History of Munich

The history of Munich is quite interesting and dates back to 1158 which is assumed to be the founding date of the city. Munich received city status in 1175 and was fortified. The city was ruled by the Wittlesbach dynasty from 1180 till 1918. In 1255 when the Duchy of Bavaria was split into two Munich became the ducal residence of Upper Bavaria. In 1506 Munich again became the capital of United Bavaria. The 16th century saw Munich as the center of German counter reformation and renaissance arts. In the 17th century Munich became an important center of Baroque life.

During the World War 1, the city faced the wrath of the allied forces. After the war was over the city was in the midst of a political unrest. It would be interesting to know that the base of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party was in Munich before it spread to other parts of the country. In World War 2, the city was again at the center of Allied bombing raids and was completely rebuilt after the American occupation of 1945.

In 1972 Munich hosted the summer Olympics. In what would always be known as the Munich massacre in Olympic history, members of the Israeli squad were gunned down by Palestinian terrorists.

Today Munich is one of the leading cities in the “high category of life” index. According to a Mercer HR consulting survey it ranks 8th among all cities in the world. It is also the most expensive city to live in Germany.