Bavaria
The
Free State of Bavaria (
German:
Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12.4 million inhabitants, forms the southernmost
state of today's
Germany. Its capital is
Munich.
Main article: History of Bavaria
The region north of the Alps was inhabited by Celts and was part of the Roman Empire until (probably Slavonic) tribes from the East, the so-called 'Bayuvaren' started to settle in the region in the 6th century AD. A later mention was made by the
Franks ca. 520.
Saint Boniface completed the people's conversion to Christianity in the early 8th century. Bavaria resisted the
Protestant Reformation, and remains strongly
Roman Catholic.
From about 550 to 788, the house of
Agilolfing ruled the
duchy of Bavaria, ending with
Tassilo III who was deposed by
Charlemagne. For the next 400 years numerous families held the duchy, rarely for more than three generations. The last, and one of the most important, of these dukes was
Henry the Lion of the house of
Welf, founder of Munich.
When Henry the Lion was deposed as duke of
Saxony and Bavaria by his cousin,
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1180, Bavaria was awarded as fief to the
Wittelsbach family, which ruled from 1180 to 1918. The first of several divisions of the duchy occurred in 1255 but in 1506 Bavaria was reunited and Munich became the sole capital. In 1623 the dukes replaced their relative, the
Count Palatine of the Rhine in the early days of the
Thirty Years War and acquired the powerful
prince-electoral dignity in the
Holy Roman Empire, determining its Emperor thence forward, as well as special legal status under the empire's laws. When
Napoleon abolished the Empire, Bavaria became a
kingdom in 1806, and in 1815 the
Rhenish Palatinate was annexed to it. In between 1799 and 1817 the leading minister count
Montgelas followed a strict policy of modernisation and lay the foundations of administrative structures that survived even the monarchy and are (in their core) valid until today. In 1818 a modern constitution (with the standards of the time) was passed, that established a bicameral Parliament with a House of Lords ("Kammer der Reichsräte") and a House of Commons ("Kammer der Abgeordneten"). The constitution was valid until the collapse of the monarchy at the end of the First World War.
After the rise of Prussia to prominence Bavaria managed to preserve its independence by playing off the rivalries of
Prussia and
Austria, but defeat in the
1866 Austro-Prussian War led to its incorporation into the
German Empire in 1871. In the early 20th century
Wassily Kandinsky,
Paul Klee,
Henrik Ibsen, and other notable artists were drawn to Bavaria, notably to the
Schwabing district of Munich, but the region was devastated by
World War I.
Socialist premier
Kurt Eisner, who deposed King
Ludwig III, was assassinated in 1919 leading to a violently suppressed communist revolt. Extremist activity on the right also increased, notably the 1923
Beer Hall Putsch, and Munich and
Nuremberg became
Nazi strongholds under the
Third Reich. As a manufacturing center, Munich was heavily bombed during
World War II and occupied by
U.S. troops.
Since
World War II, Bavaria has been rehabilitated into a prosperous industrial hub. A massive reconstruction effort restored much of Munich's historic core, and the city played host to the
1972 Summer Olympics. More recently, state minister-president
Edmund Stoiber was the CDU/CSU candidate for chancellor in the
2002 federal election, and native son
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected
Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg (a German-Army officer who was the central figure in the July 20 plot to kill Adolf Hitler in 1944)was born in Jettingen / Bavaria.
Bavaria shares international borders with
Austria and the
Czech Republic as well as with
Switzerland (across
Lake Constance). Neighbouring states within Germany are
Baden-Württemberg,
Hesse,
Thuringia and
Saxony. Two major rivers flow through the state, the
Danube (
Donau) and the
Main. The Bavarian Alps define the border with
Austria, and within the range is the highest peak in
Germany, the
Zugspitze.
The major cities in Bavaria are
Munich (
München),
Nuremberg (
Nürnberg),
Augsburg,
Regensburg,
Würzburg,
Ingolstadt,
Fürth and
Erlangen.
See also: List of places in Bavaria.
Bavaria has a
unicameral Landtag, or state parliament, elected by universal suffrage. Until December 1999, there was also a
Senat, or
Senate, whose members were chosen by social and economic groups in Bavaria, but following a referendum in 1998, this institution was abolished. The head of government is the
Minister-President.
