Munich Germany

Description: Munich is the capital and most populous city of the Free State of Bavaria. With a population of 1,589,706 inhabitants as of 29 February 2024, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, and thus the largest which does not constitute its own state, as well as the 11th-largest city in the European Union. The city’s metropolitan region is home to about 6.2 million people and the third biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. Straddling the banks of the river Isar north of the Alps, Munich is the seat of the Bavarian administrative region of Upper Bavaria, while being the most densely populated municipality in Germany with 4,500 people per km2. Munich is the second-largest city in the Bavarian dialect area, after the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Population: 1,589,706

Demographics: 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). Along with the Turks, the Croats are one of the two largest foreign minorities in the city, which is why some Croats refer to Munich as their “second capital”. The largest groups of foreign nationals were Turks (39,204), Croats (33,177), Italians (27,340), Greeks (27,117), Poles (27,945), Austrians (21,944), and Romanians (18,085).

History: The river Isar was a prehistoric trade route and in the Bronze Age Munich was among the largest raft ports in Europe. Bronze Age settlements up to four millennia old have been discovered. Evidence of Celt settlements from the Iron Age have been discovered in areas around Ramersdorf-Perlach. Starting in the 6th century, the Baiuvarii populated the area around what is now modern Munich. The first known Christian church was built ca. 815 in Fröttmanning. The 14. June 1158 is considered the official founding day of the city of Munich. Soldiers stationed in Munich were granted a daily allowance for beer in the early 1840s. By the 1850s beer had become essential staple food for Munich’s working and lower classes. Since the Middle Ages beer had been regarded as nutritious liquid bread (fließendes Brot) in Bavaria. But Munich suffered from poor water sanitation and as early as the 1700s beer came to be regarded as the fifth element. Munich was chosen as capital for the Free State of Bavaria and acquired increased responsibility for administering the city itself and the surrounding districts. Offices needed to be built for bureaucracy, so a 12-story office building was erected in the southern part of the historic city centre in the late 1920s. Munich again became important to the Nazis when they took power in Germany in 1933. The party created its first concentration camp at Dachau, 16 km (9.9 mi) north-west of the city. Because of its importance to the rise of National Socialism, Munich was referred to as the Hauptstadt der Bewegung (“Capital of the Movement”). In the aftermath of World War II, Germany and Japan were subject to US Military occupation. Due to Polish annexation of the Former eastern territories of Germany and expulsion of Germans from all over Eastern Europe, Munich operated over a thousand refugee camps for 151,113 people in October 1946. Munich and its urban sprawl emerged as leading German high tech region during the 1980s and 1990s. The urban economy of Munich became characterized by a dynamic labour market, low unemployment, a growing service economy and high per capita income.

Elevation: 520 m

Climate:  Humid subtropical climate Average annual temperature in Munich is 9 C (48 F), the average for July is 18 C (64 F), the average for January is 1 C (30 F).

Attractions: Marienplatz, Residenz, Asamkirche, BMW Museum, New Town Hall, Olympia Park

Airports: Munich International Airport MUC

Distance To City Centre: 35 km

Commute Length: 40 min

Average Cost: 55 EUR

Traffic Hours: 7 am – 9 am, 4 pm – 7 pm