Pending Berlin's full recovery from
its long period of division,
MUNICH
is the German city which most has
the air of a capital about it. Even
though it has never ruled over a
territory any larger than the
present-day Land, the grandiose
palaces from Bavaria's era as an
independent kingdom give it the
appearance of a metropolis of great
importance. When this is added to a
remarkable postwar economic record
(courtesy of such hi-tech giants as
the car manufacturer BMW, the
aerospace company MBB and the
electronics group Siemens), and to
its hard-won status as the national
trendsetter in fashion matters, it's
easy to see why Munich acts as a
magnet to outsiders. Students flock
here to study; the rich and jet-set
like to live here, as do writers,
painters, musicians and film-makers,
while foreign nationals now make up
more than a fifth of the population.
Munich's other, more familiar face
is of a homely city of provincially
minded locals whose zest for
drinking, seen at an extreme during
the annual
Oktoberfest , is
kept up all year round in cavernous
beer halls and spacious gardens.
The city is something of a late
developer in German terms. It was
founded in 1158 by Henry the Lion,
the powerful Saxon duke who for a
short time also ruled Bavaria, as a
monastic village ( Mönchen
means monks) and toll-collection
point on the River Isar, a Danube
tributary. In 1180, it was allocated
to the Wittelsbachs , who
ruled the province continuously
until 1918 - the longest period
achieved by any of the nation's
dynasties. Munich was initially
overshadowed by Landshut, though it
became the capital of the upper part
of the divided duchy in 1255. Only
in 1503 did it become capital of a
united Bavaria, and it remained of
relatively modest size until the
nineteenth century, when it was
expanded into a planned city of
broad boulevards and spacious
squares in accordance with its new
role, granted by Napoleon, as a
royal capital. Hitler began an even
more ambitious construction
programme in accordance with
Munich's special role as Hauptstadt
der Bewegung "Capital city
of the (Nazi) Movement";
thankfully, only a part of it was
built, surviving to this day as a
reminder of this inglorious chapter
in the city's history.
Despite its cosmopolitanism,
Munich is small enough to be
digestible in one visit, and has the
added bonus of a great setting, the
snow-dusted mountains and Alpine
lakes just an hour's drive away. The
best time of year to come is from
June to early October, when all the
beer gardens, street cafés and bars
are in full swing.
The City
of Munich
Heart of the city and its Altstadt
is Marienplatz ; the pedestrian
centre fans out from here in an
approximate circle of one square
kilometre. This is tourist and
shopping land, with all the city's
major department stores, the central
market,...
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