Bavaria in German Land of Bavaria. Visa and entry rules to Germany

Bavaria is a land of lakes, mountains and rivers. For seven centuries it was a free state, and today it is an integral part of Germany. Medieval status is reserved for Bavaria, but for the last hundred years it has not given it any privileges.

About the first inhabitants of Bavaria

Today on its territory there are large industrial cities, and once lived hunters and shepherds. The costumes of the Bavarian highlanders can be seen during folk festivals in Germany. The land of Bavaria is fraught with many beautiful and terrible legends about the inhabitants of local caves, about the bewitched Friedrich Barbarossa, who for several centuries sat in a dark grotto, on a throne made of real ivory. In the XII-XV centuries, the Bavarians were naive, superstitious people, however, like all medieval people.

Picturesque land of mountains and reservoirs

Bavaria occupies a vast territory, the Franconian forests are spread on it, Alpine mountains, Fichtelsbirge. There are many lakes and rivers here, among them is the Danube, sung by German and Russian poets. There are more than one and a half thousand reservoirs in total. Bavaria borders on the lands of Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia, Hesse, as well as on Austria and the Czech Republic.

Middle Ages

The first inhabitants of the lands that today are occupied were the Celts. There were also Etruscans among them. For some time the territory belonged to the Italian royal dynasty. real story Bavaria begins with the reign of the Duke of Wittelbach, a representative of the dynasty, which is described in more detail below.

new time

After the Austro-Prussian war, in which Bavaria got involved, part of its lands, according to a previously concluded agreement, passed to the Germans. In addition, the kingdom, and this territory then had such a status, turned out to be in political isolation. The situation changed for the better after the Franco-Prussian War, in which Bavaria also took part. King Ludwig made an agreement with the German monarch Wilhelm.

In 1871, a new German state appeared on the map of Europe, which included Bavaria. Half a century later, the man who in 1939 will unleash the Second world war, tried to organize an uprising in Munich, which went down in history under the term "Beer Putsch". In the 40s, the largest Bavarian cities suffered from bombing.

Population

In Bavaria, in addition to the Bavarians, there are Franconians and Swabians. Here you can hear the speech, which is significantly different from the literary German language. it is sometimes difficult to understand a person who speaks the Swabian dialect.

According to 2015 data, more than 12 million people live in Bavaria. After the Second World War, refugees who lived in the former German territories were added to the indigenous population. Several thousand Sudeten Germans arrived here from the border regions of the Czech Republic in the 50s.

Cities

Speaking about the history of the federal state of Bavaria, one cannot remain silent about such cities as Nuremberg and Munich. They began their development in the Middle Ages, at one time recovering from the horrors of the Thirty Years' War. The events that took place in Nuremberg and Munich during the Second World War also have much in common. But before citing some facts from history, it is worth mentioning other Bavarian cities with a population of more than 50 thousand people. Among them: Augsburg, Inoglstadt, Regensburg, Würzburg, Erlangen, Furth, Bamberg, Landshut.

Munich

This city is the capital of this federal state Germany. Bavaria occupies 70 thousand km 2. Munich - 300 km2. About three million tourists come to the Bavarian capital every year, and many of them would like to stay here forever. This city, the largest in the federal state of Bavaria, is home to over a million inhabitants. They say that it is very difficult not to envy them. What is so attractive about this burgher town?

Munich is the cultural center of the federal state of Bavaria. It is surrounded by the Starnberger and Ammersee lakes. This is a very friendly, hospitable city, rich in architectural monuments, attracting tourists from all over the world. The capital of the state, Bavaria, is able to interest everyone. Munich is called "the kingdom of beer and baroque", "the metropolis with a tender heart". There are many more epithets that are used when talking about this ancient city.

It is known that at the beginning of the XII century, monks lived on the territory of Munich. Hence the name of the city. Then, in the distant medieval times, it was called Munich, which in translation from the old German language means "located next to the monastery." The official date of foundation is 1158. It was then that the monastic fortress turned into a city. Among the sights of Munich are a church and an obelisk built on the site of the dwelling of the Wittelsbachs - representatives of an aristocratic dynasty, thanks to which the city once acquired importance in the European expanses.

Bavaria is a land owned by the Wittelsbachs for seven centuries. Only in 1918 did it become part of Germany (then the Weimar Republic). The Isar Gate, located in the east of Munich, reminds of the deeds of one of the bearers of this legendary family. The inscriptions on the towers of this medieval building tell about the life of Ludwig of Bavaria. Not far from the gate is the Valentine Museum, which operates on a rather strange schedule: opens at 11:01, closes at 17:29.

The Old Court is one of the main attractions of Munich. The castle on its territory was built in 1255, and the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire lived there from time to time. The restored Old Court is now inhabited by local financiers, who, however, only have rooms at their disposal. The courtyard itself has long been recognized as a monument ancient architecture and accessible to tourists.

In the autumn of 1810, the people of Munich had the opportunity to take part in a magnificent celebration arranged on the occasion of the wedding of Ludwig with Princess Theresa. This event was held on Theresienwiese (the name arose later), and it was it that served as the basis for the famous Oktoberfest, which is held annually in the capital of Bavaria.

Adolf Hitler began his political career in Munich. Today in this city nothing reminds of the greatest criminal of the 20th century. True, something still remains from the Nazi era. For example, the house where the body of the Fuhrer's niece, Geli Raubal, was found. It is a beautiful four-storey building with an attic and balconies. The Bürgerbräukeller, where Hitler hatched a plan to organize the Beer Putsch, lasted until 1979.

