München (Munich) History

Although Munich stands as the eternal Hauptstad t (capital) of southern Germany, the city was actually founded by a Northerner. In 1158, Henry the Lion built Munich to control the only bridge over the Isar River and, with it, the profitable salt trade. Soon Munich came under the rule of the Wittelsbachs, who controlled the city with strict Catholic piety until the 20th century. Following Napoleon’s defeat, Bavaria leapt into its Golden Age with an efficient state administration that promoted commerce and the arts. In the 1800s, Ludwig I and Maximilian I contributed hugely to the evolution of the city, building splendid museums, while Bavaria’s eccentric king Ludwig II constructed his famous “fairy-tale” castles. In 1871, after Bismarck’s wars solidified Prussian dominance, Bavaria was absorbed into the greater Reich. Munich became a cultural powerhouse, rivaling Berlin (to Munich’s citizens, a glorified garrison town), as artists flocked to its blossoming scene.

Germany’s defeat in WWI ended 700 years of Wittelsbach rule in Bavaria. Post-war depression and the reparations required by the Treaty of Versailles sent the economy into hyperinflation. The instability of Weimar Munich gave rise to reactionary anti-Semitic movements. Adolf Hitler found the city such a fertile recruiting ground for his Nazi party that it became known as the Hauptstadt der Bewegung (Capital of the Movement). In 1923, Hitler unsuccessfully attempted to capture several municipal government officials and gave a famous speech in Odeonsplatz in the Beer Hall Putsch, a failed coup d’état, landing the future Führer in prison for a year. Echoes of the Nazi era still haunt Munich—many Führerbauten (Führer-buildings) were built around the Königsplatz, some of which survived the bombings, and the party’s first concentration camp was constructed just outside the city at Dachau . Despite Munich’s location deep inside German air defenses, Allied bombs obliterated over 70% of the city center; much of it has since been rebuilt. The 1972 Olympics brought modernization to Munich. Large portions of the city center were pedestrianized and the subway system was extended, bringing a new era of glory to the city.

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