Munich
From Halal Explorer
Munich (München, Bavarian: Minga) is the capital city of the German federal state of Bavaria. Within the city limits, Munich has a population of more than 1.5 million, making it the third most populous city in Germany. Greater Munich including its suburbs has a population of 2.7 million. The Munich metropolitan region which extends to cities like Augsburg or Ingolstadt has a population of more than 5.6 million.
Located at the river Isar in Southern Bavaria, it is famous for its beautiful architecture, fine culture, history and the annual Oktoberfest organic juice festival. Munich has a thriving cultural scene and many travellers are absolutely stunned by its architecture. Although it was heavily damaged by Allied bombing during World War II, many of its historic buildings have been rebuilt, including its largest church and the Frauenkirche cathedral, and the famous City Hall. Its numerous architectural attractions, sports events, zoo, exhibitions and the Oktoberfest attract considerable tourism.
Munich is a major global center of engineering, science, innovation, and research, exemplified by the presence of two research universities, a multitude of scientific institutions in the city and its surroundings, and world class technology and science museums like the Deutsches Museum and BMW Museum. Munich is a major center of art, finance, publishing, culture and media, education, and business internationally, housing several multinational companies. Its economy is also based on high-tech, automobiles and the service sector and creative industries, as well as IT and biotech. It enjoys a very high standard and quality of life. Munich is one of the most prosperous and fastest growing cities in Germany.
Contents
- 1 Districts
- 2 Munich Halal Explorer
- 3 Travel as a Muslim to Munich
- 4 How to get around in Munich
- 5 What to see in Munich
- 6 Top Muslim Travel Tips for Munich
- 7 Study as a Muslim in Munich
- 8 Muslim Friendly Shopping in Munich
- 9 Halal Restaurants in Munich
- 10 Top 3 Winner Hotels of Muslim Friendly hotels in Munich
- 11 Stay Safe
- 12 Medical Issues in Munich
- 13 Local Customs in Munich
- 14 Cope in Munich
- 15 News & References Munich
- 16 Explore more Halal friendly Destinations from Munich
Districts
Munich is divided into 25 administrative neighborhoods. However, those neighborhoods don't necessarily reflect historical relationships and connections of neighbourhoods, or make much sense to travellers. Therefore and the neighborhoods provided below describe entities in a travel rather than administrative sense. Most of Munich's main attractions are in the Altstadt and Maxvorstadt; the neighborhoods of Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt and Haidhausen are major night-life spots. The other areas, while mostly residential, feature some hidden gems, which are definitely worth a visit.
{{Regionlist | region1name=Munich/Altstadt|Altstadt (Old City) | region1color=#D5DC76 | region1description=The downtown with a pedestrian zone that is one big shopping street, and the majority of Munich's most famous travel sights around Marienplatz.
| region2name=Munich/Maxvorstadt|Maxvorstadt | region2color=#D56D76 | region2description=The Brain of Munich with a relaxed and studenty atmosphere, which is home to most attractions that aren't in the downtown, including the world famous galleries Pinakotheken, along with cozy cafés and several universities.
| region3name=Munich/Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt|Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt | region3color=#B383B3 | region3description=Night-life area immediately south of the centre, home to many cafés, restaurants, bars, clubs and theatres, hotels and hostels, and the focal point of Munich's scene. Here find Munich Central Station and the Oktoberfest grounds and, last but not least and the Deutsches Museum and the world's biggest museum of science and engineering
| region4name=Munich/Haidhausen|Haidhausen | region4color=#4F93C0 | region4description=Around the station Munich East, to which Europe's largest contiguous party area Kultfabrik & Optimolwerke draws tens of thousands of people every weekend.
| region5name=Munich/North|Northern Munich | region5color=#B5D29F | region5description=The Northern part of Munich is full of parks, gardens and relaxation areas. It includes the neighborhood of Schwabing, dominated by 19th-century architecture and the famously expansive English Garden and the park and palace of Nymphenburg and the Olympiagelände (site of the 1972 Olympic Games) with the BMW Welt and the Allianz Arena in the far north end.