Nuremberg

The history of the city begins with the appearance in the Frankish kingdom of a village called Norimberg. Already in the Middle Ages, it became one of the largest German settlements. There was a brisk trade of the southern countries with the northern, eastern with western. However, Nuremberg not only traded, but also produced. It was here that the pocket watch, clarinet, lathe, thimble were invented. In Nuremberg, a globe was made, on which there was no America yet.

In the architecture of the city there are works of both Gothic and Renaissance. The historical buildings of Nuremberg include the Border Outpost, the Golden Bull House, the Petraeus House, the Jury Courthouse.

For foreigners, this is a storehouse of folklore, bewitching landscapes, heavy cuisine, mountain lakes and the annual beer Oktoberfest in Munich. For residents of other regions of Germany, this is an object of ridicule, sometimes quite caustic, behind which is poorly concealed envy. Bavaria is the largest, richest and most conservative federal state of Germany. And the most popular among tourists

text: Vladimir Esipov

Wassily Kandinsky, admittedly, had excellent taste. More precisely, he was with his common-law wife Gabriela Münter, who was born in Berlin and moved to Munich at the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1909 she bought Vacation home in the town of Murnau, which is 70 kilometers from the capital of Bavaria. If today you climb the creaky stairs to the second floor and look out the window of this house-museum, it will immediately become clear why it has been a meeting place for Munich artists for several years in a row. Local landscapes are conducive to creativity. The south of Bavaria strikes an unprepared observer - the idyll seems unnatural. Unnaturally green grass in mountain meadows, unnaturally smooth car roads, unnaturally friendly people. The first days in Bavaria feel like in a honey jar. But then you get used to it - and you begin to understand the artists who spent the summer season in the city of Murnau.

Although it is difficult to call it a city: the train station, from where an electric train runs to Munich every two hours, a couple of restaurants, footpaths leading from the station to the Staffelsee lake, swans and ducks, December drizzle. And silence.

Right here a hundred years ago the Munich artistic bohemians spent their summers. The inconspicuous house of Gabriela Munter before the start of the First World War became a meeting place for Munich artists - and glorified Murnau throughout the world as a center of avant-garde.

The house-museum is open only three hours a day, in the afternoon. The atmosphere of those years has been restored to the maximum. A wooden staircase leads upstairs - Kandinsky himself painted it with fancy colors. On the bed in his bedroom are a tailcoat and a top hat - as if he had just left. Outside the window - a church, tiled roofs, trees in the rays of the sunset sun.

Gabriela Münter's romance with the Russian artist did not last long. The First World War broke off their creative and personal union. Kandinsky returned to Moscow, Münter married a German art historian - with him she spent the rest of her life in the same place, by the Staffelsee lake. She saved a collection of paintings by Kandinsky from the Nazis and after the war gave the Munich City Gallery in the Lenbach house - glorifying her to the whole world. "Lenbachhaus" - the largest collection of paintings by the most revered Russian artist in Germany - literally a ten minute walk from central station in Munich. And this is a great reason to retreat from all excursion clichés.

Certainly, in Germany there are others, no less scenic regions, historic buildings and art collections. What are the Cologne Cathedral, the Dresden Zwinger, the Berlin Reichstag or the Moselle river valley with its wineries. But in terms of the concentration of all kinds of palaces, castles and monasteries, the former kingdom of Bavaria occupies the undisputed first place in the country. In the very country whose inhabitants claim that in Bavaria “and the clock runs differently”, that this region is “blacker than night” in terms of politics and outlook on life - the deepest conservatism of the Bavarian Catholics is striking against the backdrop of liberal Cologne, anarchist Berlin and open to the world, slightly snobbish Hamburg.

Bavaria in general and Munich in particular look like a stronghold of traditional values ​​and the highest quality of life. This, of course, is no accident. Bavaria is the undisputed leader of Germany in terms of economy. It has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country (3.8 percent) - lower only in neighboring Baden-Württemberg. And in Berlin - more than 10.7 percent. Almost one-fifth of Germany's GDP is produced in Bavaria. In terms of economy (but by no means in terms of outlook on life), Bavaria is such a German California. Rich, beautiful, self-sufficient.

And also very self-satisfied. It is enough just to see the smile of the Prime Minister of Bavaria Horst Seehofer and hear his signature chuckle, which the hosts of German satirical TV programs love to make fun of so much, to understand:
All is well in Bavaria. There is no economic crises, there are no problems with issuing loans, no one accepts gigantic programs to support small and medium-sized businesses. Everything has long been adjusted, rechecked, worked out and - this word is loved in Germany - “functions”.

For example, the second largest airport in Germany, one of the two base transfer hubs of the national airline, “functions” perfectly. In the early 1990s, the transfer of the entire airport infrastructure from the old site to the new one was carried out overnight. This experience is so unique that Munich air experts have since been invited to launch airports around the world. But in Berlin, the capital of all Germany, five years have passed since the date on which the opening of the new airport was scheduled, and the management company still cannot say when it will be ready.

Photo: Reinhard Schmid/SIME/Vostock-photo

Without false modesty, Bavaria considers itself "the champion of Germany in the economy." Its prime minister promises that in 20 years the region's budget will be the first in the country to completely get rid of public debt. Income is so much greater than expenses that it can be used to pay off debts. Statistics show that the growth rate of economic indicators in Bavaria is higher than anywhere else in Germany. From 2010 to 2015, its GDP increased by 22 percent, while the share of Bavaria in Germany's GDP was 18.4 percent.

According to the government of Bavaria, in many of its regions full employment: there are no unemployed as such.

