Munich's Complex History: Was It Austrian?

Munich is the capital of Bavaria, a state in the southeast of Germany. Bavaria was a sovereign, independent state when the US announced its independence from Great Britain in 1776. One of the largest German states, it was elevated from an electorate to a kingdom in 1806. In 1871, Bavaria joined the German Empire, which was a unification of several states. As such, Munich was never part of Austria.

Munich is the capital of Bavaria, a state in Germany

Munich was first mentioned in 1158 and became a major European centre of arts, architecture, culture and science in 1806, when Bavaria was established as the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1918, during the German Revolution, the ruling House of Wittelsbach, which had governed Bavaria since 1180, was forced to abdicate in Munich.

Today, Munich is a global centre of science, technology, finance, innovation, business and tourism. It has one of the strongest economies of any German city and the lowest unemployment rate of all German cities with more than one million inhabitants. Munich is also home to many multinational companies, including BMW, Siemens, Allianz SE and Munich Re.

Bavaria is the largest state in Germany, comprising the entire southeastern portion of the country. It is bounded to the north by the states of Thuringia and Saxony, to the east by the Czech Republic, to the south and southeast by Austria, and to the west by the states of Baden-Württemberg and Hessen. Munich is the capital of Bavaria, which has a population of about 12.8 million.

Bavaria is a country of high plateaus and medium-sized mountains. The northwest is drained by the Main River, which flows into the Rhine, and the southeast features stratified land formations, shell limestone and red marl, the hill country of the Franconian-Rednitz Basin, and the limestone mountains of the Franconian Jura along the Danube. On the eastern edge of Bavaria are the Bavarian and Bohemian forests, and in the north is the Franconian Forest. South of the Danube is a plateau upon which lies the capital, Munich, and beyond it are the Bavarian Alps.

Bavaria's industrial development was initially hampered by a lack of minerals and poor transportation. However, these disadvantages were overcome by the development of hydroelectric power and access to oil piped in from the Mediterranean ports of Marseille, Genoa and Trieste. Today, Munich is the largest industrial centre in Bavaria, and the city's economy is based on high tech, automobiles, and the service sector, as well as IT, biotechnology, engineering, and electronics.

Bavaria was a sovereign state in 1776

Yes, Bavaria was a sovereign state in 1776.

In the 6th century, Bavaria was formed as a stem duchy. The duchy was ruled by a series of Agilolfing dukes until 788 AD. In the 12th century, the duchy came under the rule of the Wittelsbach family, who would rule Bavaria until 1918.

In 1777, the Bavarian line of the Wittelsbachs became extinct, and the Electorate of Bavaria passed to Charles Theodore, the Elector Palatine. Charles Theodore ruled until his death in 1799. He was succeeded by Maximilian IV Joseph, who became the first King of Bavaria in 1806.

In 1806, Bavaria seceded from the Holy Roman Empire and joined the Confederation of the Rhine. In 1871, Bavaria became a federated state of the German Empire. It remained a kingdom until 1918, when it became a republic following the German Revolution.

Bavaria joined the German Empire in 1871

The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingdom became a federated state of the new empire and was second in size, power, and wealth only to the leading state, the Kingdom of Prussia.

The polity's foundation dates back to the ascension of Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach as King of Bavaria in 1806. The crown continued to be held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom came to an end in 1918. Most of the border of modern Germany's Free State of Bavaria were established after 1814 with the Treaty of Paris, in which the Kingdom of Bavaria ceded Tyrol and Vorarlberg to the Austrian Empire while receiving Aschaffenburg and Würzburg.

In 1871, Bavaria joined the German Empire, which was formed following the unification of Germany. This was controversial among Bavarian nationalists who wanted to retain independence from the rest of Germany, as had Austria. Bavarians resented being ruled by the mostly Protestant northerners in Prussia, as they had a heavily Catholic majority population. This led to the formation of political parties to encourage Bavaria to break away and regain its independence.

Bavaria was able to retain some special rights within the German Empire, such as control over its railways, postal services, and army in peacetime. It was also able to retain its own diplomatic body and its own army, which would fall under Prussian command only in times of war.

Bavaria's entry into the German Empire changed from jubilation over France's defeat to dismay shortly afterward because of the direction Germany took under the new German Chancellor and Prussian Prime Minister, Otto von Bismarck. The Bavarian delegation under Count Otto von Bray-Steinburg had secured a privileged status for the Kingdom of Bavaria within the German Empire. However, Bavaria's entry into the empire saw King Ludwig II become increasingly detached from Bavaria's political affairs, as he spent vast amounts of money on personal projects, such as the construction of a number of fairytale castles and palaces.

At last, in 1886, the crisis came to a head. A medical commission appointed by the cabinet declared Ludwig insane and thus incapable of reigning. His uncle, Prince Luitpold, was appointed as regent. A day after Ludwig's deposition, the king died mysteriously after asking the commission's chief psychiatrist to go on a walk with him along Lake Starnberg (then called Lake Würm). Ludwig and the psychiatrist were found dead, floating in the lake. The official autopsy listed the cause of death as suicide by drowning, but some sources claim that no water was found in Ludwig's lungs, leading to conspiracy theories of political assassination.

Bavaria was elevated to a kingdom in 1806

The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingdom became a federated state of the new empire and was second in size, power, and wealth only to the leading state, the Kingdom of Prussia.

Maximilian I Joseph's ascension to the throne was made possible by the Treaty of Pressburg, which was concluded on December 26, 1805, between French Emperor Napoleon and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II. The treaty elevated several principalities allied to Napoleon to kingdoms, with the prince-elector of Bavaria being one of the staunchest.

Maximilian I Joseph's successors resisted German nationalism, and Bavaria became the protector of smaller states whose leaders felt threatened by Prussia or Austria in the German Confederation. Religious ties and the Upper German language linked the state more to Austria until their defeat in the Austro-Prussian War.

In 1866, King Ludwig II signed an alliance with Prussia, effectively relinquishing Bavarian independence. With the treaty of November 23, 1870, Bavaria was integrated into the new German Empire, but permitted a relatively large degree of self-determination. The Kings of Bavaria maintained their titles, and the kingdom retained separate diplomatic and military corps. When the German Empire was abolished in November 1918 after the end of World War I, the last king of Bavaria, Ludwig III, was deposed.

Munich is Germany's third-largest city

Munich has a rich history, dating back to the 8th century when it was a tiny friar settlement known as 'zu den Munichen' or 'to the monks' in Old High German. The city was first mentioned in 1158, and in 1157, Henry the Lion, Duke of Bavaria, granted the monks the right to establish a market where the road from Salzburg met the River Isar. Munich was founded the following year, and its layout, with five city gates and a marketplace, resembled that of Höxter.

Munich has been an important centre of arts, architecture, culture, and science since it became the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1806. It is known for its breweries and beer gardens, and its annual Oktoberfest celebration attracts tourists from all over the world.

Today, Munich is a global hub for science, technology, finance, innovation, business, and tourism. It is home to several multinational companies, including BMW, Siemens, Allianz, and Munich Re. The city boasts a very high standard of living and was ranked as the world's most liveable city by Monocle's Quality of Life Survey in 2018.

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