Cindy-Lou Dale

Münich’s industry heavy weights

and other Bavarian stein clashing giants

Münich blazes a futuristic trail towards booming software houses, biotech specialists and multimedia agencies rapidly emerging from the shadows of global players like BMW and Siemens. Industry-leading research and development ensure Münich stays well ahead, even publishing and banking excel.

Nowhere else in Germany will you find so many global players and small and medium-sized enterprises working in one place, developing information and communication technology of the future. This fruitful blend of industry has led international corporations to making Münich their business base - Apple, Adobe, Amazon, Cisco, Data Modul, Epcos, ESG, Fujitsu, Giesecke & Devrient, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Infineon, Microsoft, Motorola, O2, Peoplesoft, Red Hat, Rhode & Schwarz, Sony Ericsson, Sun Microsystems, Sankyo, Symantec, Softlab, BenQ, Siemens and Texas Instruments are all headquartered or have major offices in and around Münich.

Everything else about Münich is equally extraordinary. First of all, Müncheners are delightfully jolly, they eat hearty food and they drink beer with breakfast. Then, when it comes to funny hats, Bavaria leads the world: Mid-afternoon, you'll see respectable middle-aged men in the beer gardens wearing Alpine hats with what looks like a huge shaving brush sticking at the back. And, yes, they do sway to the music of the oompah bands, and they do clash giant beer steins together. For once, everything the tourist board has been telling you is accurate.

Like the true elegance of the city which can only be appreciated through the eyes of the sixty-foot-tall Patron Saint of Bavaria (at Theresienwiese). Maybe then you’ll understand why in 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese chose this to be the location for their wedding and why each year their vows are commemorated at Oktoberfest with people arriving from every corner of the globe to toast beer mugs, waltz on tables and sing for two long weeks. As glasses empty of the locally brewed ale, the mood becomes increasingly merry, while the scent of almonds, smoked mackerel and oompah band music fills the air.

A vision seldom seen is that of lions, especially in the Bavarian capital of Münich, there are literally hundred of them. These lions are colourfully painted life sized models sponsored by local business to raise money for children in need.

As the earth spins, the city’s mood swings, giving rise to something new to celebrate, coaxing another festival from the Bavarians like the Christmas Market, the Christopher Street Gay March, the Foundation Day and the Fasching (Mardi Gras) Carnival where krapfen (donuts) is the traditional carnival food.

But there is no escaping the city’s serious side and Bavaria’s great love of the theatre. Night after night curtains rise on more than fifty venues across the city. The magic explodes from more than 58 stages. The National theatre with its sublime operas, the legendary Kammerspiele hosting classical to the experimental avant-garde plays, the three internationally acclaimed symphony orchestras, a wealth of concert halls from classic to modern who have seen some of the world’s greatest ballet and opera stars. Be it La Boheme or the reunion tour of pop-rock band, The Police, the sound of music is ever-present and doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to jazz, musicals or open-air concerts.

Head towards the city centre’s Marienplaz, a pedestrianised shopping plaza lined with sidewalk cafes where you’ll hear a dozen foreign tongues, and observe the chiming of the ancient Glockenspiel. Then move onto the Cathedral of Münich, the immensely tall, onion domed Frauenkirche who’s former Archbishop was Pope Benedict XVI. Check out the statues of the lions on Residenzstrasse and the Theatinerkirche opposite; just around the corner is the National Opera House on Max-Joseph Platz, which is the beginning of the designer shopping mile of Maximillianstrasse. You may want to confront Germany’s dark past at Dachau concentration camp and if you only take in one Bavarian castle then the grand baroque Schloss Nymphenburg, on the city’s outskirts, is a must. Should you be truly strapped for time take a guided city tour on a hop-on hop-off tour, it takes exactly one hour.

If you walk through the quiet parts of the city, you will be forgiven in thinking you’ve stepped into a rehearsal as you’ll come across local classical musicians playing pieces by Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. You see Münich loves music and it’s everywhere.

The city’s slumbering parks are threaded with a hundred or more museums which open doors to great masters like Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Gogh, art connoisseurs can enjoy some of the finest collections in Europe, study antiquity or soaking up contemporary art. The inventories of Münich's museums and galleries are among the finest in the world, from ancient icons to the present day stars. All state owned museums in Münich can be entered free on Sunday. This includes the Alte Pinakothek, one of the oldest galleries in the world housing famous art collections of the old masters (get the audio guide as each painting has its own interesting story). Across the road is the modern art gallery of Neue Pinakothek, focusing on 18^th and 19^th century artists like Goya, Constable and Turner. Other free-Sunday museums include the Bavarian National Museum, the Münich City Museum and the Glypothek.

Münich has museums on every imaginable subject. Some of the most interesting ones are the Museum of Mankind and Nature, Egyptian Art and the crown jewels at Residenz and the Museum of Erotic Art. The Lenbachhaus also has an exceptional collection of expressionist works including Kandinsky, Klee, and Marc. Even technology has its own temple in the Deutsches Museum, the largest science museum in Europe.

