City of Munich

Every midday, at the traditional Viktualienmarkt or Victuals Market in the city center, Munich shows its true face: blue skies, a gentle breeze and a bit of old-fashioned hustle and bustle. Despite its one million inhabitants, the city looks almost like a village sometimes. Things are rather laidback here. There's no hectic rush and the residents' motto is "live and let live."

Bigger than Central Park

Along with Berlin and Hamburg, Munich is one of Germany's largest cities. It's famous around the world for its annual Oktoberfest. However, the city has more to offer than just tourist-filled beer-drinking pavilions. It has, for example, more museums than any other city in Germany. It also features Europe's largest city park, the English Garden, which even exceeds New York's Central Park in size.

Most successful city

Munich's history goes back to ancient Roman times. Today, the city is an important economic center and home to many companies from the media, hi-tech and automobile industries. A study by the German business magazine "Wirtschaftswoche" has concluded that Munich is Germany's most economically successful city. In addition, renowned economics institutes such as the Max Planck Society and the Fraunhofer Society have their base in Munich.

Maybe a beer after all?

In recent years, there were around 100,000 students in Munich, many of them foreigners. The city has more than a dozen universities and colleges, which means a huge range of study options. The three largest universities are Ludwig Maximilian University, the Technical University and the University of Applied Sciences. Whoever has had too much of all this studying, though, can make a quick escape to the nearby Alps to relax - or perhaps visit the touristy Hofbraeuhaus after all? Because the fact of the matter is: Bavaria is not Bavaria without beer.

Author: Marcus Boesch