The list of world-famous companies headquartered in Bavaria reads like a hit parade of German industrial giants. BMW, Audi, MAN, Siemens. Here, in the city of Herzogenaurach with a population of just over 20,000 people, in the summer of 1949, a certain Adolf Dassler founded a company whose name he combined from the first letters of his first and last name: Adidas. Now the global concern is managed from a tiny Bavarian town. This, however, is typical for Germany - big companies in small towns. In a decentralized country, everyone is equal before the law, departments and courts work equally effectively regardless of geography. And the success of an entrepreneurial initiative is not associated with proximity to the capital's politicians and financial flows. The law is the same for everyone - and the chances are equal for everyone.

So it's no surprise that the most successful - and richest - football club Germany is also from here. Yes, from time to time Bayern Munich compete in the German championship with upstarts from other cities: last year from Leipzig, the year before last from Dortmund. But her leadership both in the Bundesliga and in the European arena is undeniable.

And all this success prosperity and popularity in a region that some hundred years ago was considered agrarian and relatively backward. Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was a constitutional monarchy. In comparison with other areas of the German Empire, industrialization was slower here, and the population grew more slowly. Historians talk about the belated industrialization of Bavaria and see several reasons for this.

Firstly, the relative scarcity of mineral deposits - and they were necessary at the beginning of the twentieth century to build industry. Secondly, geography: the waterways in the Bavarian kingdom are connected not with the Rhine, the main water artery of the empire, but with the Danube, which unites the southeastern part of Europe. Thirdly, at the beginning of the last century, the inhabitants of Bavaria were busy
mainly in agriculture and handicrafts, infrastructure was weak, cheap labor was scarce.

Everything changed after World War II. Bavaria found itself in the American occupation zone. A year later, elections were held - in the local constitutional assembly, the Catholic conservatives from the Christian Social Union received an absolute majority. The draft of the new Bavarian constitution developed by them was approved by the Americans, they only crossed out the article according to which Bavaria reserved the right to refuse to join the future German state. Thus, the path to the independence of Bavaria was closed once and for all.

The Bavarian economic miracle is a leap from an agrarian past into an industrial and high-tech present. In the mid-1950s, when the German economy began to gradually recover from the consequences of World War II, many large German companies chose Bavaria as their headquarters. Political tensions also helped: Bavaria bordered the GDR and Czechoslovakia. The border separated not just countries, but NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Accordingly, the military bases of the newly created Bundeswehr were located on the eastern and northern borders of the region, and this stimulated the development of infrastructure and the local economy.

The increase in the population of Bavaria was also caused by the fact that ethnic Germans who fled after the war from the countries of Eastern Europe found a new home and took root here: residents of the Sudetenland, other parts of the Czech Republic and Moravia. Their total number is estimated at two million, and their contribution to the economic development of the region is invaluable.

Photo: gettyimages.ru

So the citizens Bavaria is in the habit of helping refugees. In this context, it is understandable why, despite Catholic conservatism, in the summer of 2015, the inhabitants of Munich enthusiastically met trains full of hundreds, if not thousands of residents at the central city station. Arab countries who fled to Europe along the so-called "Balkan route". It is not the first time for them to integrate newcomers into their lives.

Customs in Bavaria are, by the way, very original. Moreover, a special Bavarian national identity is built around the observance of these customs. She is not always understood, she is laughed at in other regions of Germany. Because Bavarian customs are special too.

What is the mere local habit of appearing in public places in national costume. The woman wears an Alpine peasant dress, the man wears knee-length suede trousers with suspenders. Moreover, wearing traditional clothes is considered a sign not only of patriotism, but also of good taste.

The apotheosis of this pride in clothing is the traditional October beer festival, which only from the outside seems like a "Disneyland for tourists." In fact, every self-respecting Bavarian at least once goes with friends to a beer pavilion. Moreover, large companies book tables in these pavilions in advance in order to arrange business meetings with business partners there. There is not much sense from meetings at this time: there is such a hubbub in the halls that it is almost impossible to talk.

But drinking alcohol together brings you closer, and being invited to Oktoberfest is a special honor.
And to come to the beer festival in suede pants or an Alpine dress is considered good form.

Your traditions the Bavarians defend jealously. Belief in the power of tradition sometimes ends in big scandals. In 1995, for example, the German constitutional court made a very high-profile decision: it declared the presence of Catholic crosses on the walls in the classrooms of Bavarian schools contrary to the German constitution (basic law, as it is called in Germany). Because, according to the court, the state is obliged to maintain ideological neutrality. That is, it cannot take the side of any worldview or religion. The cross is a symbol of a particular religion, its presence in the classroom is contrary to the laws of a secular state, which guarantees every citizen protection from religious influence in the room in which he is forced to be due to his duties (in this case, due to universal compulsory school education).

The decision of the court caused a storm of indignation in Bavaria. Tens of thousands of people came out to protest in Munich, led by the then Prime Minister of Bavaria. Since then, many years have passed, and the crosses hung in the classrooms, and hang. Because in response to the decision of the German constitutional court, the authorities of Bavaria passed a new law, according to which the cross is declared a symbol of the "cultural and historical traditions of Bavaria" and therefore cannot be considered a symbol of a particular religion. Which, in general, is logical: it is not easy to separate the history of Bavaria from the history of Catholicism.

Or maybe you shouldn't try to do it at all? Maybe the deepest Catholic conservatism is the reason for the Bavarian success?

