City guide · München
Munich
A royal capital grown from a 'place of monks': Marienplatz, Nymphenburg Palace and Oktoberfest
Munich is the capital of Bavaria, and the city's story starts in Marienplatz: the Glockenspiel on the New Town Hall re-enacts a 16th-century wedding, Nymphenburg Palace on the western edge was the royal summer residence, and every autumn's Oktoberfest on the Theresienwiese grew out of a royal wedding in 1810.
History
Los orígenes de la ciudad
Munich's name comes from the Old High German for 'monks'. To control the salt trade, Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, built a bridge and toll station on the Isar; the Augsburg Arbitration of 14 June 1158 first mentions the place, and that day is regarded as the city's founding. It received city status in 1175, became the seat of the Dukes of Upper Bavaria in 1255, and capital of a reunited Bavaria in 1506. When Bavaria became a kingdom in 1806, Munich became the royal capital; in October 1810 Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese, and the celebrations in a meadow outside town later became Oktoberfest. The Nazis rose to prominence in Munich in the 1920s, and Hitler staged the Beer Hall Putsch here in 1923; Second World War bombing badly damaged about half the city, which was rebuilt on its old street plan. Munich hosted the Summer Olympics in 1972.
- 1158The Augsburg Arbitration of 14 June, regarded as the city's founding
- 1468Work began on the Frauenkirche, completed in 20 years
- 1506Became capital of a reunited Bavaria
- 1638The Mariensäule was erected in Marienplatz
- 1806Became capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria
- 1810A royal wedding celebration marked the start of Oktoberfest
- 1972Hosted the Summer Olympic Games
Stories
Historias de la ciudad
Historia · Nymphenburg Palace
A palace built to celebrate the birth of a prince
In 1664 the Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife Henriette Adelaide ordered Nymphenburg Palace built to celebrate the birth of their heir, Maximilian II Emanuel. More than a century later another famous prince arrived: on 25 August 1845 Ludwig II, who would later build Neuschwanstein, was born in the queen's bedchamber of the palace.
Historia · Marienplatz and the New Town Hall
A vow made in wartime: the Mariensäule
During the Thirty Years' War, the Elector Maximilian I vowed to erect a column to the Virgin Mary if the ducal cities of Munich and Landshut were spared from war. In 1638, to celebrate the end of the Swedish occupation, the Mariensäule was raised in the middle of the square, topped by a golden statue of the Virgin made in 1590 that originally stood in the Frauenkirche. It was the first Marian column of its kind north of the Alps.
Leyenda · Marienplatz and the New Town Hall
The coopers' dance after the plague
The lower level of the New Town Hall Glockenspiel shows the coopers' dance (Schäfflertanz). It is said that after a severe plague ended in 1517, the coopers danced in the streets to encourage frightened residents to come out of their homes again. Traditionally the dance is performed every seven years during Carnival; by 1700 it was already recorded as an 'old custom', though today's steps were only fixed in 1871.
Historia · Munich Oktoberfest
A festival that grew out of a royal wedding
On 12 October 1810 Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (later King Ludwig I) married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Celebrations were held on a meadow outside Munich, with a parade in regional costume — the first Oktoberfest; the venue was later named the 'Theresienwiese' after the princess.
Must see
Lugares imprescindibles
Nymphenburg Palace
The Wittelsbachs' summer palace: its façade is wider than Versailles', and it was the birthplace of Ludwig II, the 'Fairy-Tale King'.
Marienplatz and the New Town Hall
Munich's central square since 1158: the Glockenspiel in the New Town Hall tower re-enacts a 16th-century wedding and the coopers' dance.
Before you go
Normas que debe conocer en Munich
Germany: most shops close on Sundays
- Shop for food and essentials on Saturday
- If you need to shop on Sunday, go to shops at railway stations, airports or petrol stations
- Planning a shopping trip for Sunday
There is no penalty — you will just find everything closed. Sunday is protected as a day of rest by the constitution, and each state allows only a few 'open Sundays' a year.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: Library of Congress law blog: Germany's shop opening laws