Munich

:For the 2005 Steven Spielberg film, see Munich (film)

History

The settlement was founded as Munichen (Latin Monacum, Monachium) in 1158 by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, and half a century later it was granted city status and fortified. Initially, bishop Otto von Freising (Freising) and Henry quarreled about the city before the emperor at a Reichstag held in Augsburg. In 1180, with the trial of Henry the Lion, Otto of Wittelsbach became Duke of Bavaria. His heirs, the Wittelsbach dynasty would rule Bavaria until 1918. In 1255, the dukedom of Bavaria was split in two, and Munich became the ducal residence of Upper Bavaria.

Related Topics:
1158 - Henry the Lion - Saxony - Otto von Freising - Freising - Reichstag - 1180 - Otto of Wittelsbach - Wittelsbach - 1918 - 1255 - Upper Bavaria

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In 1327, the entire city was destroyed by fire but was rebuilt some years later by Louis IV, the ruling Holy Roman Emperor of the time. In 1632 the city was occupied by Gustav II Adolph of Sweden during the Thirty Years' War and following 1705 it was under the control of the Habsburg family for some years. The city's first academic institution, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, was founded in 1759.

Related Topics:
1327 - Louis IV - Holy Roman Emperor - 1632 - Gustav II Adolph of Sweden - Thirty Years' War - 1705 - Habsburg - Bavarian Academy of Sciences - 1759

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By that time, the city was growing very quickly and was one of the largest cities in continental Europe. In 1806, it became the capital of the new Kingdom of Bavaria, with the state's parliament (the Landtag) and the new archdiocese of Munich and Freising being located in the city. Twenty years later Landshut University was moved to Munich.

Related Topics:
Europe - 1806 - Kingdom of Bavaria - Landtag - Archdiocese of Munich and Freising - Landshut University

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Many of the city's finest buildings belong to this period and were built under the reigns of the kings Ludwig I and Maximilian II. These buildings include the Ruhmeshalle and those on Ludwigstraße and Königsplatz, built by architects Leo von Klenze and Friedrich von Gärtner, and the "Bavaria" statue by Ludwig Michael von Schwanthaler.

Related Topics:
Ludwig I - Maximilian II - Leo von Klenze - Friedrich von Gärtner - Ludwig Michael von Schwanthaler

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In 1882 electric lighting was introduced to Munich, and the city hosted Germany's first exhibition of electricity. Nineteen years later the Hellabrunn Zoo opened in the city. After World War I, the city was at the center of much unrest. In November 1918, Communists took power establishing the Bavarian Soviet Republic (Münchner Räterepublik) which was put down on May 3 1919 by the right wing Freikorps, many of whom were later drawn to Adolf Hitler and National Socialism. In 1923 Hitler and his supporters, who then were concentrated in Munich, staged the Beer Hall Putsch, an attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic and seize power. But the revolt failed, resulting in Hitler's arrest and the crippling of the Nazi Party, which was virtually unknown outside Munich. However, the city would once again become a Nazi stronghold when they took power in Germany in 1933. Because of its importance to the rise of Nazism, the Nazis called it Hauptstadt der Bewegung ("capital of the movement"). The NSDAP headquarters were in Munich and many Führerbauten ("Führer-buildings") were built around the Königsplatz, some of which have survived to this day.

Related Topics:
1882 - Electricity - Hellabrunn Zoo - World War I - November - 1918 - Communist - Bavarian Soviet Republic - Münchner Räterepublik - May 3 - 1919 - Freikorps - Adolf Hitler - National Socialism - 1923 - Beer Hall Putsch - Weimar Republic - Nazi Party - 1933 - NSDAP

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In 1938, the Munich Agreement was signed in the city, ceding the mostly German speaking Sudetenland, previously a part of Czechoslovakia since the end of WWI, to Germany. It was signed by representatives of Germany, Italy, France and Britain. A year later, in 1939, Georg Elser failed with his attempt to assassinate Hitler while the latter was giving his annual speech to commemorate the Beer Hall Putsch in the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich.

Related Topics:
1938 - Munich Agreement - Sudetenland - Czechoslovakia - Germany - Italy - France - Britain - 1939 - Georg Elser - Bürgerbräukeller

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Munich was the city where the White Rose (German: Die Weiße Rose), a group of students that formed a resistance movement from June 1942 to February 1943, was based. The core members were arrested following a distribution of leaflets in Munich University by Hans and Sophie Scholl.

Related Topics:
White Rose - Resistance movement - 1942 - 1943 - Munich University - Hans and Sophie Scholl

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The city was very heavily damaged by allied bombing during World War II. After American occupation in 1945, Munich was completely rebuilt following a meticulous and, by comparison to other war-ravaged German cities, a rather conservative plan which preserved its pre-war street grid.

Related Topics:
World War II - American - 1945

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Munich was the site of the 1972 Summer Olympics, during which Israeli athletes were assassinated by Palestinian terrorists (see Munich massacre), where terrorist gunmen from the Palestinian "Black September" group took hostage members of the Israeli Olympic team. A rescue attempt by the West German government was unsuccessful and resulted in the deaths of the Israeli hostages, 5 of the terrorists, and one German police officer.

Related Topics:
1972 Summer Olympics - Israel - Palestinian - Terrorist - Munich massacre - Black September - West German

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Several games of the 1974 Soccer World Cup were also held in the city and in 2006 it will again be host to several games, including the opening match of the next FIFA Soccer World Cup.

Related Topics:
1974 Soccer World Cup - 2006 - FIFA - Soccer World Cup

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