Photo: gettyimages.ru

In this article you will learn:

Bavaria is located in the southeastern part of Germany and is considered one of the largest states in the country. Its capital is Munich. The main population is represented by Germans, Bavarians, Swabians and Franconians. Most of the inhabitants are Catholics. Bavaria is a separate land, and the Bavarians themselves consider themselves residents of a free state

History of occurrence

Even before the advent of our era, the territory on which modern Bavaria is located was inhabited by the Celts. After the Roman legions left it in the fifth century, it began to fill with the inhabitants of Bohemia (Bouerland) and other peoples. Over time, they began to be called Bavarians, and the land on which they lived was Bavaria. For a long time, the Holy Roman Empire did not allow the Bavarian dukes to rule it on their own. The first emperor to receive the crown was Ludwig IV of Bavaria in 1314. Since then, Bavaria has experienced many wars, transformations, changes of power, but we must pay tribute to the fact that most of its cities have retained their original appearance and most of the architectural and historical monuments.

Landscape

The landscape of Bavaria is quite diverse and rich. It is represented by a part of Kalkalpen and the Alpine foothills, which includes many magnificent lakes, Schottische ebene with its hills and the German midlands.

Flows through Bavaria a large number of rivers that connect with the Danube, which is one of the largest in Europe. Of the more significant, it should be noted the Main, which flows in the northwestern part of the earth, the Saale, which originates on the slopes of the Franconian Forest, and the Rhine, which unites the Rhine-Main-Danube canal with the Danube.

Bavaria is called the country of lakes. IN Alpine foothills there are more than one and a half thousand of them. The most famous of them are Walchensee (about 200 meters deep), Starnberg, Chiemsee, Amersee, Tegernsee.

In the southern part of the Alps and the Franconian Alba one can find karst caves and mines. The Salzgrabenhöhle is one of the largest caves, and the Geburtstagschacht is the deepest mine.

Cities

Many of the settlements in Bavaria were founded by the ancient Romans. To date, the most famous and visited are the following cities.

Munich

The first information about Munich dates back to 1158. On his central square Marienplatz, where the new town hall building is located, is very popular among numerous tourists. The premises of the old town hall, which is now occupied by the toy museum, are also located here. Not far from the square is the Church of St. Peter, erected in the eleventh century. In the Munich City Museum you can see his rich history and culture. In general, the city has many museums and galleries of the most diverse orientation (Cinema Museum, Puppet Museum and others).

Nuremberg

Nuremberg is the second largest and most important city in Bavaria. At the same time, it is very beautiful and picturesque. It is known for its Gothic cathedrals, which are decorated with magnificent openwork carvings and stained-glass windows, bridges on the Pegnitz River, the Kaiserburg fortress, squares, parks and unique fountains. The guests of the city pay special attention to the powerful walls surrounding the city, towers and moats, which were built in the fifteenth century.

Augsburg

Augsburg is one of the oldest cities in Germany, built on the site where the military camp of the ancient Romans was once located. Its history, numbering more than two thousand years, has left an indelible imprint on its appearance. The period of special prosperity of the city dates back to the seventeenth century, so most of the sights are made in the style of that time. These are cathedrals, main squares, fountains, which still retain their original appearance.

Würzburg

Information about Würzburg as a city dates back to 704. In ancient times it was known as a bishopric city. The architectural appearance of the city was created for many centuries by famous architects, sculptors and artists. Now it belongs to the most famous and beautiful European cities. Many of its attractions are monuments of world culture. He also became famous for his viticulture and winemaking. Würzburg pays great tribute to ancient musical traditions. More than three hundred musical concerts are held here throughout the year, they sound classical music famous authors.

Füssen

Arriving in Bavaria, it is impossible not to visit Füssen, whose history begins in the third century AD. In ancient times it was a Roman castle, from the eighth century it became a Benedict abbey. Nowadays, it is the best hydrotherapy resort in the country with therapeutic mud and many mineral springs. But it attracts tourists with its unusual and chic castles: Neuschwanstein, built by Ludwig II, known as the fairy-tale king, and Hohenschwangau. Fusse is also known as a good winter resort.

Popular tourist destinations

Tourism in Bavaria is one of the most significant sources of income. Its landscapes, well-developed infrastructure, the Bavarian Alps and their foothills, magnificent forests (Frankenwald, Oberpfalzer, Buemerwald) have made this land the most famous and favorite tourist destination all year round. Many come for treatment at the famous balneological and ski resorts in Bavaria. The second name of Bavaria is the Land of Rest. In addition, numerous guests come here for a variety of holidays and festivals. The popularity of Oktoberfest, which is the largest beer festival, and the Landshut wedding cannot be overestimated.

Landscape

In Bavaria there are three parts of the great German landscapes: the German part of the northern Kalkalpen and the foothills of the Alps with its attractive lakes, "Schottish ebene" with the land of charming hills stretching to the river. Danube and German midlands with diverse landscapes.

There are many rivers in Bavaria, most of which are connected to the Danube. In the north-west of Bavaria, the Main River flows with tributaries, the Saale River originates from the slopes of the Franconian Forest and the Fichtelgebirge. The Rhine and Danube basins were united in 1992 by the Rhine-Main-Danube canal.

The Danube is the second largest river in Europe after the Volga. The river bed is in some places protected by dams to support navigation.

Bavaria is the land of lakes. About 1600 lakes are concentrated mainly in the foothills of the Alps. The largest are Chiemsee, Ammersee, Lake Starnberg, Tegernsee, Königssee; the deepest is Walchensee (192 m).

The duchy occupied the area between the rivers Lech and Enns, the Fichtel mountains and the Tridentine Alps. The first duke whose name is mentioned in history was Garibald I(d. 590), who had his residence in Regensburg. Having united with the Lombards against the rule of the Franks, he was defeated by the latter and forced to ask for peace. He was succeeded by his relative, Thassilon I(d. 612), who marked himself by the fact that he first opened hostilities against the Slavs and their allies, the Avars. With his son Garibalde II(d. 650), the Bavarians received from the Frankish king Dagobert the first written laws (lex Bajuwariorum, between 628-638). At his invitation, St. Eustachius and Agil and preached Christianity there. Christianity was finally introduced with Theodone(d. 717) Frankish missionaries Rupert, Emeran and Korbinian.

