Munich is one of the largest cities in Germany, only surpassed in population by Berlin and Hamburg. It is the main city of Bavaria and an important economic center of the country. Strictly German and yet capable of charming with its coziness. This is especially true for the Altstadt-Lehel district, where one of Munich's symbols, the Frauenkirche Cathedral, Marienplatz, and the Column of the Virgin Mary, the Munich Residence, as well as two town halls - the Old and the New - are located. The rental prices for apartments and hotel room costs in this area are the highest in the city. But there are advantages: you don't need to spend time and money on public transport to reach these attractions. They are all within walking distance.
Most of Munich's residents are Bavarians. They are classified as a separate sub-ethnic group since the inhabitants of this region have unique cultural traditions and dialect. Beer is the main drink of the region, and the Bavarian sausage is the best, though not the only accompaniment to it. Munich's beer traditions have woven its colorful life, holidays, weekdays, and mentality. In conversations under the blossoming chestnuts of beer gardens, a favorite pastime of Bavarians, you will surely hear about the miraculous qualities of the amber drink. The locals take particular pride in the beer purity law, which, with some amendments and reservations, all breweries in Bavaria have adhered to since 1516. According to it, the only ingredients that could be used to produce beer were water, barley, and hops. Yeast, as a separate ingredient, was not accounted for in the text because its existence was unknown at the time.
The beautiful Allianz Arena stadium is located in the northern part of the city. It was opened on May 30, 2005, with a friendly match between "Munich 1860" and "Nuremberg", and the next day a match between "Bayern" and the German national team took place there. Both games were sold out, with all 66,000 tickets sold. Initially, the arena was co-owned by "Bayern" and "Munich 1860". However, in April 2006, due to financial problems, "Munich 1860" sold its share to its neighbors. Since then, "Bayern" has been the sole owner of the Allianz Arena.
In the past, this stadium has hosted top-level matches: the 2006 World Cup games, the 2011/12 Champions League final, and the 2020 European Championship games. During the final part of Euro 2024, it will host the tournament's opening match between Germany and Scotland, other group stage games: Denmark - Serbia, Slovenia - Serbia, and Romania - Ukraine, as well as the 1/8 and 1/2 finals matches. A year later, the UEFA Champions League final of the 2024/25 season is planned to be held here.
"Bayern" is the most titled club in the country and one of the most titled clubs in the world. It has 33 championship titles, 20 German Cups, 6 Champions League victories, and many other trophies won both domestically and internationally. The successes of "Munich 1860", considered one of the oldest football clubs in the world but now playing in the third league, are much more modest. It has only one national championship victory (1966), two cups (1942 and 1964), and no international trophies, though attempts to win them were made. The closest "Munich 1860" came to success was in 1965, when in the Cup Winners' Cup final held at the English stadium "Wembley", they lost to "West Ham". Currently, "Munich 1860" plays at its old home stadium - the Municipal Stadium on Grünwalder Straße. It is located not far from the city center in the Giesing district.
Due to its economic attractiveness, Munich is quite an open city for immigrants and refugees from other countries, among which it is worth noting a large Turkish diaspora, numbering almost 40,000 people. It's not surprising that it has its own football club called Türkgügü. It was founded in 1975 and now plays in the Regional League, but not long ago - in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons - it played in the Third League, holding home matches at the Munich Olympic Stadium, famous for its architecture.
The Munich fan scene, like the history of the Allianz Arena, is connected with the city's two most popular clubs - "Bayern" and "Munich 1860". The fans of these teams, as it should be, hate each other. This is felt even now when they play in different leagues. Südkurve München is the lair of "Bayern" ultras. All their groups are based in this stand, led by the flagship of Bavarian fanaticism - Schickeria München. Münchner Löwen have their own pearls.
Football-loving, tasty, hoppy, fun, and friendly, Munich is definitely worth spending some time in.
