Munich
Munich (German: München, Bavarian: Minga) is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is not a state of its own, and it ranks as the 11th-largest city in the European Union (EU). The metropolitan area has around 3 million inhabitants, and the broader Munich Metropolitan Region is home to about 6.2 million people. It is the third largest metropolitan region by GDP in the EU. Munich is located on the river Isar north of the Alps.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
2winter
cool to cold; mean −1.6 to 12.6 °C across the range; January mean min −4.6 °C, no permanent snow cover but frequent frost; Alpine proximity brings cold-air pooling and foehn thaws
- indoor cultural season: the Pinakotheken (Alte, Neue, Moderne), the Deutsches Museum, the Bavarian State Opera and Residenz
- Christmas markets (Marienplatz, Wittelsbacherplatz medieval market, Tollwood) activate the central squares
- nearby Alpine ski resorts (Garmisch-Partenkirchen <1 hr) carry the leisure overflow
- the beer-hall economy (Hofbräuhaus, Augustiner) is year-round but at full winter-strength
summer
warm, the wettest period; mean 13.5-18.0 °C, July mean max 22.6 °C; Alpine-thunderstorm precipitation Jun-Aug 3.9-4.8 mm/day
- the beer-garden economy activates — the Chinese Tower in the English Garden, Augustiner-Keller, Hirschgarten
- the Isar river swimming and the Flaucher meadow become usable; river-surfing on the Eisbach wave
- Tollwood summer festival, the Kocherlball (Cooks' Ball, July), the Munich Opera Festival (June-July)
- the Olympia park and the English Garden at full use
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Oktoberfest
- world's largest folk festival on the Theresienwiese
- ~6M visitors
- public-space-as-beer-hall
Fasching
- carnival parade (München Fasching)
- dance-of-the-market-women Viktualienmarkt
Starkbierfest
- strong-beer festival at Nockherberg
Tollwood
- open-air cultural and music festival in the Olympia park
Christkindlmarkt
- Marienplatz market
- medieval-themed Wittelsbacherplatz market
On the record
source-trackedIn 2015, the transport modal share in Munich was 38 percent public transport, 25 percent car, 23 percent walking, and 15 percent bicycle.
Its public transport system delivered 566 million passenger trips that year [2015].
Munich is the hub of a developed regional transportation system, including the second-largest airport in Germany and the Berlin–Munich high-speed railway, which connects Munich to the German capital city with a journey time of about 4 hours.
Munich is located on the river Isar north of the Alps.
With 4,800 people per km2, Munich is Germany's most densely populated municipality.
It is the third largest metropolitan region by GDP in the EU.
The proximity to the Alps brings higher volumes of rainfall and consequently greater susceptibility to flood problems.
The medieval heart of the city is all of 50-60 years old - it was heavily bombed in the Second World War and reconstruction took decades. But this was done with skill and care to original designs.
Between Sendlinger Tor and Maximiliansplatz, on the edge of the central Altstadt-Lehel district, there is also the so-called Feierbanane (party banana), a roughly banana-shaped unofficial party zone spanning 1.3 km (0.8 mi) along Sonnenstraße.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Schwabing was considered a center of nightlife in Germany.
Walking is usually the best option [in Altstadt]. Most public transport circles the centre rather than threading through it.
Don't even think of using a car to get around [the Altstadt]. Even a taxi with pick up / drop off permission has to drive out radially, orbit Altstadtring to the correct access route, then burrow back in.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.