Bavaria in the 10th century

During the division of the state undertaken by Charlemagne, Bavaria, together with Italy, went to his second son Pepin, who died while his father was still alive. Louis the Pious, who succeeded Charlemagne, first transferred control to his eldest son Lothair with the title of king, but with the new division of 817, it passed to Louis II later called German, who called himself rex Bojoariorum and chose Regensburg as his residence. Louis continuously fought with the Slavic peoples, who caused a lot of harm with their frequent raids. Meanwhile, the temporal power of the bishops was gradually strengthened, and the power of the palatine counts, who ruled as governors, increased. After the death of Louis the German (876), his son Carloman became king of Bavaria, to which at that time also belonged Carinthia, Carniola, Istria, Friul, Pannonia, Bohemia and Moravia.

Germany in 919-1125

Carloman was succeeded (879) by his younger brother Louis III, and after his death (881) the second brother Charles III the Fat, who, having received 884 and the crown of France, thus united under his rule all the states of Charles V. After him, she passed (887) to the natural son of Carlomann Arnulf and then (899) to his son Louis the Child, during whose reign Bavaria suffered a lot from the attacks of the Hungarians. With Louis the Child, the Carolingian family ceased (911), and the Bavarians elected the son of Margrave Luitpold as their duke, Arnulf II the Evil, known for his enmity with Emperor Conrad I. His son After his death, Otto I the Great took Bavaria from Arnulf's son, Eberhard, passing it to his uncle, Berthold(d. 947), and then to his brother Henry I, appointing Eberhard's brother, Arnulf, Count Palatinate of Bavaria. This gave rise to internal strife, which made Bavaria the theater of devastating wars. Taking advantage of the uprising that broke out against the emperor and Duke Henry, Arnulf tried to recapture his hereditary duchy of Bavaria, and he called for help from the Hungarians, who invaded Byelorussia, devastated it, but were defeated by Otto on the Lechfeld. Henry I was succeeded by his son Henry II the Shrew, one of the most educated princes of that time and an implacable enemy of Otto II, who took B. from him and handed it over Otto Swabian(d. 982). After the death of Otto II, Henry again received the duchy of B., which after him (995) passed to his son Henry IV, who later became the emperor of Germany under the name of Henry II. With his death, an almost 200-year period begins in the history of Bavaria, during which the country had to endure a lot, both from the Crusades, which deprived it of a significant part of the population, and from the eternal change of dukes, either appointed or again expelled by emperors, and who, with their own mutual strife did not allow her to calm down. Finally, after the expulsion of Henry XII the Lion (founder of Munich), Bavaria passed (r.) to the palatine Otto of Wittelsbach, the ancestor of the Bavarian and Palatinate houses.

Henry the Lion's dominions

Duke Otto of Wittelsbach

Bavaria and its neighbors in 1378

The reign of his son Otto the Most Serene(1231-1253), was marked by internal strife over the secular power of the bishops, who were striving for complete independence. For his commitment to the emperor, he was excommunicated by the pope from the church. his sons, Ludwig II the Severe and Henry XIII, ruled together for two years, but in the city they divided the country among themselves, and Ludwig received Upper Bavaria with Munich, the Rhine Palatinate and the title of elector, and Henry, whose line ceased a few years later, became the ruler of Lower Bavaria with the main city of Landsgut. In addition, both brothers inherited the unfortunate Konradin of Hohenstaufen. One of the two sons of Ludwig II (d. in d.), Ludwig, was elected emperor under the name Louis IV of Bavaria. In r. he concluded a separate treaty with his brother's sons in Pavia, by which the latter were granted the Rhenish Palatinate and the Upper Palatinate; both parties lost the right to alienate their possessions and inherit in the female line, while the title of elector had to belong to both in turn. However, the last decree was canceled by the Golden Bull (g.), which presented the electoral dignity to the House of the Palatinate. Thus, two main lines of the Wittelsbach house arose: the Palatinate and the Bavarian. Upon the termination of the Lower Bavaria line, Emperor Louis, with the consent of the estates, annexed Lower Bavaria to Upper Bavaria. B. also owes him many improvements in internal management; so, he granted city law to Munich, issued a civil code for Upper Bavaria and new judicial laws for Lower Bavaria Louis (d. provinces, Tyrol, etc. But these external possessions were soon lost, and strife and civil strife began between individual lines, ending in the union of most of the ancient Bavarian lands in the hands of Albrecht IV.