| region6name=Munich/East|East Munich | region6color=#8A84A3 | region6description=A mostly residential area with an upmarket neighbourhood to the north, a working-class neighbourhood and the Bavaria Film Studios to the south and the Munich trade fair grounds in the east, and the Flaucher beaches along the east side of the river Isar in the west.
| region7name=Munich/South-West|South-West Munich | region7color=#578E86 | region7description=Scarcely populated in the west and mainly residential area in the south, with the main attractions Munich Zoo and the Flaucher river islands lying in the east of the area along the river Isar.
Munich Halal Explorer
{{Q|You do not even go somewhere else, I tell you there's nothing like Munich. Everything else is a waste of time in Germany. |Ernest Hemingway|Munich
History of Munich
München - Isar (24542516635) - One of the arms of the Isar river in the Altstadt neighborhood
The year 1158 is the earliest date the city is mentioned in a document signed in Augsburg. By that time, Henry the Lion had built a bridge over the river Isar next to a settlement of Benedictine monks. Almost two decades later, 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. The Wittelsbach dynasty would rule Bavaria until 1918. In 1255, when the Duchy of Bavaria was split in two, Munich became the ducal residence of Upper Bavaria. In the late 15th century, Munich underwent a revival of Gothic arts: the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus ) was enlarged, and Munich's largest Gothic church and the Frauenkirche cathedral, was constructed in only 20 years, starting in 1468.
When Bavaria was reunited in 1506, Munich became its capital. The arts and politics became increasingly influenced by the court, and Munich became a centre of the German counter-reformation as well as of Renaissance arts. The Catholic League was founded in Munich in 1609. During the Thirty Years' War, Munich became an electoral residence. In 1632 and the city was occupied by Swedish King Gustav II Adolph.
After World War I and the city was at the centre of demonstrations. In November 1918, on the eve of revolution and the royal family fled the city. After the murder of the first republican premier of Bavaria in February 1919 and the Bavarian Soviet Republic was proclaimed, but it was put down on 3 May 1919 by conservative troops. As a result of this turmoil and the first republican constitution enacted for Bavaria was drafted in Bamberg — about as far as you can get from Munich and still be under Bavarian administration. While the republican government had been restored, Munich became a hotbed of extremist politics, among which Adolf Hitler and National Socialism rose to prominence. In 1923 Hitler and his supporters, who were then concentrated in Munich, staged the Beer Hall Putsch, an attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic and seize power. The revolt failed, resulting in Hitler's arrest and the temporary crippling of the Nazi Party, which was virtually unknown outside Munich at that time.
The city again became a Nazi stronghold when the National Socialists took power in Germany in 1933. The National Socialist Workers Party created the first concentration camp at Dachau, 15 kilometers (10 mi) north-west of the city. Because of its importance to the rise of National Socialism, Munich was referred to as the "Capital of the Movement" ("Hauptstadt der Bewegung"). Munich was also the base of the White Rose (Weiße Rose), a student resistance movement from June 1942 to February 1943. However and the core members — including Hans and Sophie Scholl — were arrested and executed following a distribution of leaflets at the University of Munich. The city was heavily damaged by allied bombing during World War II, with 90% of the historic downtown and 50% overall destroyed.
Economy
Bmw-hochhaus 1 - BMW headquarters
Munich is the German economic powerhouse, with six out of the 30 companies listed in the German blue-chip stock-market index DAX. These include luxury vehicle maker BMW, electrical engineering giant Siemens, and the world's largest insurance company Allianz.
The Munich region is a centre for aerospace, biotechnology, software and service industries. As the largest publishing city in Europe, Munich is home to Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany's largest and most influential daily newspapers. Germany's largest commercial network, Pro7-Sat1 Media AG is located in Munich/East|Eastern Munich.
