MUNICH
Country: Germany
Coordinates: 48° 08' N
11° 34' E
Altitude: 530 m
Area: 310,46 km2
Population: 1 273 186
Density of Population: 4 101/km2
Website: www.muenchen.de
Mayor: Christian Ude
Munich is the capital city of Bavaria. It is the third biggest city of Germany and the most important international centre of trade and arts. There are plenty of museums and several nice Baroque and Renaissance churches in this 800 years old city.
Munich was first referred to in 1158 as Villa Munichen. Under the rule of the King Louis I. (1825–1848), Munich became a famous town of arts. After the World War I. Munich became Hitler`s “Capital of Movement“ which the city later paid for with being bombarded by allies during the World War II. After the war Munich gradually established itself as a high-tech centre, an important city of media, and many big companies settled here. In 1972 Munich hosted the 20th Olympic Games. In 1992 a new airport of Franz Joseph Strauss was opened here and the old airport was transformed into a market place.
The Old Art Gallery (Alte Pinakothek), where there is the world`s largest collection of Rubens`s pictures, lies opposite the New Art Gallery (Neue Pinakothek) where modern arts collection is displayed. The New Modern Gallery (Pinakothek der Moderne) was opened in 2002. Another modern gallery, Museum der Fantasie, was opened in Munich in 2001. The German Museum of Science and Technology is mostly attractive for children. There is a life-size coal mine here.
The city offers motoring fans a chance to visit the BMW Museum (Bayerische Motorwerke) dedicated to the famous brands made in Munich.
The Lenbach Gallery is situated in an impressive villa of a Munich painter named Viscount. Not far away from the villa, at the square of Königsplatz, there is Glyptothek where Greek and Roman sculptures are exposed. Other attractions include Royal Palace, Royal Treasury and National Museum of Bavaria.
The square of Marienplatz is surrounded by the New and Old Town Halls as well as by renovated poles of Mariensäule. Large groups of people gather here three times a day in order to listen to and watch a peal which illustrates the Dance of Shepherds (Schäfflertanz).
The Olympic Park where the stadium of Bayern Munich is situated, is nowadays a recreational centre. Since 1972, the year of the Olympic Games, citizens of Munich have taken advantage of all its facilities.
Munich is a venue of the most familiar event in Germany – the October Beer Festival (Oktoberfest). The beginning of these beer festivities dates back to 1810 when the Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married the Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The citizens fancied the festival so much that it became a regular event and currently these beer festivities last for two weeks. The needs of the festival are supplied and satisfied by nine Munich breweries. The city can, however, offer many familiar beer brands, including Hofbräuhaus and Mathäser Bierstadt which is the biggest brewery all around the world.
The English Garden, one of the largest in Europe, offers residents as well as tourists an escape from the rush of a city. There is the Chinese Tower which is surrounded by beer gardens.
The variety of theatres includes the National Theatre, Rococo Theatre built in Cuvilliés and Schauspielhaus. The palace of Nymphenburg exposes a portrait gallery and a famous collection of Chinese arts. The carnival season culminates in February when numerous balls and other social parties take place. However, Auer Dult, the fun fair and the flea market, is held three times a year.
