Munich (München in Englisch): Unterschied zwischen den Versionen

==History==

===Origin as medieval town===

The year [[1158]] is assumed to be the foundation date, which is only the earliest date the city is mentioned in a document. The document was signed in [[Augsburg]]. By that time the Guelph Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, had built a bridge over the river Isar next to a settlement of Benedictine monks—this was on the Old Salt Route and a toll bridge.

In [[1175]], Munich was officially granted city status and received fortification. In 1180, with the trial of Henry the Lion, Otto I Wittelsbach became Duke of Bavaria and Munich was handed over to the Bishop of [[Freising]]. (Wittelsbach's heirs, the [[Wittelsbacher|Wittelsbach dynasty]], would rule Bavaria until 1918.) In [[1240]], Munich was transferred to Otto II Wittelsbach and in 1255, when the [[Herzogtum Bayern|Duchy of Bavaria]] was split in two parts, Munich became the ducal residence of [[Oberbayern|Upper Bavaria]].

Duke Louis IV was elected German king in 1314 and crowned as Holy Roman Emperor in [[1328]]. He strengthened the city's position by granting it the salt monopoly, thus assuring it of additional income. In the late 15th century Munich underwent a revival of [[Gotik|gothic art]]s—the Old Town Hall was enlarged, and Munich's largest gothic church, now a cathedral—the [[Frauenkirche]]—constructed in only twenty years, starting in 1468.

When Bavaria was reunited in [[1506]], Munich became its capital. The arts and politics became increasingly influenced by the court (see [[Orlando di Lasso]], Heinrich Schuetz and later [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] and [[Richard Wagner (Komponist)|Richard Wagner]]). During the 16th century Munich was a centre of the German counter reformation, and also of [[renaissance]] arts. Duke [[Wilhelm V.]] commissioned the Jesuit [[St. Michael|Michaelskirche]], which became a centre for the counter-reformation, and also built the [[Hofbräuhaus]] for brewing brown beer in 1589.

 

 

In [[1623]] during the Thirty Years' War Munich became electoral residence when [[Maximilian I.|Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria]] was invested with the electoral dignity, but in 1632 the city was occupied by Gustav II Adolph of Sweden. When the bubonic plague broke out in 1634 and 1635 about one third of the population died. Under the regency of the Bavarian electors Munich was an important centre of baroque life but also had to suffer under Habsburg occupations in 1704 and 1742.

 

 

 

After World War I, the city was at the centre of much political unrest. In November 1918 on the eve of revolution, [[Ludwig III.|Ludwig III]] and his family fled the city. After the murder of the first republican [[Ministerpräsident|premier of Bavaria]] [[Kurt Eisner]] in February 1919 by Anton Graf von Arco auf Valley, the [[Räterepublik|Bavarian Soviet Republic]] was proclaimed. When Communists had taken power, Lenin, who had lived in Munich some years before, sent a congratulatory telegram, but the Soviet Republic was put down on 3 May [[1919]] by the Freikorps. While the republican government had been restored, Munich subsequently became a hotbed of extremist politics, among which [[Adolf Hitler]] and the [[Nationalsozialismus|National Socialism]] rose to prominence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most Munich residents enjoy a high quality of life. Mercer HR Consulting consistently rates the city among the top 10 cities with the highest quality of life worldwide—a 2011 survey ranked Munich as 4th.<ref>[http://www.mercer.com/qualityoflivingpr#city-rankings] Mercer Human Resource Consulting</ref> The same company also ranks Munich as the world's 39th most expensive city to live in and the most expensive major city in Germany.<ref>[http://www.mercerhr.com/costofliving 2007 Cost of Living Report Munich] Mercer Human Resource Consulting</ref> Munich enjoys a thriving economy, driven by the information technology, biotechnology, and publishing sectors. Environmental pollution is low, although as of 2006 the city council is concerned about levels of particulate matter (PM), especially along the city's major thoroughfares. Since the enactment of EU legislation concerning the concentration of particulate in the air, environmental groups such as Greenpeace have staged large protest rallies to urge the city council and the State government to take a harder stance on pollution.

 

Today, the crime rate is low compared to other large German cities, such as Hamburg or Berlin. This high quality of life and safety has caused the city to be nicknamed "Toytown" among the English-speaking residents. German inhabitants call it "Millionendorf", an expression which means "village of a million people".