Background
The city was founded in 1158 around a settlement of Monks. The name Munich, or München, means "Monk City". In 1175 Munich became a city and was controlled by the bishops of Freising. In 1240, rule transferred from the bishops to Duke Otto I Wittelsbach and the family ruled over Bavaria until 1918 (this is the same family, different branch, that ruled over the Palentine region of Heidelberg and Manheim). Building was a passion for the Wittelsbachs and much of what you see today in Munich is a direct result of their influence.
The most famous of the Wittelsbachs is King Ludwig the II. He took the throne at a young age and ruled between 1864 and 1886. Today he is often called, "Mad King Ludwig" because of his strange behavior and oddities. A beautiful man, most attention is drawn toward the way that he would eat dinners alone with a pretend Marie Antoinette, make a servant wear a mask because he was ugly, take sleigh rides in the middle the night, and build extravagant castles. He was a loner who would have made a better actor than a king. Much controversy surrounded his close relationship with Richard Wagner. Wagner’s operas were the inspiration for Ludwig’s castles, including the famous Neuschwanstein castle.
Munich History
Munich and Surrounding Areas
Munich Top Attractions
Munich Churches
Munich Museums and Castles
When Americans think of Germany, they are often thinking of Munich and Bavaria. Bavaria is the home of the “typically German” lederhosen and felt hats. It is by far the best city to visit in Germany.
Munich is has everything for the visitor including old churches, near-by castles, German beer breweries, history, museums, parks, etc. As an American, Munich is your "one-stop Germany".
Though his oddity made him famous today, Mad King Ludwig can take much credit for the formation of the current German Republic. After France had attacked Prussia and was defeated, there was talk of a loosely formed German confederation. King William of Prussia wanted to combine all of the separate German states (of which Bavaria was one) into one large republic. His family, the powerful Hollernzollerns (see castle page), would be in charge. The goal for him was to create a state large enough and powerful enough to be able to stand up against the attacks of France at that time. But for King William to unite Germany he needed support from the smaller states, particularly from a southern state. He entered into negotiations with King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Ludwig refused to leave his comfortable surroundings to go to the negotiation table. Prussia could not unite Germany without Bavaria's help. Just when the plan to unite Germany seemed ready to fail, a letter was drafted for King Ludwig II declaring support for a united Germany under the reign of the Hohenzollerns. The letter was delivered to King Ludwig II and, in a change of mood characteristic of Ludwig, he copied the letter almost word for word in his own hand, signed it, and sent it back. Because of that letter 26 separate states lost their independence and the German Empire was born. Ludwig became a national idol overnight.
After WWI Munich became a center of unrest and unease. In November 13, 1918, after much public pressure and changing times, the last of the Wittelsbachs, Ludwig III, gave up his throne and Bavaria became a Republic under the leadership of Kurt Eisner.
The Republic did not last long. In February 1919, Kurt Eisner was shot and the communist regime took over the city. The called it, the Munich Soviet Republic. The regime changed hands quickly and didn't last long. In May, a group of White Army soldiers called the Freikorps put down the communists. Though the republic was restored, Munich became a hot-seat where Hitler and the Nazis were capable of raising to power.
The Nazi's, after taking control over Germany in 1933, proclaimed Munich as the "capital of the movement". Because it was such a stronghold to the Nazi's, Munich suffered much damage during WWII. Most of the Residenz was bombed, the roof of the Frauenkirche had collapsed, just to mention a bit. Over the course of the war, Munich suffered 71 air raids.
After the war Munich had the option to bulldoze the city and start over, or to rebuild. In a close election, the citizens voted to rebuild the city. Using the photos that the Nazi’s had taken to document the city and its treasures when bombing was evident, the city was rebuilt to almost the same state as before the war.
Munich is a beautiful city and one of the most recommended places to travel to in Germany.
Note: Bavarians, though German, speak Bayrish which is a dialect of the German language. Most Bavarians can speak "high German" as well, but don't be surprised if you have a hard time understanding Bavarians.