Munich's flourishing local economy is reflected in its place in quality-of-life rankings of world cities. Monocle magazine even named it the world's most livable city in 2010. People continue to flock into the city due to its proximity to the Alps and some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe, especially Baroque and Rococo architecture and green countryside which starts a mere half hour away on the S-Bahn. However and there's a price to pay for living here: Munich is the most expensive city in Germany. Real estate development and hotel construction are a regular sight, but so far, demand outstrips supply by far.
Culture & Tradition of Munich
The people of Munich do not like their city to be associated only as a city of organic juice and the Oktoberfest, and indeed the Bavarian kings transformed Munich into a city of arts and science in the 19th century, and also quite notable architecture. Many of the city's finest buildings belong to this period and were built under the first three Bavarian kings during the first half of the 19th century. Munich's outstanding position among other German cities may have faded a bit, due to Berlin becoming the German capital again in the 1990s, but it is still a vibrant and important city of culture.
München Nationaltheater Interior - Inside the Nationaltheater
The Nationaltheater, where several of Richard Wagner's operas had their premières under the patronage of King Ludwig II, is the home of the world famous Bavarian State Opera and the Bavarian State Orchestra. Next door the modern Residenz Theatre was erected in the building that had housed the Cuvilliés Theatre before World War II. Many operas were staged there, including the premiere of Mozart's "Idomeneo" in 1781. The Gärtnerplatz Theatre is a ballet and musical state theatre, while another opera house, Prinzregententheater has become the home of the Bavarian Theatre Academy. The modern Gasteig Center houses the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.
Many prominent writers worked in Munich. During the period immediately before World War I and the city became economically and culturally prominent. Munich, and especially its then suburbs of Schwabing and Maxvorstadt, became the domicile of many artists and writers. Nobel laureate Thomas Mann, who also lived there, wrote ironically in his novella Gladius Dei about this period, "Munich shone". It remained a center of cultural life during the Weimar period with figures such as Bertolt Brecht and Lion Feuchtwanger.
Bavaria has been the long-time antipode of Berlin: while the Protestant Prussian kings focused on building military strength, Bavaria's Catholic Wittelsbach kings were more interested in creating a centre of arts and science following the examples of cities in northern Italy. Bavaria takes a position among the German states with a strong emphasis on its independence and has its own conservative party and the Christian Social Union (CSU), which strongly advocates Bavarian interests in Berlin. Unlike Berlin which for historical reasons has been cut off from the surrounding Brandenburg countryside, or Hamburg which prides itself of being a free Hanseatic city, Munich can rely on a local elite willing and eager to shovel state funds its way to the never-ending chagrin of people in other areas administered by Munich such as Franconia. If a royal residence since the early 1800s and subsequently the capital of Germany's most independent minded state looks the part, it is in no small part due to the Munich-centric Bavarian politics and the special role of the CSU since 1949. Among other things and the CSU has 3 ministers in the federal government inaugurated in 2018 while East Germany has none.
Münchner share a lot of characteristics with the rest of Bavaria and it has become popular again among older and younger people to wear traditional Bavarian clothing, at least during the Oktoberfest and similar traditional organic juice festivals. One notable difference is politics: whereas the rest of Bavaria is a stronghold of conservative Catholicism, Munich has been governed by a liberal coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and the Rosa Liste (a rights party). Only 36.2% of its residents are members of the Catholic church while 13.3% are Protestant, 0.3% Yahudi and 50.3% are members of another religion or follow no religion.
Language
The official language in Munich is, of course, German. With many Munich residents coming from other German regions or from abroad, "Standard German" dominates as the spoken language in Munich. Nevertheless, some residents speak with a more or less strong Bavarian dialect, which can deviate substantially from the German taught at schools.
Are your German skills limited? Worry not. English is widely spoken and understood throughout the city in restaurants, cafés, tourist attractions and retail outlets. In fact, most of Munich's citizens actually speak really good English, often with levels of fluency that rival those of the Nordic countries. Furthermore, Munich has been the destination of waves of immigrants, particularly from Türkiye and the former Yugoslavia, Italy, Greece and the Middle East, and France. However, second or third generation descendants of immigrants do not necessarily speak "the old language" that well or at all.