As soon as the sun comes out in spring and temperatures rise above 15°C the locals flock to the large chestnut tree lined beer gardens that seat a few thousand people who socialise over a litre of beer. You could either be served with traditional Bavarian food such as Obatzda cheese, grilled ribs, potato salad and Brez’n, or you could, as is the tradition, sit in an assigned area and consume what you've brought with you. Real beer garden professionals never arrive without their own plates and cutlery, a tablecloth and a basket stuffed with bread, cucumbers, horseradish, homemade Obatzda, grapes, ham and sausages. Don’t be surprised if the locals join you, sitting down with strangers and enjoying one another’s company is another Bavarian tradition.

People from Münich have a strong sense of identity and are proud to live in the capital of Bavaria. They are relaxed, laid back and known for their friendliness and hospitality. Brewing and drinking beer has an important status in Münich's community. Locals often gather round the long wooden tables in the beer cellars, sometime wearing traditional costume, to drink and chat at the Stammtisch - the table where certain groups of local people meet on a regular basis, in some cases they even spend the whole day there, drinking, eating and talking with their friends.

Two of the largest beer gardens are the Hirschgarten with 8,500 seats and the Augustiner in the Arnulfstrasse with 5,000. Other popular meeting places are the beer gardens at the Victuals Market, around the Chinese Tower in the English Gardens and the Waldwirtschaft, where jazz livens things up.

Münich has more than 5,000 restaurants from fashionable Italian terraces to stand-up snack bars. The ultimate Bavarian culinary experience soak up the sounds of the brass oompah band at the 418-year old Hofbrauhaus and order a mug of their cold Weissbier beer with pretzel and a plate of Weibwurst – a white veal sausage served with home-made sweet mustard. You only eat the inside of the sausage, not the peel, by either ridding it of its skin using your knife and fork or sucking it from one end. Leberkase is another local favourite and whilst the name literally means liver cheese, it is in fact a smooth spicy meatloaf served in thick slabs. Other dishes include Schweinebraten mit Knodel (roast pork with dumpling), Rippchen (Fred Flintstone style spare ribs), Hendl (chicken) sold roasted in halves or whole and Schweinshax'n (pork knuckles). To accompany all this, common side dishes like boiled potatoes (kartoffeln) or sauerkraut (sour cabbage) are served.

For a special occasion, and the last word in fine dining, reserve a table at the elegant Michelin starred Konigshof Restaurant offering spectacular views across the Stachus area. Don’t be too surprised when you find little dogs inside restaurants and shopping areas. In Europe pets are very important and the locals take them everywhere and it’s not uncommon to have a little dog sitting under the table during dinner.

Shopping in Münich is more than an exchange of money for goods; firstly it’s a journey of discovery as a typical feature of the city is the number of specialist shops that carry only one or two items like umbrellas, gloves or candles. A stroll along the haute couture stores on Maximilianstrasse will lead you to the pedestrian precinct, along the way you’ll discover trendy boutiques and little dress makers selling flamboyant Bavarian costumes, handicrafts and souvenirs. Sensual fragrances from all over the world will lure you into Dallmayr's or Käfer's, the leading delicatessens in Europe. Along the Sendlingerstrasse and Talstrasse, in the direction of the River Isar, is a selection of antique and junk shops. Souvenir hunters, football fans and music lovers will feel at home in the lanes around the Hofbräuhaus. The Gärtnerplatz and the Glockenbach district are ideal shopping areas for erotic wear; and for all those who appreciate a culinary seduction of the senses head to the markets for an intoxicating explosion of colour and pungent aromas where you can purchase Bavarian Schweinshax'n and Speck, cheeses from all over Europe, honey products, freshly squeezed apple-carrot-ginger juice and spices that cannot be found anywhere else in the region.

In Germany, a 16% Value-Added Tax is already reflected in the prices of most goods and services. Visitors living outside the European Union are eligible for a refund for most of the tax paid on gifts or souvenirs. You will be able to claim on clothing you purchase, so make sure you get a Tax-Free form from the store at the time of your purchase. You’ll need to fill it out with your receipt attached and at your final departure from the European Union, show the completed forms and the items you purchased to Customs authorities who will stamp the documents. There is usually a separate booth to go to (at Münich International Airport there are two Tax-Free refund counters: between the arrival gates of Terminals B and C and C and D.) Make sure you don't pack those items in your checked luggage. You can then claim your refund immediately.

Having hosted the 1972 Olympic Games, the 2002 European Championships in Athletics, and more recently the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Münich regularly transforms itself into a gigantic arena. Sporting events like the Blade-Nights, where thousands of inline skaters roll through the City’s streets and the Münich City Marathon, are but two of the regular events. This year, Münich is also hosting the World Rowing Championship and the BMW International Open Golfing Championship.

Everything seems to flows in Münich, the River Isar, which runs through the city centre, the Prosecco beer garden, even the boundaries between work and play. Daily life merges into evenings endless parties in posh night clubs and trendy warehouse bars where happy hour that know no end. The locals dress to impress; see and be seen and kiss both cheeks in greeting instead of a handshake. Münich is an idyllic metropolis, a dream city and gateway to the fairyland of rolling green hills that stretch all the way to the Alps, ancient farm villages, and romantic castles.

As a financial centre, Münich occupies a leading position both in Germany and in the international arena. The Bavarian capital provides ideal conditions for banks, insurance companies and financial service providers alike. Rapid growth in the venture capital and private equity markets gives a clear indication of the dynamic nature of the Münich’s financial and industry hub.

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