Pending Berlin's full recovery from its long period of division,
MUNICH
is the German city which most has the air of a capital about it. Even though it has never ruled over a territory any larger than the present-day Land, the grandiose palaces from Bavaria's era as an independent kingdom give it the appearance of a metropolis of great importance. When this is added to a remarkable postwar economic record (courtesy of such hi-tech giants as the car manufacturer BMW, the aerospace company MBB and the electronics group Siemens), and to its hard-won status as the national trendsetter in fashion matters, it's easy to see why Munich acts as a magnet to outsiders. Students flock here to study; the rich and jet-set like to live here, as do writers, painters, musicians and film-makers, while foreign nationals now make up more than a fifth of the population. Munich's other, more familiar face is of a homely city of provincially minded locals whose zest for drinking, seen at an extreme during the annual
Oktoberfest
, is kept up all year round in cavernous beer halls and spacious gardens.
Arrival And Information :
Munich's spankingly modern
airport
, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Flughafen, lies some 30km north of the city centre, to which it's linked by one of the two branches of S-Bahn #1, by S-Bahn #8 and by buses operated by the Lufthansa airline. More Munich information...