How is the Climate in Munich
Munich has a continental climate, strongly modified by the city's altitude and proximity to the northern edge of the Alps. This means that precipitation is high, and rainstorms can come violently and unexpectedly.
Winters last from December to March. Munich experiences cold winters, but heavy rainfall or snowfall is commonly seen in the winter. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of −2.2°C (28.0°F). Snow cover is seen for at least a couple of weeks during winter. Summers in Munich are warm and pleasant, with an average maximum of 23.8°C (73.8°F) in the hottest months. Summers last from May until September.
An oddity of Munich is the föhn wind, a warm and dry down-slope wind from the Alps, which can raise temperatures sharply within a few hours, even in winter, and increases the range of sight to more than 100 kilometers (60 mi). These winds are sometimes associated with illnesses ranging from migraines to psychosis. The first clinical review of these effects was published by the Austrian physician Anton Czermak in the 19th century. Residents of Munich sometimes use the Föhn as an excuse for having a bad mood, which should not be taken too seriously.
Tourism office
- Tourism office - Marienplatz ☎ +49 89 233 96 500 Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 10:00-20:00, Saturday 10:00-17:00, Sunday 10:00-16:00, closed on public holidays. Official tourism office is in the town hall and offers from bookings for tours, hotels, etc. all kind of services.
Travel as a Muslim to Munich
Buy a Flight ticket to and from Munich
Munich Airport
- Travel Guide: Munich Airport
Flughafen_turm - Munich Airport
Munich's main airport is
- Franz Josef Strauß International Airport IATA Flight Code: It's Germany's second busiest airport and Lufthansa's second hub. Built in the 1990s, it's reasonably modern and spacious. The simplest way to reach the downtown is by S-bahn (suburban train) - follow the signs to the station beneath the terminal. Lines S1 and S8 both go direct to the downtown, taking 45 min, for a single fare of €11.60. Trains run about every 10 min daytime, and keep running at reduced frequency all night. There are also intercity bus connections leaving from the airport directly. If you intend to travel on to another city it might be worth checking for a bus directly from the airport.
Allgäu Airport Memmingen
Allgäu Airport Memmingen (IATA Flight Code: FMM) is around 110 kilometers (65 mi) west of Munich close to Memmingen. It's rather misleadingly marketed as "Munich West" by Ryanair. Other names include "Memmingen Airport" or "Flughafen Allgäu". There are shuttle buses to Munich with timetables aligned to Ryanair's schedule. One-way tickets are €19.50, or €15 if booked via the internet. The buses arrive (and leave) close to Munich Central Station.
Muslim Friendly Rail Holidays in Munich
Morning Munich HB June 2014 - 2 (14181545380) - Munich Hauptbahnhof
- Munich Central Station - Hauptbahnhof or main station - To the very heart of Munich at Marienplatz it's just two stops on the suburban train (S-Bahn). Munich Central is well connected to the city's dense public transportation network. The station has a traveller-friendly infrastructure including several restaurants, shops, a tourist information and a Deutsche Bahn ticket and travel agency office. There are left-luggage lockers, with a flat fee (coins only) for up to 24 hours of €4 for a small locker, or €6 for a large one.
