MUNICH (Munchen), capital of Bavaria, and the fourth largest town in the German Reich, stands on the river Isar, 25 m. N. of the foot-hills of the Alps, about midway between Strasbourg and Vienna. Pop. (1935) 735,388. Owing to its lofty site (1, loo ft.), the climate is changeable, and its temperature ranges from a January average of 27° F to a July average of 63° F. The annual rainfall is 35 in. Munich is the centre of an important network of railways connecting it directly with Stras bourg (for Paris), Cologne, Leipzig, Berlin, Rosenheim (for Vienna) and Innsbruck (for Italy via the Brenner pass).
The Villa Munichen or Forum ad monachos, so called from the monkish owners of the ground, was the site of a mint in 1158 and an emporium for salt coming from Hallein and Reichenhall. In 1255 Duke Louis made it his capital, having previously sur rounded it with walls and a moat. The town was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1327. In 1632 Munich was occupied by Gustavus Adolphus. and in 17o5, and again in 1742, it was in possession of the Austrians.
The old town forms a semicircle with its diameter towards the left bank of the river, while round its periphery has sprung up the greater part of modern Munich. The walls with which Munich was surrounded were pulled down in 1791, but some of the gates have been left. The most interesting is the Isartor and the Karlstor, restored in 1835 and adorned with frescoes.
The chief buildings were built in the 19th century and most of them have been erected after celebrated prototypes of other countries and eras. The architectural style which has been prin cipally followed in the later public buildings is the Italian and French Rococo, or Renaissance, adapted to the traditions of Munich architecture in the t7th and t8th centuries. A large pro portion of the most notable buildings in Munich are in two streets, the Ludwigstrasse and the Maximilianstrasse. At one end the former is terminated by the Siegestor, while at the other is the Feldherrenhalle (or hall of the marshals), a copy of the Loggia dei Lanzi at Florence. Adjacent is the church of the Thea tines, containing the royal burial vault. The Maximilianstrasse extends from Haidhausen on the right bank of the Isar to the Max-Joseph Platz. At the east end it is closed by the Maxi milianeum, adorned externally with large sculptural groups and internally with huge paintings representing scenes of world-his tory. Towards the west are the old buildings of the Bavarian national museum, the government buildings and the mint. On the north side of the Max-Joseph Platz lies the former royal palace. The Allerheiligen-Hofkirche, or court-church, is in the Byzantine style, with a Romanesque facade.
On the Frauenplatz in the centre of the old town stands the Frauenkirche, the cathedral church of the archbishop of Munich Freising. It is imposing from its size, and interesting as one of the few examples of indigenous Munich art. On the adjacent Marienplatz are the 14th century town hall (restored in 1865), and the new town hall, a modern Gothic erection.
Among the other churches are St. Boniface, a copy of an early Christian basilica; the parish church of Au, in the Early Gothic style; and the church of St. John in Haidhausen, another fine Gothic structure. St. Michael's in the Renaissance style, erected for the Jesuits in 1583-95, contains the monument of Eugene Beauharnais by Thorwaldsen. St. Peter's is interesting as the oldest church in Munich (12th century).
The old Pinakothek, erected in 1826-36, contains a valuable collection of pictures by the earlier masters, the chief treasures being the early German and Flemish works and the unusually numerous examples of Rubens. Opposite stands the new Pina kothek, built 1846-53, devoted to works by painters of the last century. The Glyptothek, a building in the Ionic style, contains a valuable series of sculptures, extending from Assyrian and Egyp tian monuments down to works by Thorwaldsen and other mod ern masters. The celebrated Aeginetan marbles are preserved here. The Schack Gallery is rich in works by modern German masters, and the Lotzbeck collection contains sculptures and paintings. Munich is associated with a school of German artists among whom may be mentioned von Klenze (1784-1864), the architect ; Cornelius (1783-1867) and von Kaulbach the painters; and Schwanthaler, the sculptor.
The Bavarian national museum contains an ethnographical mu seum, and collections of fossils, minerals, physical and optical instruments and coins. The art union is the oldest and most ex tensive in Germany, while the observatory is equipped with instruments by Josef Fraunhofer.
The university, founded at Ingolstadt in 1472 and removed to Landshut in i800, was transferred thence to Munich in 1826. On the Theresienwiese is situated the Ruhmeshalle or hall of fame, a Doric colonnade containing busts of eminent Bavarians.
Munich is the seat of the archbishop of Munich-Freising as well as of the general Protestant consistory for Bavaria. The town has long been celebrated for its artistic handicrafts, such as bronze-founding, glass-staining, silversmith's work, and wood carving, while the astronomical instruments of Fraunhofer and the mathematical instruments of Traugott Lieberecht von Ertel (1778-1858) are also widely known. Lithography, invented at Munich at the end of the 18th century, is extensively practised. Other industrial products include wall-paper, railway plant, ma chinery, gloves, rubber, margarine, chemicals, various motors, pianos and artificial flowers.
der Stadt Munchen (Munich, 1903) ; the Jahrbuch ffir Miinchener Geschichte edited by Reinhardstottner and Trautmann (Munich, 1887 94) ; Aufleger and Trautmann, Alt Munchen in Bild and Wort (Munich, 1895) ; Rohmeder, Munchen als Handelsstadt (Munich, 1905) ; H. Tinsch, Das Stadtrecht von Miinchen (Bamberg, 1891) ; F. Pecht, Geschichte der miinchener Kunst im 19 Jahrhundert (Munich, 1888) ; and Trautwein, FUhrer durch Miinchen (loth ed., 1906). There is an English book on Munich by H. R. Wadleigh (1910).