Munich

I

Introduction

Munich (German München), city in south central Germany, the capital of Bavaria, on the Isar River. It is an important industrial, cultural, and transportation center, and attracts many tourists with its elegant shops, fashionable nightclubs, great breweries, and lively festivals. A nearby international airport and a network of railroads and highways connect Munich with the rest of Germany and other cities of Europe.

The old part of the city, on the western bank of the Isar River, has a number of baroque and rococo buildings, mostly built in the first half of the 18th century by the rulers of Bavaria, who were inspired by Italian models. In the center of the old section is the Marienplatz, a well-known square, which is dominated by the city hall, the ornate Neues Rathaus, built between 1867 and 1908. Next to the city hall is the 15th-century Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), a massive late Gothic brick cathedral with two towers (99 m/325 ft high).

Several of the original gates to the city, including Sendlinger Gate (1310) and Isar Gate (1337), are still standing. The Hellabrunn Zoo is one of the largest in Germany. The city also has a large English garden, with a lake; a Chinese pagoda; and the Haus der Kunst, an art gallery, within its confines. The baroque Nymphenburg Castle (begun 1664) is located in an opulently landscaped park. A large stadium was erected for the 1972 Olympic Games, which were held in Munich. On the eastern bank of the Isar River is the Maximilianeum (1874-1877), home of the Bavarian parliament.

II

Cultural Institutions

Among the many museums and art galleries of Munich is the Deutsches Museum (German Museum), a museum of science and technology located on an island in the Isar River. The Bavarian National Museum in the city contains arts and crafts from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. A leading German art gallery is the Alte Pinakothek (1836); its collection includes many paintings by the old masters. Munich's Neue Pinakothek, opened in 1981 to replace a museum that was destroyed during World War II (1939-1945), contains an important collection of 19th-century European art.

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Other notable cultural centers are the National Theater, the home of the Bavarian State Opera, and the Residenz (Royal) Palace, containing the Reiche Zimmer, the Treasury, and the Cuvilliés Theater—a sumptuously decorated rococo theater designed (1751-1753) by François de Cuvilliés. Munich also is an important center of film production and radio and television broadcasting.

The city is the seat of the Ludwig Maximilian University, founded in Ingolstadt in 1472 and transferred to Landshut in 1800 and to Munich in 1826. A technical university (1868) also is here.

III

Commerce and Industry

In addition to the world-famous beer, railroad and electrical equipment, chemicals, optical and precision instruments, and processed food are produced in Munich. Since the late 18th century, when the process of lithography was invented in the city, Munich has been a major printing and publishing center. The city also has an active fashion industry, with a large number of clothing manufacturers and textile factories. Many international exhibitions and trade fairs are held in Munich.

IV

History

Munich was founded in 1158 as a mint and marketplace by Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony. In 1255, the powerful Wittelsbach family, who ruled as the dukes of Bavaria, made the city their residence. Munich was destroyed by fire in 1327 and later rebuilt by Louis IV, Holy Roman emperor. In 1632, during the Thirty Years' War, the city was captured by Gustav II Adolph of Sweden. Much of the modern development and splendid architecture of Munich date from the reigns of three kings of Bavaria: Maximilian I, Louis I, and Louis II. After World War I (1914-1918) the city was the center of the political unrest that led to the rise of National Socialism under Adolf Hitler. In 1923 Hitler staged the abortive “beer hall putsch,” or revolt, in Munich. In 1938 representatives of the major European powers signed the Munich Pact in the city, ceding to Germany the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia. Heavily damaged during World War II, the city has been carefully rebuilt to a master plan that included reconstruction wherever possible. Population (2005 estimate) 1,249,200.