Bavaria has long been a bastion of conservative politics in Germany, with the
Christian Social Union having almost a stranglehold on power since its inception in 1946. Every Minister-President since 1957 has been a member of this party.
In 1995 the Bavarians decided to introduce
direct democracy on the local level in a
referendum. This was initiated bottom-up by an association called
Mehr Demokratie (More Democracy). This is a grass-roots organisation which campaigns for the right to citizen-initiated referenda. In 1997 the Bavarian Supreme Court aggravated the regulations considerably (e.g. by introducing a turn-out quorum). Nevertheless, Bavaria has the most advanced regulations on local direct democracy in
Germany. This has led to a spirited citizens' participation in communal and municipal affairs - 835 referenda took place from 1995 through 2005.
In the 2003 elections the CSU won more than two thirds of the seats in
Landtag. No party in post-war West German history had achieved this before (not counting the rigged wins of the
SED in
East Germany).On the other hand the bigger and more liberal, or rather social democratic, cities, especially Munich, have been governed for decades by the SPD (Social Democrats).From the historical point of view, older Bavaria was one of the most liberal, even though predominantly
Roman Catholic, states until the rather rural areas of Swabia and Franconia were added in 1814/15 at the Congress of Vienna.The Kingdom of Bavaria and the Duchy of Baden were the first German States to have a constitution in the early 19th Century.
September 21, 2003 state election
Edmund Stoiber remained Minister-President, with the CSU forming a government without a coalition. The two-thirds majority of seats obtained by the CSU is the first one in any state parliament in Germany ever.
| Party | Party List votes | Vote percentage (change) | Total Seats (change) | Seat percentage |
|---|
| Christian Social Union (CSU) | 6,217,864 | 60.7% | +7.8% | 124 | +1 | 68.9% |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 2,012,065 | 19.6% | -9.1% | 41 | -26 | 22.8% |
| Alliance '90/The Greens | 793,050 | 7.7% | +2.0% | 15 | +1 | 8.3% |
| Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 263,731 | 2.6% | +0.9% | 0 | +0 | 0.0% |
| The Republicans | 229,464 | 2.2% | -1.4% | 0 | +0 | 0.0% |
| Free Voters of Bavaria | 411,306 | 4.0% | +0.3% | 0 | +0 | 0.0% |
| Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) | 200,103 | 2.0% | +0.2% | 0 | +0 | 0.0% |
| All Others | 120,952 | 1.2% | -0.7% | 0 | +0 | 0.0% |
| - bgcolor=lightgrey | Totals | 10,248,735 | 100.0% | | 180 | -24 | 100.0% |
|---|
|
Seat results -- SPD in red, CSU in black, Greens in green |
Due to their long independence (until 1871), Bavarians have always maintained a strong national identity. Their culture and mentality are very distinct from the rest of Germany. Noteworthy differences (especially in rural areas, less significant in the major cities) can be found with respect to:
Religion: Particularly in Southern Bavaria the predominant faith is
Roman Catholic, contrasting with the more
Lutheran-Protestantism in the Northern parts of Bavaria. This is expressed by the typical Bavarian and Austrian greeting:
"Grüß Gott!" ("I greet you in the name of God"). The current pope,
Benedict XVI (Joseph Alois Ratzinger), was born in
Marktl am Inn in
Upper Bavaria.
Attitude to traditions: In contrast to many other regions of Germany, where traditions are often associated with being backward, Bavarians are proud of their traditions. Traditional costume is worn on special occasions, century-old folk music is practised and dialect songs and poems are taught in nursery schools. The May Poles (which in the Middle Ages served as the community's yellow pages, as figurettes on the pole represent the trades of the village), and the bagpipes in the Upper Palatinate region bear witness to the strong Celtic heritage of the region.
