Munich 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.
It ranks as the 11th-largest city in the European Union. 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 European Union.
Munich is located on the river Isar north of the Alps. It is the seat of the Upper Bavarian administrative region. With 4,500 people per km2, Munich is Germany's most densely populated municipality. It is also the second-largest city in the Bavarian dialect area after Vienna.
The first record of Munich dates to 1158. The city has played an important role in Bavarian and German history. During the Reformation, it remained a Catholic stronghold. Munich became the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1806 and developed as a centre for arts, architecture, culture, and science. The House of Wittelsbach ruled until 1918, when the German revolution of 1918–1919 ended their reign and saw the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic.
In the 1920s, Munich became a centre of political movements, including the rise of the Nazi Party. The city was known as the "Capital of the Movement". During World War II, Munich was heavily bombed, but much of its historic architecture has since been restored. After the war, the city's population and economy grew rapidly. Munich hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Munich is a major centre for science, technology, finance, innovation, business, and tourism. It has a high standard of living, ranking first in Germany and third worldwide in the 2018 Mercer survey. It was named the world's most liveable city by Monocle's Quality of Life Survey 2018. Munich is among the most expensive German cities for real estate and rents. In 2023, 30.1 percent of residents were foreigners, and 19.4 percent were German citizens with a migration background from abroad.
Munich's economy is based on high tech, automobiles, the service sector, information technology, biotechnology, engineering, and electronics. Multinational companies such as BMW, Siemens, Allianz SE, and Munich Re are headquartered there. The city has two research universities and many scientific institutions. Munich is known for its architecture, cultural venues, sports events, exhibitions, and the annual Oktoberfest, the world's largest Volksfest.
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