Maximilian Joseph

His son and heir Maximilian Joseph, made peace with Austria in Füssen, 22 Apr. g., recognizing the Pragmatic sanction, and in return receiving back all the Bavarian lands conquered by Austria. Sincerely imbued with the desire to see his country happy, he turned all his attention to the improvement of agriculture, handicrafts, mining, justice, police, finance and public education. He established the Academy of Sciences in Munich ( ) and generously patronized the arts. Being childless, he confirmed all existing hereditary contracts with the house of the Electors of the Palatinate. Both under the treaties of the House of Wittelsbach, and according to the definitions of the Peace of Westphalia, the Elector of the Palatinate undoubtedly owned the rights of inheritance to Bavaria, when, with the death of Maximilian Joseph on 30 December. the Wittelsbach line died out. But unexpectedly for everyone, Austria made claims to Lower Bavaria and occupied several districts. Heir and successor of Miximilian Joseph, childless Carl Theodor(see this next), surrendering to the exhortations of Emperor Joseph II, he signed an agreement on January 3 and 14, in which he promised Austria the concession of Lower Bavaria, the possession of Mindelheim and the Bohemian fiefs in the Upper Palatinate. But Duke Karl of Zweibrücken, as the closest agnate and probable heir of Bavaria, declared himself against this concession, prompted to do so by the Prussian king Frederick II. This was the reason for the so-called War of the Bavarian Succession, which, however, ended without bloodshed in the Treaty of Teschen, thanks mainly to the intervention of Russia, which spoke out against Austria. The undisputed possession of Bavaria was secured for the Elector of the Palatinate-Bavarian, with the exception of the Inn Quarter with Brunau (38 sq. miles), which was ceded to Austria. At the same time, according to the decrees of the Peace of Westphalia, the eighth electorship ceased to exist.

New story

Bavaria and its neighbors in 1786

As early as March 6, 1848, Ludwig I issued a proclamation in which he promised that the Bavarian government would act for the sake of the freedom and unity of Germany. Acting in the spirit of this proclamation, Maximilian II recognized the authority of the German Parliament convened in Frankfurt, and on December 19 issued a decree on the operation in Bavaria of all laws adopted by the German Parliament. However, the primacy among the German states increasingly began to pass to Prussia, and not to Austria. Maximilian was supported by parliament when he refused to agree to a proposal to give the imperial crown to the Prussian king Frederick William IV. However, Maximilian went against the will of the people, refusing to support the draft German Constitution, when it turned out that, according to him, Austria was excluded from the German Confederation.

Reign of Maximilian II 1848-1864

After the abdication of the father of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, in 1848 his son Maximilian II took over the throne of Bavaria.

Bavaria during German unification

The Bavarian kingdom initially opposed the strengthening of the role of Prussia in Germany. In the Austro-Prussian war of 1866, Bavaria took the side of Austria. The result of participation in this war for Bavaria was the defeat; under the terms of the peace treaty, Bavaria ceded to Prussia a number of territories, namely the districts of Orb and Gersfeld, lying in the Spesart and the Rhön mountains, with 32,976 inhabitants, and had to pay 30 million florins of military indemnity. In addition, due to the collapse of the German Confederation and the formation of a new North German Confederation, in which the South German states, including Bavaria, could not be included in accordance with special Franco-Prussian agreements, the kingdom found itself in political isolation.

Since that time, the rapprochement between Bavaria and Prussia begins, which resulted in the participation of Bavaria in the Franco-Prussian war on the side of the latter. During this war, the Bavarian troops acted excellently. Their valor is attested by the battles of Weissenburg and Werth, near Sedan, Paris and Orleans. The general upsurge of national consciousness at that time was so strong that the population of Bavaria, in numerous addresses addressed to the government, petitioned for joining the North German Confederation. Nevertheless, in negotiations with the Union on this issue, the Bavarian government tried to negotiate maximum preferences for itself. Finally, on November 23, 1870, an agreement was signed on the accession of Bavaria to the Union. Under this treaty, Bavaria retained its own diplomacy, management of the army, post office, telegraph, railways, taxation system and complete independence in matters of citizenship and the right to settle. Similar treaties were signed by the rest of the South German states. The North German Confederation thus included all the member states of the former German Confederation except Austria, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.

Bavaria in the Third Reich

Political system

The legislative body of the federal state is the Bavarian Landtag (in German. Bayerischer Landtag; unicameral since 1999, in -1999 the parliament had an upper house - the Senate (German) Russian ), which is elected by the population for a term of 5 years. The executive body is the Bavarian Government (Bayerische Staatsregierung), which is formed by the Landtag and consists of:

• Minister-President (German) Bayerischer Minister Präsident ) - Prime Minister, head of the government of Bavaria,
• Bavarian state ministers
• Bavarian state secretaries.

Policy

Elections

The well-developed areas of Bavaria are: the Munich metropolitan area with a developed auto industry ( bmw, Audi, MAN, Knorr-Bremse), information sector ( Siemens, Infineon Technologies, Microsoft), means mass media and publishers ( ProSiebenSat1, sky deutschland, cable deutschland, publishing house Burda), military industry ( EADS, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann); district of Augsburg ( EADS, KUKA, UPM-Kymmene), Ingolstadt ( Audi, Media Saturn Holding) and the "Bavarian chemical triangle" between Lake Chiemsee and the rivers Inn and Salzach. Tourism is developed (historical sights, museums, beer gardens, Oktoberfest, fairs).

Tourism

Tourism is one of Bavaria's sources of income. Bavaria is considered a land of relaxation. Because of the beauty of its landscapes and well developed infrastructure, as well as the Alpine foothills and the Bavarian Alps themselves, it has been and is a favorite place for tourists, at any time of the year.

Bavaria is the largest land area in Germany. Some Bavarian cities were built by the Romans.

The capital is Munich (first mentioned in 1158), about 1.35 million people live in it. residents (February 2009). The center of the city is the Marienplatz square, beloved by tourists, with the new town hall building. On the east side of Marienplatz is the old town hall, whose building today houses the toy museum. A little south of Marienplatz is the 11th-century St. Peter's Church. To the southwest of the church, on St. Jacob's Square is the Munich City Museum. Its exhibits cover the cultural history of Munich, there is also a photo and film museum, a museum of puppets, musical instruments and much more. State National Galleries in Munich: Alte Pinakothek (old masters), Neue Pinakothek (art of the modern period), Pinakothek der Moderne (contemporary art); Bavarian National Museum with a collection of sculpture, decorative art, folk art; state collection of exhibits of natural history; German Museum.

