Munich backstory

The city unwrapped - stories on Munich Backstory

As far as European cities go, Munich still has a slingshot hanging out of his short pants.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Performers at Munich's 850th birthday celebrations. Nagy / Presseamt München

It’s young. In 2008 locals celebrated the city’s 850th birthday. “That’s not young” you say?

Consider that London and Paris go back 2,000 years, and cities like Rome and Athens were founded much, much earlier.

Munich's Glockenspiel - What's all that about? On any given day thousands of people will stop to watch the figurines dance above Munich’s central square, Marienplatz. It’s part of the Munich Glockenspiel, one of the world’s most bombastic cuckoo clocks. So what’s the big deal? Here’s the story behind the figurines - the wedding of a century, the jousting on Marienplatz and the dance that celebrated the plague’s demise. (Read the backstory of the Munich Glockenspiel)

Surfing Munich We're hundreds of kilometres away from the nearest ocean but that doesn't stop the surfers - Munich's dedicated wave riders have found a couple of spots to cut the breakers on standing waves in the heart of the city. Find out how here. (Read Surfing Munich).

Just where exactly is Bavaria? Wondering about the geography of Germany's prettiest province? Here are 8 fast facts about the famous region of which Munich is the capital, plus a few other surprising tidbits. (Read Where is Bavaria?)

52 ways to act like a local - Fit right in What do “real” Munich people do? This story lists 52 purely Munich experiences. From getting nude in a park to setting up a maypole and jogging in a graveyard, here are some ideas if you want to feel like you’re really a part of the city. (Read 52 ways)

Communist Munich - reign of chaos Did you know Munich was the capital of the world’s second soviet republic? In the dying days of World War One socialist Kurt Eisner led a revolution that ended the monarchy. It caused one of the bloodiest episodes in Munich’s history. Find out what this memorial has to do with it. (Read the story about communist Munich)

The "Munich beauty" - Who was she? The most famous face in Munich’s Schönheitengalerie (Gallery of Beauties) belongs to the young Helene Sedlmayr. A lower-class girl, she caught the eye of king and was immortalised forever. Get the story behind the face and the stereotype it created. (Go to the story about Helene Sedlmayr)

Munich Loves You - the city in slogans Munich has survived more identity swaps in the last 850 years than I change beer mugs in a session at the Hofbräuhaus. This story traces the story of the city by looking at the many names it's had. (Go to Munich Loves You)

Oktoberfest history - how the party started This year marks 200 years since the Oktoberfest first had Munich jumping. Yes, 2010 is the anniversary of the event, but only the 177th festival due to the occasional cancellation. What better time to take a look back and see how it all began? (Go to OKtoberfest history)