Food and drink: Bavarians tend to place a greater value on food and drink than do other Germans. Bavarians also consume many items of food and drink which are unusual elsewhere in
Germany. Beer in particular has always been regarded as a basic nutrient (Grundnahrungsmittel) or 'liquid bread'. It is traditionally served by the litre (the so-called Mass). Bavarians are particularly proud of the purity law, which now applies to all German beers but was initially established by the Duke of Bavaria in 1516. According to this law, only four ingredients are allowed in beer: water, malt, hops and yeast.
Language: Bavarians are very proud of their marked
dialects and most of them speak with their Bavarian, Franconian or
Swabian accent. As with traditions in general, cultivation of dialect and regional accent is not associated with backwardness, as is often the case especially in North Germany.
Politics: The Christian Social Union, which has ruled in Bavaria uninterruptedly since 1957, does not seek election in any other state of Germany. The
CSU, arguably the most inward looking of the major German political parties, combines socially conservative positions with advocacy for extensive involvement of the state in the economy.
Social behaviour: In comparison to the elaborate formality in the rest of
Germany, Bavarians can be extremely egalitarian and folksy. Their sociability is probably best experienced at the annual Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival welcoming around 6 million visitors every year, or in the famous beer gardens. Genuine traditional Bavarian beer gardens work on a BYO basis, i.e. patrons bring their own food and only buy the chilled beer from the brewery that runs the beer garden. On hot Bavarian summer days and evenings, the long tables under shady chestnut trees are very popular and invite people to sit down next to complete strangers and share their food with them.
Regierungsbezirke (administrative regions)
|
Administrative Regions of Bavaria |
Bavaria is divided into 7 administrative regions called
Regierungsbezirke (singular
Regierungsbezirk).
#
Oberfranken (Upper Franconia)#
Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia)#
Unterfranken (Lower Franconia)#
Schwaben (Swabia)#
Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate)#
Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria)#
Niederbayern (Lower Bavaria)
These administrative regions consist of 71 administrative districts (called
Landkreise, singular
Landkreis) and 25 independent cities (
kreisfreie Städte, singular
kreisfreie Stadt).
Landkreise/kreisfreie Städte (administrative districts/independent cities)
|
Administrative districts of Bavaria |
Administrative districts:
Independent cities:
Gemeinden (municipalities)
The 71 administrative districts are on the lowest level divided into 2031
municipalities (called
Gemeinden, singular
Gemeinde). Together with the 25 independent cities (which are in effect municipalities independent of
Landkreis administrations), there are a total of 2056 municipalities in Bavaria.
In 44 of the 71 administrative districts, there are a total of 215
unincorporated areas (as of January 1, 2005, called
gemeindefreie Gebiete, singular
gemeindefreies Gebiet), not belonging to any municipality, all uninhabited, mostly forested areas, but also four lakes (
Chiemsee -without islands,
Starnberger See -without island
Roseninsel,
Ammersee, which are the three largest lakes of Bavaria, and
Waginger See).
Several
German dialects are spoken in Bavaria. In the administrative regions to the north the
Franconian dialect is prevalent, in
Swabia the local dialect is
Swabian, a thread of the
Alemannic dialect family. In the Upper Palatinate people speak the Northern Bavarian dialect that can vary regionally. In Upper and Lower Bavaria (Middle)
Austro-Bavarian is the predominant dialect.