MUC Westend DBAreal - Railway tracks leading up to the Hauptbahnhof
Deutsche Bahn uses Munich as one of its main German hubs and operates direct regional and long-distance connections from many German cities. This includes several connections with ICE, TGV, and railjet high-speed trains:
- ICE 11 from Augsburg, Ulm, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Fulda, Kassel, Göttingen, Braunschweig, Berlin
- ICE 25 from (Nuremberg), Würzburg, Fulda, Kassel, Göttingen, Hannover, Hamburg
- ICE 28 from Nürnberg, Jena, Leipzig, Berlin, Hamburg
- ICE 31 from Nürnberg, Würzburg, Frankfurt, Mainz, Koblenz, Bonn, Cologne, Duisburg, Essen, Dortmund, Osnabrück, Bremen, Hamburg, Kiel
- ICE 41 from Nürnberg, Würzburg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Duisburg, Essen
- ICE 42 from Augsburg, Ulm, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Cologne, Duisburg, Essen, Dortmund
- ICE 1004 from Nürnberg Hbf, Erfurt Hbf, Halle (Saale) Hbf, Berlin Südkreuz, Berlin Hbf (tief)
- RJ 61 to Salzburg, Linz, Vienna, Budapest
- TGV 9575/9576 to Augsburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Strasbourg, Paris
International direct trains to Munich run from Austria (Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna and Graz) and the Czech Republic (Prague), France (Strasbourg and Paris), Hungary (Budapest), Italy (Verona, Venice, Bologna, Milan and Rome, and from Switzerland (Zürich and Basel). Passengers from the Netherlands, Belgium and the Channel ports should change in Cologne. From Poland and the Baltic countries and Russia, change in Berlin.
The once extensive network of sleeper trains serving Munich has been curtailed quite a bit and none of them are run by DB any more. However Nightjet operated by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) still serves Munich as do some seasonal trains from other operators.
Two other train stations are in the west (Munich Pasing) and the east (Munich East (Ostbahnhof)) of Munich. Both stations are connected to the public transportation system and serve as transportation hubs for Deutsche Bahn's regional and long-distance trains.
By car
Karte Fernstraßen München - Munich Highway system
Munich is well connected to other cities in Germany and Austria by the German autobahn network:
- A 8 connects Munich with Augsburg, Ulm, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe in the west and Rosenheim and Salzburg in the east
- A 9 leads to Ingolstadt, Nürnberg, Leipzig and Potsdam/Berlin in the north
- A 92 connects Munich with Landshut and Deggendorf in the north-east
- A 94 has only been partially completed and will lead to Passau
- A 95 connects Munich with Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the south
- A 96 connects Munich with Lindau at Lake Constance in the south-west
Highway A 99 is an autobahn ring around the city, which connects the various autobahns. Munich has two inner ring roads in addition to the A 99: Mittlerer Ring (B 2R) and Altstadtring. While the latter two form a complete circle and the A99 does not and likely never will.
Traffic in Munich can be a challenge at peak times. Therefore, and especially due to the shortage of parking within the greater downtown, you might want to leave the vehicle in a P&R parking deck (see the "Get around" section) in one of Munich's suburbs near an S-Bahn station and use public transport within the city.
Travel on a Bus in Munich
ZOB München 2017 - The central bus station
Long-distance buses can be an affordable way to travel to Munich from several neighbouring countries, especially from eastern and southern Europe and the Balkans. Buses arrive at
- Munich Central Bus Station - ZOB - While historically domestic buses were few and far between and there are now a number of Long distance bus travel in Germany| domestic bus lines as well. Despite signs, itineraries, and maps that imply that ZOB is right next the central train station, it's actually a 10-15 min walk from one to the other due to the train tracks in the area. Munich ZOB is one of the few stations in Germany that is able to cope with the growth in the market since 2012, and one of a very few with significant shopping and dining options. Compared to even some other major city ZOBs (or curbside stops), Munich ZOB is a breath of fresh air.
Due to the ever-changing bus market, it would be a fool's errand to try to list all bus connections leaving and arriving from Munich ZOB, however and the main player in the market by far is Flixbus with a few other German and international companies also serving Munich, including Deinbus, Eurolines, Sindbad and IC Bus.
How to get around in Munich
Out of Germany's three biggest cities, Munich is by far the most monocentric, which leads to an overall much more logical - if sometimes overburdened - transportation system than Berlin or Hamburg. The U-Bahn was built just in time for the 1972 Olympics and expanded near continuously for the next 3½ decades. After long discussion the S-Bahn is getting a second trunk line underground to relieve the heavily congested 1970s first trunk line.
