I.

Introduction

Bavaria (German, Bayern), state in south-east Germany, bounded on the north by the states of Thuringia and Saxony, on the north-east by the Czech Republic, on the south-east and south by Austria, and on the west by the states of Baden-Württemberg and Hesse. Bavaria has an area of 70,548 sq km (27,239 sq mi).

II.

Physical Geography

Bavaria is the largest state in Germany. It is drained by the River Main in the north-west and by the Danube, which transects the state from west to east, as well as by two of its tributaries, the Inn and the Iser, in the southern and central regions. To the north of the Danube the region is characterized by rolling upland. To the north-west the Spessart Hills rise above the Lower Main valley, to form, together with the Rhön Highlands to the north-east, a natural border with the neighbouring state of Hesse. To the east, along the border with the Czech Republic, are the Bavarian Low Mountains and the Bavarian Forest National Park, which was opened in 1970, enlarged in 1997, and covers an area of 24,250 hectares (59,922 acres). To the south of the Danube, stretching as far as the Bavarian Alps, are the Alps fore-mountains, bordering on Lake Constance to the west and to the east on the confluence of the rivers Salzbach and Inn. The Upper Bavarian Lake Plateau includes the Stirmberger Lake (57 sq km/22 sq mi), Chiemsee Lake (78 sq km/30 sq mi), and Ammersee Lake (47 sq km/18 sq mi). Further south are the Bavarian Alps. The Zugspitze, at 2,962 m (9,718 ft), is the highest mountain peak in Germany. To the west are the Allgäuer Alps, to the east the Berchtesgaden Alps and the Berchtesgaden National Park, founded in 1978 and covering some 20,808 hectares (51,417 acres).

Apart from the Bavarian Forest National Park and the Berchtesgaden National Park, there are two biosphere reserves also located in the Bavarian Forest and Berchtesgaden. In addition, there are 15 nature parks located in Bavaria.

III.

Population

Bavaria has a population of 12,423,000 (2004 estimate) and a population density of 176 people per sq km (456 people per sq mi; as of 2004). Munich is the capital of the state and has a population of 1,249,200 (2005 estimate). Other important towns and cities are: Augsburg (population, 2005 estimate, 260,400); Erlangen (2005 estimate, 102,600); Fürth (2005 estimate, 112,500); Ingolstadt (2005 estimate, 120,200); Nuremberg (2005 estimate, 495,300); Regensburg (2005 estimate, 128,900); and Würzburg (2005 estimate, 133,500). The inhabitants of Bavaria are largely Roman Catholic (around 67 per cent).

IV.

Education and Culture

Bavaria has 11 universities: University of Augsburg (1970); the University of Bamberg (1647); the University of Bayreuth (1972); the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (founded in 1743 and merged with the University of Altdorf in 1809); University of Munich (1472); the Technical University of Munich (1868); the University of Passau (1972); the University of Regensburg (1962); the University of Würzburg (1582); the Catholic University of Eichstätt (founded originally in 1564 and re-opened in 1972); and the Munich University of the Armed Forces (founded in 1973). There are three theological universities (in Benediktbeuren, Munich, and Neuendettelsau); a Higher Institute of Political Sciences in Munich; two academies of fine arts—in Munich and Nuremburg; a State University for Music and Theatrical Arts in Munich; a State Academy of Music in Würzburg; a Municipal Music Academy in Nuremberg-Augsburg; and the Bavarian August Ewerding Theatrical Academy in Munich.

Notable libraries and archives in the state (other than university libraries) include: the State and City Library and the State Archive in Augsburg; the State Library and State Archive in Bamberg; the Bavarian State Library and State Archive in Munich; the Library of the Museum of Germany, the State Archive, and the City Library in Nuremberg; the State Library in Passau; and the State Archive in Würzburg. There are over 1,000 museums in Bavaria. There are 46 state museums and galleries including: the Bavarian State Art Galleries in Munich; the Bavarian National Museum in Munich; and the various museums of the State Scientific Collections, also in the capital. Other notable museums and galleries include the Richard Wagner Museum in Bayreuth and the Old Picture Gallery in Munich, dating from 1528.

There are 32 theatres in Bavaria including the Bavarian State Opera, the Bavarian State Drama Theatre, and the Gärtnerplatz State Theatre, all located in Munich. In addition to the world-famous Richard Wagner festival in Bayreuth (with a purpose-built theatre, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus), Bavaria regularly holds a number of cultural festivals including: the Munich Opera Festival; the Bach Week in Ausbach; the Nuremberg Organ Week; the Mozart Festival in Würzburg; and the Oktoberfest, a traditional food and drink festival, in the capital.