See also
:
Bavarian Soviet Republic:
List of rulers of Bavaria:
List of Premiers of Bavaria:
Former countries in Europe after 1815Image:Aschaffenburg Schloss Johannisburg.jpg|Johannisburg Castle in AschaffenburgImage:Wuerzburger_Residenz_vom_Hofgarten.jpg|Residenz in WürzburgImage:BambergDom.jpg|Cathedral in BambergImage:Vierzehnheiligen I.JPG|VierzehnheiligenImage:Bayreuth_Festspielhaus_2006-07-16.jpg|Festspielhaus of Richard Wagner in BayreuthImage:Nuremberg sebald castle f lorenz f s.jpg|Imperial Castle in Nürnberg Image:Kastell Biriciana (Weißenburg in Bayern).jpg|Kastell Biriciana, LimesImage:Regensburg-steinerne-bruecke-hytrion-enhanced_1-1024x768.jpg|Cathedral of RegensburgImage:Walhalla_aussen.jpg|Walhalla in Donaustauf near RegensburgImage:Befreiungshalle-kelheim-aussen.jpg|Befreiungshalle in KelheimImage:Passau inn cathedral.JPG|Cathedral and Oberhaus fortification in PassauImage:LandshutTrausnitz01.jpg|Trausnitz castle, LandshutImage:A_rathausplatz.jpg|Townhall in Augsburg Image:Munich_skyline.jpg|Frauenkirche in MunichImage:Herrenchiem.JPG|Herrenchiemsee PalaceImage:Linderhof-1.jpg|Linderhof PalaceImage:Schloss Hohenschwangau.jpg|Hohenschwangau CastleImage:Castle_Neuschwanstein.jpg|Neuschwanstein CastleImage:wieskirche_boenisch_okt_2003.jpg|Wieskirche, SteingadenImage:Burghausen.jpg|Burghausen CastleThere are many famous people who were born or lived in present-day Bavaria:
*
Pope Benedict XVI -- as of April 2005 he is the current
Pope of the
Roman Catholic Church. His baptismal name is
Joseph Ratzinger.
*
Painters such as
Hans Holbein the Elder,
Albrecht Dürer,
Albrecht Altdorfer,
Lucas Cranach,
Carl Spitzweg,
Franz von Lenbach,
Franz von Stuck and
Franz Marc.
*
Musicians such as
Orlando di Lasso,
Christoph Willibald Gluck,
Richard Wagner,
Richard Strauss,
Carl Orff and
Theobald Boehm, the inventor of the modern
flute.
*Modern musicians like
Klaus Doldinger,
Barbara Dennerlein and
Amon Düül.
*
Writers,
poets and
playwrights like
Hans Sachs,
Jean Paul,
Frank Wedekind,
Christian Morgenstern,
Oskar Maria Graf,
Bertolt Brecht,
Lion Feuchtwanger,
Thomas Mann and his sons
Klaus and
Golo Mann.
*
Scientists such as
Nobel Prize winners
Albert Einstein,
Max Planck,
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, and
Werner Heisenberg, as well as
Adam Ries,
Joseph von Fraunhofer,
Georg Ohm,
Carl von Linde,
Rudolf Moessbauer and
Robert Huber.
*Well-known
inventors such as
Martin Behaim,
Levi Strauss and
Rudolf Diesel.
*
Physicians like
Max Joseph von Pettenkofer,
Sebastian Kneipp and the
neurologist Alois Alzheimer, who first described the
Alzheimer's Disease.
*
Footballers like
Franz Beckenbauer,
Sepp Maier,
Gerd Müller,
Paul Breitner,
Klaus Augenthaler and
Lothar Matthäus.
*
Film directors Rainer Werner Fassbinder,
Joseph Vilsmaier and
Werner Herzog.
*
Kaspar Hauser*
The Smith of KochelThe motorcycle and automobile makers
BMW (
Bayerische Motoren-Werke, or Bavarian Motor Works) and
Audi,
Grundig (consumer electronics),
Siemens (electricity, telephones, informatics, medical instruments),
Adidas and
Puma have (or had) a Bavarian industrial base.
A famous annual festival is called
Oktoberfest or
October Festival. It was first celebrated in 1810 as a public feast when the Bavarian crown prince Ludwig married Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The celebration originally was designed as a feast for all members of the Bavarian Nation, who should celebrate the country and the crown. It only turned to a pure matter of boozing in the 20th century and is nowadays attended rather by tourists than by Bavarians. Munich locals often despise it. It is celebrated during the two weeks leading up to the first Sunday in October.
Bavaria has also given its name to a major
Dutch brewery,
Bavaria Brewery.
The meaning of the coat of arms
Modern coat of arms was designed by
Eduard Ege, following heraldic traditions in 1946.
* The Golden Lion: The rampant lion Palatinate in its golden-and-red amour stands for the administrative region of Upper Palatinate.
* The "Franconian Rake": It represents the administrative regions of the Upper, Middle and Lower Franconia.
* The Blue Panther: At the bottom left of the third field there is a blue panther rampant, with gold talons, on a white (silver) ground. It represents the regions of the Lower and Upper Bavaria.