Bavaria is home to a large number of different festivals, among which the Oktoberfest and the Landshut Wedding are the most famous.

Population of Bavaria

The Bavarians are the descendants of three ancient Germanic allied tribes - Bavarians, Franks and Swabians (Alemanni) - they differ in the nature of speech, customs, way of thinking and attitude. Later, already in 1945, more than two million refugees and deportees from the former German territories, who brought their own traditions and culture, were added to their number.

Filled with gratitude for their newfound homeland, the "new Bavarians" put a lot of effort into its restoration after the Second World War.

Administrative districts

The Republic of Bavaria consists of several administrative districts. List of districts:

Cities with more than 50 thousand inhabitants

Additional: The Bavarian State Office provided these statistics and processed data

Religion

* Including Palatinate

Bavarian figures

Administrative device

The federal state of Bavaria consists of 71 districts (in German. Landkreis) and 25 cities of land subordination (in German. Kreisfreie Stadte) (in brackets index of districts and cities on license plates).

Districts

District centers

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The Bavarians say: “If the Germans need to show off their successes, they show the world something Bavarian ...” And this seems to be true. After all, here are the best mining ski resorts countries, the largest number of meat recipes, the largest number of registered beer recipes, the most visited castles, the largest number of rivers and lakes, the largest number of cities that are over 800 years old, the two largest carnivals in Europe and the largest beer hall in the world festival ... In general, everything here is "the most", and most importantly - everything is ideally suited for tourism, shopping and generously seasoned with excellent weather. Bavaria also has the largest number of sunny days per year among the German-speaking lands.

The Bavarians say this about their land: “We have everything, as well as Audi and BMW ...”

How to get to Bavaria

It is convenient to get to the regions and resorts of Bavaria through Munich and Frankfurt.

Passau - "Bavarian Venice", built at the grandiose beauty of the confluence of three rivers: the Inn, the Ilz and the Danube. The city was not damaged during the Allied bombings and brought to us all the beauty of the Baroque style in which it was built.

Of the 50 thousand inhabitants, 10 thousand students live in it, so people go to Passau not only for the baroque, but also for the nightlife.

And also Ingolstadt with the Audi factory museum, Gunzburg with the Legoland park, the island city of Lindau with painted facades, the village of Garmisch-Partenkirchen - Hitler's favorite vacation spot, and now a place of pilgrimage for thousands of climbers, skiers and just tourists, to the foot of Zugspitze mountains - the most high point Germany.

Transport

The most popular Munich transport is the S-Bahn trains. These are comfortable electric trains that completely replaced the metro, which are integrated into a common network with buses, trams and railway transport. Red trains arrive at each station with an interval of 20 minutes (break from 1:30 to 4:00).

Most tourists travel around Bavaria by trains and buses, armed with a single Bavarian ticket Bayern ticket, which can be bought at the office. website of the Deutsche Bahn (in English) or at the subway entrances in the red DB-Bahn ticket machines. It will ensure the delivery of a tourist to the smallest village, not only in Bavaria, but also in some neighboring lands and countries, without additional payments. For example, to Ulm (in Baden-Württemberg), Sonnenberg (in Thuringia) and Austrian Salzburg. The ticket is inexpensive, and the railway transport system is very conveniently organized: no delays (at all); Stations, trains and buses have signs showing the quickest way to get to the most popular tourist spots.

Also in the cities of the region there are single tickets that apply to all types of public transport. Travel cards vary by zone and duration. With the so-called "short ticket", or Einzelfahrkarte Kurzstrecke, you can travel for an hour within one fare zone. However, if the journey takes longer or you need to cross zone boundaries, it will not work. Another one-time Einzelfahrkarte is valid for 3 hours in several zones, but the more borders you need to cross, the more it will cost. Some cities have a Streifenkarte - it consists of 10 tear-off strips, each of which allows you to ride for an hour in one zone.

Traveling around Bavaria by taxi is expensive. Here is an example of the cost of a 10-minute trip around the cities: Munich - 9-15 EUR, Ingolstadt - 10-15 EUR, Regensburg - 14-17 EUR, Augsburg - from 12 EUR, Schongau - 11-15 EUR, Füssen - 10-12 EUR, Nuremberg - from 17 EUR, Bamberg - 10 EUR, Würzburg - from 14 EUR.

From other modes of transport: steamboats on the Danube in the town of Passau and the famous funicular to the Zugspitz mountain near the village of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

It is interesting to ride a bike in Bavaria. There are rental offices and sports equipment stores that rent vehicles in several cities. But it’s more convenient to take a bike in Munich and build a route from there - in the center of the province there is a richer choice and more rental points themselves. If you are not satisfied with the price, you can look for a cheaper one.

Rent a Car

It is important to follow the requirements of road signs and markings. Inattention on Bavarian roads can be very expensive - local traffic cops do not make concessions to foreigners, and fines in Bavaria are extremely high. It is even worse if, having accelerated on the autobahn, the driver does not notice that he has gone to “whores” - mountain serpentines, which in many places begin very unexpectedly.

You can drive from Munich in an hour to Ingolstadt, Regensburg, Augsburg, Schongau and Füssen with famous castles Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Two hours to Nuremberg, Bamberg and Würzburg.

Bavaria Hotels

Entertainment and attractions

Fragments of wild forests with mountain streams, swamps and living inhabitants have been preserved in the Bavarian Forest National Park.

One of the most interesting and controversial expositions of the capital of Bavaria is the City Museum. Of its 4 parts, only one is dedicated to the history of Munich and its cultural specifics, and 3 others to the birth of National Socialism, musical instruments and puppet theater. The last section attracts both adults and children. Little visitors will not be indifferent to the Munich Zoo - the largest in Europe.

