Munich
From Encyclopædia
{mue'-nik} Munich (German: Munchen) is the capital and principal
city of the German state of Bavaria and the third-largest
city in Germany (after
Berlin and
Hamburg). Munich is situated in the southern part of the country in the valley of the Isar River, a tributary of the Danube, about 48 km (30 mi) north of the foothills of the Alps. The
city has an area of 310 sq km (120 sq mi) and a predominantly Roman Catholic population of 1,211,617 (1989 est.). The
city's name is derived from Munichen, which means "home of the monks." Munich was established in 1157 when
henry THE
lion, duke of Bavaria, granted trade, coinage, and customs privileges to a market center established by monks near their monastery, probably founded in 750.Contemporary CityMunich is the seat of the Bavarian state government and a major transportation, commercial, and industrial center. The
city is famous for its beer, but machinery, automobiles, furniture, clothing, optical instruments, and electronic equipment are more significant manufacturers. Craft industries such as glass staining, wood carving, and silver and bronze founding are well known.
publishing and filmmaking are important, as are the fashion and
high technology industries. Munich is also one of
Europe's leading financial and wholesale trade centers.
tourism is an important source of income. Travel within the
city is facilitated by a
subway system.Munich has numerous cultural, artistic, and educational institutions. The GLYPTOTHEK is a
world-famous sculpture museum; the Alte Pinakothek contains an excellent collection of German and Flemish
paintings; the National Museum of Bavaria and Neue Pinakothek also house important art collections; and the Deutsches Museum is the largest technological museum in
Europe. The National Theater has an excellent reputation. Summer concerts are held in the impressive NYMPHENBURG PALACE, near the AMALIENBURG PAVILION. The Ludwig Maximilian
university, founded in 1472 and located in Munich since 1826, is among Germany's best. Munich's Oktoberfest, a beer festival, is celebrated in October.The oldest part of the
city, dating from the 12th to 14th centuries, was built in the form of an irregular semicircle around the original settlement on the left bank of the Isar. Its center is the Marienplatz (
saint Mary's
square), with the former town hall, a Gothic structure dating from 1470s and the nearby Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), built between 1468 and 1488 and restored following damage in
world War II. The wall surrounding the old
city was torn
Down in the late 18th century, but three of the 14th-century gates were left standing: Karlstor, Sendligertor, and Isartor. The huge palace (Residenz) of the dukes and kings of Bavaria, built from the 15th to the 19th century, is now a museum.HistoryAlthough Munich began to grow as a commercial center during the 12th century, the
city's rise to
prominence began in the 13th century, when the WITTELSBACH family, who ruled Bavaria from 1180 to 1918, made Munich their capital. Following a disastrous fire in 1327, Holy Roman
emperor LOUIS IV oversaw the rebuilding of much of the
city. In 1806, Munich became the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Under King LOUIS I, Munich once again experienced much
growth, but the many new neoclassical structures blended harmoniously with earlier buildings. LOUIS II brought Richard WAGNER to Munich, which became a leading musical and artistic center.Following the abdication of the Wittelsbach kings at the end of
world War I, Munich was the site of severe revolutionary fighting, especially after the assassination of Socialist premier Kurt EISNER, when workers attempted to establish a Communist government in April 1919. The National Socialist (Nazi) party was founded in Munich, and Adolf HITLER attempted to launch a coup there in 1923 (see
MUNICH PUTSCH). The
Munich Conference, which approved the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia, took place in the
city in 1938. Munich suffered heavy Allied bombing during
world War II, but was largely rebuilt by 1960. Munich hosted the 1972 Olympic
games, an event marred by the kidnapping and murder of most of the Israeli team by Palestinian terrorists.Edward TaborskyBibliography: Schacherl, L., and Biller, J., Munich (1987).Map Location[s]
Kiel, Hambu?g,
Bremen,
Rostock,
Berlin,
Magdeburg,
Halle,
Hannover,
Dortmund,
Essen,
Dusseldorf,
Cologne, Bonn,
Koblenz,
Wiesbaden, Frankfurt,
Mannheim,
Saarbrucken,
Stuttgart, Munich, Nurnberg,
Karl-Marx-Stadt,
Dresden,
Leipzig, Elbe, Spree, Weser, Ems, Main, Moselle, Rhine, Danube, Isar, Bodensee.