* The Three Lions: In the fourth field three black lions with red talons stand on a golden ground one above the other, with heads askance. On the Bavarian coat of arms they symbolize Swabia.
* The White-And-Blue Heart-Shaped Shield: The heart-shaped shield of white and blue fusils askance was originally the coat of arms of the Counts of Bogen to be adopted in 1247 by the Wittelsbachs House. The white-and-blue fusils are indisputably the emblem of Bavaria and the heart-shaped shield today symbolizes Bavaria as a whole. Along with the People's Crown, it is officially used as the Minor Coat of Arms.
* The People's Crown: The four coat fields with the heart-shaped shield in the centre are crowned with a golden band with precious stones decorated with five ornamental leaves. This crown appeared for the first time in the coat of arms in 1923 to symbolize sovereignty of the people after the dropping out of the royal crown.
Bavarian "citizenship"
The fact that, different to the constitutions of all other German Länder, the Bavarian constitution provides for a Bavarian
citizenship, is often mentioned as an indicator for Bavarian distinctiveness. Some Bavarians are keen to emphasize that - in accordance with the generous indication of the constitution - they regard everyone
*born in Bavaria,
*born to a Bavarian parent,
*adopted by a Bavarian as a child,
*married to a Bavarian, or
*naturalized in Bavaria,as a fellow-Bavarian; some of those falling under this untechnical definition express pride to being "Bavarian". However, state legislation regulating citizenship procedures has never been enacted, the constitution itself provides that all Germans enjoy the same rights as Bavarian citizens, and no office issues certificates concerning a "Bavarian" citizenship. Thus, the notion of citizenship rather bears a folkloristic, but not really political meaning.
However, many - originally born Bavarians - clearly divide between born Bavarians and people that only moved to Bavaria. The nickname for all those who came to Bavaria is "Zuagroaste" ("those who have travelled here").
Many people in the northern part of Bavaria see themselves as Franconians and do therefore not like to be called "Bavarians". They have a separate dialect and don't wear traditional Bavarian clothing.
German-Bavarian relations
It is a common joke in Germany that Bavaria is not part of Germany. In fact a minority seriously agree to this notion; the
Bayernpartei (Bavaria Party) has tendencies to make Bavaria an independent state in Europe.It is important to note that Bavaria was the only state to reject the West German constitution in 1949. However this has had no consequences on its implementation.
Population and area
| Administrative Region | Population (2004) | Area (km²) | No. municipalities |
|---|
| Lower Bavaria | 1,196,178 | 9.6% | 10,330 | 14.6% | 258 | 12.5% |
| Lower Franconia | 1,344,629 | 10.8% | 8,531 | 12.1% | 308 | 15.0% |
| Upper Franconia | 1,106,541 | 8.9% | 7,231 | 10.2% | 214 | 10.4% |
| Middle Franconia | 1,708,972 | 13.7% | 7,245 | 10.3% | 210 | 10.2% |
| Upper Palatinate | 1,090,289 | 8.8% | 9,691 | 13.7% | 226 | 11.0% |
| Swabia | 1,786,166 | 14.4% | 9,992 | 14.2% | 340 | 16.5% |
| Upper Bavaria | 4,211,118 | 33.8% | 17,530 | 24.8% | 500 | 24.3% |
| - bgcolor=lightgrey | Total | 12,443,893 | 100.0% | 70,550 | 100.0% | 2,056 | 100.0% |
|---|
The Bavarians take great pride in their culture. Traditions are taught to the children and descendants of Bavarian citizens through literature, music and cultural events. Whether actually in Bavaria, overseas or full citizens of other nations they continue to cultivate their traditions. They hold festivals and dances to keep their traditions alive.
In New York the German American Cultural Society is a larger umbrella group for others such as the Bavarian organizations, which represent a specific part of Germany. They proudly put forth a German Parade each year. Various affilliated events take place amongst its groups, one of which is the
Bavarian Dancers.
*
Official site of the state of Bavaria
*
Bayern Viewer aerial views and maps of Bavaria
*
Detailed map*
The Royal House of Bavaria, in German only
nds-nl:Bayern