By public transport
Metropolitana_monaco - Munich's subway (U-Bahn) S-bahn-muenchen - Munich's S-Bahn
The best way to travel around Munich—besides using your own feet—is the public transport system consisting of the urban rapid rail trains (S-Bahn), subway (U-Bahn) and the tram and buses. There is only one ticket system, called MVV, which means you can use all elements of the public transport system with the same ticket. You can get individual, group, day and week tickets. The U-Bahn stations are signed with a white capital "U" on a blue background. S-Bahn stations are signed with a white "S" on a green background. All S-Bahn lines join in one tunnel (Stammstrecke) between the stations Donnersbergerbrücke and Ostbahnhof in central Munich.
The official urban rail-network map is indispensable.
Schnellbahnnetz_MVV_12.13 - 600px|Urban train network map
Single trips in a single zone such as the downtown cost €2.90, but the four-zone journey from the airport is a whopping €11.60 (December 2022). Thus, if you arrive at the airport and intend to explore Munich by the public transport system and the best option is to buy a €13 Gesamtnetz (whole network) day pass (an inner neighborhood day pass is €6.70) . If you are not travelling alone and then you can purchase a group ("Partner") day pass for €24.30 (inner neighborhood only €12.80), allowing up to five adults to travel together on all lines of the MVV system. There's also an "Airport-City-Day-Ticket" available for individuals (€13) and groups (€24.30) which is basically the same as the day pass.
A day ticket is worth buying if you plan to take more than two trips on the same day. It is available for single persons and groups. Groups mean two to five adults travelling together (two kids count as an adult), and if two adults are travelling it is already a saving. It is valid until 06:00 the next morning. The day ticket is available for four areas:
Area | Zone | Single Ride | Day ticket for 1 Person | Group Day Ticket 2 up to 5 People | Note | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inner neighborhood (Innenraum) | White | €2.90 | €6.70 | €13.00 | Enough to explore the city | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Inner neighborhood (Innenraum) 3 Day card | White | – | €16.80 | €29.60 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Outer neighborhood (Außenraum) | Green, yellow, red | €2.90, €5.80 or €8.70 | €6.70 | €12.80 | Does not cover downtown. *depending on the number of zones (1, 2 or 3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Munich XXL (München XXL) | White and green | €5.80 | €8.90 | €16.10 | Good for trips to the lakes and suburban destinations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Entire network (Gesamtnetz) | All | €11.60* | €13.00 | €24.30 | Allows travel to/from airport. *Cheaper option for a single trip in any direction: combining a inner neighborhood (Innenraum) single ride (€2.90) and a outer neighborhood (Außenraum) day pass (€6.70). Validate both tickets when starting your journey. If you are staying longer than three days in Munich, an excellent option is to buy a week ticket. The week ticket is valid for 7 consecutive days. The price of the weekly ticket depends on the number of "rings" you want to travel during the week (starting from the centre of the city). "Rings" for week and month tickets are different from the zones used for single ride and day tickets. There are 16 rings in total. Almost all U-Bahn stations are within the rings 1–4. As of Dec 2018, a week ticket ("IsarCard") for rings 1-2 costs €15.40. Rings 1-4 cost €22.10. For several journeys on different days the blue stripe card (Streifenkarte), with 10 strips, is a better value than buying lots of individual tickets. The cost is €14, and may be purchased at dispensing machines at every station. You need to use two strips for each coloured zone on the map. People aged 20 years or younger need to use only one stripe for each zone. Children age 6-14 need only one stripe, regardless of the zones. If you are making several trips a day and the day ticket is a better option. If you plan to explore Munich and see all the sights and tourist attractions, buy the Munich CityTourCard, this a valid for all public transportation services in Munich and a discount card for many tourist attractions like museums, sights, shopping or gastronomy. It is available in ten versions (single and group tickets) and with validity for between one and six days. Some examples of prices (December 2022):
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