Munich

Germany COUNTRY

1,538,302 CITY POPULATION

Metropolis GOVERNMENT TYPE

Introduction

Munich, Bavaria’s capital, is home to centuries-old buildings and numerous museums. The city is known for its annual Oktoberfest celebration and its beer halls, including the famed Hofbräuhaus, founded in 1589. In the Altstadt (Old Town), central Marienplatz square contains landmarks such as Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus (town hall), with a popular glockenspiel show that chimes and reenacts stories from the 16th century. It’s Germany's third largest city and the capital of Bavaria (one of the 16 German Federal States) in Germany. The city is located in South East Germany on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps.

Munich, located at the river Isar in the south of Bavaria, is famous for its beautiful architecture, fine culture, and the annual Oktoberfest beer celebration. Munich's cultural scene is second to none in Germany, with the museums even considered by some to outrank Berlin in quality.

Data and facts

The current population of Munich in 2020 is 1,538,000, a 1.12% increase from 2019.
Munich is 500 meters (1,600 feet) above sea level. The climate is continental, with cold winters and mild to pleasantly warm summers.
The oldest building in Munich is a bathroom. During archaeological excavations at the Marienhof, workers found a latrine from 1260. The toilette was located outside the primary city gates, showing that the Munich of the 13th century was already bigger than historians had thought so far.
Munich harbors the oldest cinema in the world. The Neues Kino Gabriel is most likely the oldest cinema in the world. It has existed since 1906 and it’s been open ever since. The Guinness Book of World Records names the Pionier Cinema in the Polish Szczecin as the oldest cinema; however it wasn’t established until 1907.
The first photograph in Germany was taken in Munich. Two Munich scientists, Carl August von Steinheil and Franz Ritter von Kobell, shot a photograph of the Frauenkirche, the most famous landmark of Munich, months before the photographic process of daguerreotype was introduced in France in 1939. The negative of the film roll still exists today. The four-centimetre wide relict can be marvelled at in the Deutsche Museum in Munich.
Plasticine was invented in Munich. Pharmacist Franz Kolb owned a pharmacy in the city, and his invention was intended for his artist friends, who had problems using modelling clay in the cold winter months for their work.

Administration

Since the administrative reform in 1992, Munich is divided into 25 boroughs or Stadtbezirke, which themselves consist of smaller quarters. The district is administered by the Landratsamt München and politically led by the Kreistag.

Economy

Munich has the strongest economy in Germany and also boasts of the lowest unemployment rate (5.6 %). It is the economic centre of southern Germany and is considered a global city. Hardly surprising that it is home to the headquarters of Siemens AG (electronics), BMW (car), MAN AG (truck manufacturer, engineering), Linde (gases), Allianz (insurance) and Munich Re (re-insurance). Among German cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants purchasing power is highest in Munich (26.648 Euros per inhabitant) as of 2007.

Infrastructure

Munich has an excellent infrastructure, which is continuously being expanded. It is the most important transport and traffic hub that connects the north with the sound and the west with the east. Train or car: Munich can easily be reached from anywhere thanks to the good connections. 8 motorways lead to the provincial capital. Germany’s second largest airport is located in Munich and handles approximately 41 million passengers yearly.

Technology

Munich is a centre for biotechnology, software and other service industries. Aircraft engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines, the space and defence contractor EADS, the injection molding machine manufacturer Krauss-Maffei, the camera and lighting manufacturer Arri, the semiconductor firm Infineon Technologies, the DRAM company Qimonda, as well as many foreign companies like Precision Plus, McDonald’s and Microsoft have their German or European headquarters in Munich.

Social Wellness and Human Resources

Education

In Germany each federal state is responsible for their education system. It is mandatory for every child between the age of 6 and 15 to attend school. The following describes the Bavarian education system. School types and curricula differ slightly from state to state. There are no fees to pay, although parents must bear the costs of exercise books and other teaching materials; text books, in turn, are provided by the school. Generally, children in Germany only have school in the morning, although the Bavarian government is going to raise the number of all-day state schools in the next few years. Exceptions are private schools and international schools where children have to study the whole day. At these institutions, a fee is usually required.

Health

Healthcare in Munich is top-notch but can be expensive. Germany's public healthcare system is said to be the best in Europe. Waiting lists are rare, and the quality of service, more often than not, is top-notch. The country is said to have been one of the pioneers in employing the universal healthcare system in Europe, dating back to the 1880's. The system was originally intended for employees with a lower income but had since included the entire German populace. At this time, about 85% of the country's inhabitants are covered through this efficient healthcare system, with 77% of funds coming from the government, and 23% privately funded. As a rule, all salaried employees are required to sign up for public health insurance. Payments are shared by the employer and the employee. If an employee's salary is above 50,000 Euro then he qualifies to also sign up for private health coverage.