Munich Travel Guide, Germany

One of the highly popular tourist destinations in Germany is Munich. This is Germany’s urbane and classy city that loves to challenge itself. Put on your satirical lederhosen and go forth to the very capital of Bavaria. Experience a rightful mix of folk traditions, BMWs and jovial meals that usually means haute cuisine.

Munich is your perfect place when you are looking for all types of culture, with its stunning variety of museums, effervescent art and who would ever miss the world-famous Oktoberfest? Munich is the unique capital of Bavaria right in Germany’s south east portion. The city’s 1.3m population allows it to become one of Germany's biggest cities, besides Hamburg and Berlin. 

Along with Bavaria as a self-governing state, Munich is a wonderful European capital. It is now the home to chief conglomerates BMW and Siemens. Moreover, the city provides a laid-back, southern European sophisticated feel, making it largely known among tourists.

It is uncertain whether Munich’s real name roots from a German word for monks which is Mönchen and a nearby monastery, or to the old European term Munica, that means “place on the riverbank.” Below are significant events and turning points of Munich as a city:

-During the later part of 18th century, Munich grew very fast and was among the biggest cities all over Europe. Then in 1806, it served as the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria. A lot of Munich’s greatest buildings actually fit in to the time thereafter. They were created during the reigns of Maximilian II and Ludwig I. The buildings include the establishments on Residenz, Konigsplatz and Ludwigstrasse.

- Past the WW I, Munich became the home of great conflict and instability. In November 1918, the communists took over and founded the Münchner Räterepublik or the Bavarian Soviet Republic.

-  In 1919, Münchner Räterepublik or the Bavarian Soviet Republic was over thrown by Freikorps. Lots were later drawn to the National Socialism and to Adolf Hitler.

-1923 came and Hitler as well as his supporters focused in Munich and staged the Beer Hall Putsch. This was an endeavor to conquer Weimar Republic then take hold of power. The revolt was unsuccessful and resulted in the arrest of Hitler and the transitory cripple of his Nazi Party that was almost anonymous outside Munich.

- But Munich was to turn into a Nazi monopoly once more when it took power again in 1933 in Germany. Due to the city’s significance to Nazism, the Nazis referred to it as Hauptstadt der Bewegung or the capital of the movement. Thus, the NSDAP command centers were found here. Numerous Führerbauten or Führer buildings were established in Königsplatz. Some are still standing now.

- Though Munich was badly ruined by the bombing of World War II, the American occupancy had it entirely restored with many of the pre-war spirit retained.

The city has seen tragic events in 1972 when it accommodated the Olympic Games that year. There were five athletes from Israel as well as a German policeman who were killed by Palestinian terrorists who also took some members of the Israeli Olympic contingent from the Olympic Village. But on the lighter side, the very same Olympic sports ground arena accommodated a few games during the Soccer World Cup 1974.  It includes the accommodation of the final game between Holland and West Germany, the latter won by 2-1 score.

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• Short visit in Munich
  review by asterix posted more then 30 days ago
  We just spent about one and half day in Munich to visit the best places in the city and to see how is life in a such a big city. The city is really beautiful but for me is really agglomerated. We just spent about 3 hours to find the street where Dan's friend work to have a good place to park the...
• Munich, the home of the Oktoberfest
  review by MadSuh posted more then 30 days ago
  Munich is certainly one of the most interesting cities in Germany. It's the second largest city with about 2 Mio inhabitants and offers a wide range of cultural activities. Something that's very nice about Munich is the fact that it is large but still has a small town character. While...
• Munich is best in the summer
  review by travelgrove-editor posted more then 30 days ago
  Population: Aprox. 80Mio Major Airports: * Franfurt (FRA) * Munich (MUC) * Berlin * Hamburg When to Go: Typically the months of May-September are good to visit as the temperatures are not too cold. In the summer it's usually quite hot outside, but never humid so...

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Read our members' travel tips about Munich

• Olympiapark Munich
  travel tip by marius_f posted more then 30 days ago
  One of the most interesting sights to see if the Olympiapark. It's not only a park where you walk around, but you can visit the fantastic buildings of the 1972 summer games. They look like spider webs covering this area.Also, I...
• Visiting the Allianz Arena
  travel tip by norfolkjon posted more then 30 days ago
  While in Munich, you should go see a soccer match at the Allianz Arena. You may also want to just go there and visit without seeing a match. The structure is one of the most amazing sports arenas in the world and should not disappoint...
• English Garden (Englischer Garten)
  travel tip by MadSuh posted more then 30 days ago
  The English Garden is one of the world's largest parks. It's the largest park in Germany and a wonderful hangout for people trying to get a break from the city stress. You can go running, biking, or just for a walk and won't ever regret...

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