After walking around the museum halls, go to Grassl or Hofbräuhaus. In the first one you can learn the secrets of the production of spicy schnapps, in the second one you can try dozens of varieties of Bavarian beer.

The collection of the Bavarian National Museum is more traditional - furniture, weapons, jewelry, everyday and applied items from different eras and peoples. Those who prefer works of art to historical exhibits should look into the Alte Pinakothek - one of the largest in the world art galleries. And fans of the German automotive industry will be interested in the expositions of the BMW and Audi museums, where dozens of cars and motorcycles are presented - from ancient to the latest innovative models.

There are noteworthy tourist sites in every Bavarian city. In Bamberg, this is the Cathedral, which is famous for interior decoration, the marble tomb of its founder and the Bamberg Horseman. In Dachau, tourists are attracted by the museum, opened on the site of the former concentration camp. And although in a small German town there are architectural monuments, parks and old streets, people come here just for the sake of the museum and the memorial, to remember and not repeat.

Castles of Bavaria

Castles are different. Equipped and in ruins, conveniently located and not considering it necessary to pave at least some kind of road to them. But all of them are romantic fragments of the life of princes and princesses unknown to us. Castles in Bavaria are divided into two types. The first includes impregnable strongholds on the tops of mountains, the second - immersed in luxury palaces of the 17th-18th centuries, stylized as knightly fortresses.

There is a very high density of these castles in Bavaria, they are near any city. There are several hundred of them in their current form and the same number are in ruins. The fact is that in the Middle Ages, the population of Bavaria always annoyed its neighbors with something - perhaps the habit of wearing skin-tight leather shorts - but from the 3rd to the 17th centuries, wars did not stop in this area. In order to survive during the German attacks, the local Slavic leaders built fortified shelters on the slopes, then they were reinforced by the Franks and other Germans, who squeezed out the Slavs and defended themselves in these mountains from the raids of the already new savage hordes from neighboring countries. And so it happened that on the dominant heights of each locality Bavaria has one or two castles.

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  Lake Constance in its length (63 km) ranks third in Europe. Most of this huge and beautiful reservoir belongs to Germany, the rest is divided between Austria and Switzerland. Its maximum depth is 252 m. resort towns along the coast there are equipped beaches: both paid (with the most developed service), and with free entry. There are many architectural and historical monuments, churches, monasteries and castles in this region of Germany.

  Water sports enthusiasts can enjoy surfing, swimming, yachting. Also at the service of vacationers - golf, tennis, horseback riding, cycling, rollerblading on special paths along the lake. Three on the lake major islands: Lindau, Mainau and Reichenau. Mainau is a "flower island", an island-reserve: there are more than a thousand species of butterflies, rare plants, lianas and orchids.

  Hohenzollern Castle

  
  
  

  Lake Chiemsee

  Lake Chiemsee, also known as the "Bavarian Sea", is located in the southeast of Bavaria, 80 km from Munich and 40 km from Salzburg. Thanks crystal clean water, well-groomed beaches and nature unaffected by human activities, the lake has a high status among tourists - there is no such time when the local hotels are not full.

  The lake is 11 km wide and 15 km long. In the summer months, the water in it warms up to +25 °C. Here developed water sports sports: windsurfing, yachting, fishing. In addition, outdoor enthusiasts are waiting for hiking to the mountains and cycling.

  In the center of the Chiemsee rises the "Island of Women" Fraueninsel with a functioning convent, and next to it is its neighbor, the "Isle of Men" Herrenchiemsee with the hunting castle of King Louis II.

  You can improve your health here in the resorts of Prien am Chiemsee with its healing air and Bad Endorf with thermal waters saturated with iodine.

  Rhön Biosphere Reserve

  Lake Titisee

  Lake Titisee is located southeast of Freiburg, in the mountains of the Black Forest (the most ecologically clean and industrially untouched area in Germany). Its length is 1.8 km, width - 750 m. Clear water And clean beaches attracts many tourists here.

  In the town of Titisee, on the Seestrasse shopping street, you can buy a lot of goods, which will later become an undoubted confirmation that the traveler visited the Black Forest: cuckoo clocks, ham, different types local schnapps, traditional clothing and arts and crafts, leather goods. There are also elegant boutiques and jewelry stores, numerous restaurants and discos.

  On the Titisee there are plenty of opportunities for activities various types sports. You can ride on the lake on a catamaran, rent a boat or a motor boat.

  bavarian alps

  Lake Tegernsee

  Lake Tegernsee, which has become a well-known medical and climatic resort throughout Europe, is located 55 km from Munich at an altitude of 732 m above sea level. Treatment is based on thermal waters local sources containing iodine and other trace elements. Tegernsee resorts include: Bad Wiessee, Rottach-Egern and Tegernsee directly.

  Entertainment: swimming, flying hot-air balloon, fishing, mountain walks, underwater sports, golf, paragliding, cycling, surfing, tennis, sailing, equestrian sports. For gambling people - a casino. On the waterfront there is a large selection of restaurants, bars, cafes and bistros.

  Weather

  Bavaria is the land of resorts, although it is located far from the sea. Each month has 17-20 sunny days. Grapes grow here, and nearby in the mountains there are ski resorts, there is a lot of water from the mountains, but there are few thunderstorms and rains. There are no seasons in Bavaria since bad weather. That is probably why the flower of German society has been striving for the Bavarian Alps since the 18th century, and kings and dukes built palaces for themselves in Bavaria, ruling the country from here.