Munich History of Munich Museum
A guide to the History of Munich! Visit Get-Packing.com for Munich History and read up-to-date information, reviews and articles on Munich art and museums...
Munich had been settled since Roman times, but it was the establishment of a Benedictine monastery on the site of the city, and the subsequent influx of people in the 8th century that gave rise to "monks town".
The dukedom of Bavaria was granted to the Wittelsbach family in 1240, and the family continued to rule the city right through until the early 20th century, eventually becoming Kings when Napoleon rejigged Europe after 1714.
Throughout the reformation in the rest of Europe, Munich remained a catholic city, and during the period, large renaissance buildings such as the Bavarian State Library were constructed as two fingers to the Protestants.
The early 19th century saw the city develop into a regional powerhouse, becoming industrialised and connected by railway to the rest of the country. A succession of good rulers built the city into a major cultural centre, wealthy from industry, and then one bad one, lunatic megalomaniac loner Ludwig "The mad" II spent his time building ludicrous castles and nearly bankrupting the country by the time it was absorbed into Germany in 1871 after the Franco Prussian War.
Following the 1st world war, when the city's population were nearly starving, and the infrastructure was falling apart due to hyper inflation and poverty, then along came megalomaniac vegetarian psychopath Adolf Hitler along with his appalling National Socialist party at the Hofbrauhaus beer hall in 1920, and began the Nazi movement in earnest.
The city was bombed almost to rubble during the war, and fell under US control from 30th April 1945.
Rapid reindustrialisation began in earnest after the war, with BMW, and Siemens amongst the leaders, and the massive renewal and rebuilding programmes saw the city rise from its ashes to host the 1972 Olympic games. These days, most Germans would prefer to live in Munich than anywhere else, and many visitors will agree that this beautiful city with plenty to offer would not be a bad choice.
|
