Munich Travel Guide - History

In the 12th century, the status of this settlement was elevated to that of a city by Henry the Lion and fortifications were added for its protection. Henry the Lion was succeeded in 1180, by Otto of Wittelsbach, who was conferred with the title of Duke of Bavaria. By the mid-13th century the dukedom was divided in two, with Munich established as the seat of Upper Bavaria. The Wittelsbach dynasty continued ruling Bavaria until 1918.

In 1327, the city was completely destroyed by fire. It was subsequently rebuilt by Louis IV, the ruling Holy Roman Emperor at the time. Around two hundred years later, the city came under the control of Sweden, as a result of the Thirty Years’ War and not recaptured by the Habsburgs until 1705. The mid-18th century witnessed the founding of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, Munich’s first academic institution: by this time, the city had grown into one of the continent’s largest.

Not long after the end of WWI, Munich experienced a period of social unrest, which ushered in National Socialism and with it, Adolf Hitler. In 1923, the leaders of this movement, with Hitler at the forefront, attempted to overthrow the government. The attempt, known as the ‘Beer Hall Putsch,’ failed; leading to Hitler’s arrest and a major setback for the Nazi party, which at that time was largely unknown outside Bavaria.

By 1933 however, the Nazi party had gained sufficient following to take leadership of Germany, with Munich becoming a Nazi stronghold. The city was considered so important to the Nazis they dubbed it the Capital of the Movement (Hauptstadt der Bewegung), locating the party headquarters here. Many of the so-called Fuhrer buildings (Fuhrerbauten) still stand around the Konigsplatz today.