recreation
South of Munich, there are numerous nearby freshwater lakes such as Lake Starnberg, Ammersee, Chiemsee, Walchensee, Kochelsee, Tegernsee (lake), Tegernsee, Schliersee (lake), Schliersee, Simssee, Staffelsee, Wörthsee, Kirchsee (Bavaria), Kirchsee and the Osterseen (Easter Lakes), which are popular among Munich residents for recreation, swimming and watersports and can be quickly reached by car and a few also by Munich's Munich S-Bahn, S-Bahn.Notable people
Born in Munich
Notable residents
Twin towns and sister cities
Munich is Sister city, twinned with: * Edinburgh, United Kingdom (1954) * Verona, Italy (1960) * Bordeaux, France (1964) * Sapporo, Japan (1972) * Cincinnati, United States (1989) * Kyiv, Ukraine (1989) * Harare, Zimbabwe (1996) * Beersheba, Israel (2021)See also
* Outline of MunichNotes
References
External links
Photos