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The name München ('home of the monks') stems from an early monastery founded in the eighth century. The local monasteries started the beer brewing traditions for which Munich is still renowned, and beer in all its many forms and glory is still consumed and adored by the inhabitants of present-day Munich (now totalling over a million), and never more so than during the infamous Oktoberfest, a celebration that sees the beverage consumed on an industrial level at what remains Europe's largest festival.
By the early 16th century, Munich's thriving population consisted of far more than just monks and those affiliated with religious orders. The city on the River Isar had established itself as an important trade centre for centuries, and the influential Wittelbach family, who had become the city's de facto rulers, now had ambitions to create a centre of culture and learning to rival Paris. Theses cultural improvements included universities, libraries and museums, and would continue to be improved on for the next 400 years. At the end of WWI, Munich became a conservative stronghold and a breeding ground for many extreme political philosophies, and to this environment came Adolf Hitler, who first expounded his own early extremist views around the city's beer halls. Like nearly all of Germany's major cities, Munich was bombed heavily during WWII. But unlike other German cities, the townspeople of Munich chose to rebuild and restore their precious city rather than level it and start again, and today it's hard to imagine the city saw any damage at all. Munich's post-WWII rebuild laid a template for economic success, with BMW amongst others establishing its headquarters here. Today, Munich remains an energetic and economically prosperous city, with the added benefit of glorious architecture and an enviable position nestled beneath the Bavarian Mountains, all of which continue to make it a favourite spot with tourists. |