The Marien Chapel dating from c. 706 in the Citadel of Marienberg is the oldest church built in Germany. The cathedrals of Augsburg, Bamberg, Freising, and Würzburg are among the oldest examples of ecclesiastical buildings in the state. St Lorenz in Nuremberg was the first large Gothic church to be built in Germany, while the Church of Our Lady in Munich is seen as the last great example of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture in the country. The Fugger Chapel in Augsburg is regarded as the first Renaissance building in Germany. In addition, there are a number of fine examples of Baroque and Rococo architecture in Bavaria.

There are four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bavaria: the Ducal and Episcopal residence in Würzburg (inscribed in 1981); the Pilgrimage church of Wies at Steingaden (named in 1983); and the historic towns of Bamberg (designated in 1993) and Regensburg (added in 2006).

Famous personalities born in or associated with Bavaria include: painters Hans Holbein the Younger, Matthias Grünewald, Albrecht Dürer, and Lucas Cranach; composers Orlando di Lasso, Johann Pachelbel, Christoph Willibald Glück, Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss, and Carl Orff; scientists Simon Georg Ohm, Justus von Liebig, Josef von Fraunhofer, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, and Rudolf Diesel; philosophers Friedrich Wilhelm von Schelling, Oswald Spengler, and Max Scheler; sociologist Max Weber; poets and writers Wolfram von Eschenbach, Walther von der Vogelweide, Hans Sachs, Johann Paul Richter (Jean Paul), Friedrich Rückert, Thomas Mann, and Bertolt Brecht.

V.

Economy

The economy of Bavaria has developed rapidly since World War II. The extensive development of hydroelectric power in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps has been a key factor in the state overcoming its lack of natural resources. Bavaria is an important centre in the manufacture of electronics, machinery, textiles, chemicals, automobiles, clothing, and ceramics. The state has been very successful in attracting and developing high technology industries including electronics, aerospace, mechanical engineering, precision engineering, measurement, optics, and instrumentation. Leading businesses include Siemens, BMW, Audi, MAN, and EADS Deutschland. Bavaria is an important centre for processing industries such as leather goods, food processing, toy making, and printing and publishing.

The contribution of agriculture to Bavaria’s economy has declined since World War II, but still accounts for approximately one tenth of the economy. The main crops include rye, wheat, barley, potatoes, sugar beet, vegetables, hay, hops, and vineyards.

The service sector now dominates the Bavarian economy: two thirds of all business and nine out of ten new business start-ups are in service industries. In recent years there has been a huge growth in consultancy, data processing, information technology, engineering, and architecture. Bavaria’s success in developing industries such as information technology, telecommunications, genetic engineering, and biomaterials has been underpinned by its research and development infrastructure. Fourteen institutes and departments of the Max Planck Society and nine departments of the Fraunhofer Institute for the Promotion of Applied Research are located in Bavaria.

The financial services industry is very important to the Bavarian economy. The Hypo Vereinsbank and Bayerische Landesbank Girozentrale, both among the 50 largest banks in the world, are based in Bavaria. Nearly 30 per cent of all insurance premiums paid in Germany are collected by Bavarian companies, including Allianz AG based in Munich. There are a number of trade fair centres in Bavaria; the most important are in Munich and Nuremberg.

The tourist industry plays a major part in the state’s economy, especially in the Bavarian Alps, where a large proportion of the hotel beds in the state are concentrated. The transport system in Bavaria is well developed. The road network is extensive and is due to be expanded by the provision of motorway access to Saxony and Thuringia. Apart from the major international airports at Munich and Nuremberg, there are 21 commercial airports in the state. The Main River is navigable as far as Bamberg. The Rhine-Main-Danube Canal will link the North Sea with the Black Sea.

VI.

Government

The constitution for the state of Bavaria was drawn up in 1946. Administratively, Bavaria is divided into 7 regions, 71 districts, 25 district towns, and 2,031 district municipalities. The state government consists of a minister-president, responsible to an elected assembly, and a cabinet of 12 ministers. The state parliament (Bayerischer Landtag) has 180 members elected by proportional representation to serve for a five-year term.

The state government is formed by the Christian Social Union (CSU). In the elections of September 2003 the CSU gained 124 seats (an overall majority); the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) 41; and the Green Party 15. Bavaria has 18 representatives in the Bundesrat (the federal council of the German parliament) and was represented by 81 seats in the Bundestag (the lower house of parliament) in the 2002 federal elections.

VII.

History

Previously settled by Celts, Bavaria was conquered by the Romans in the 1st century bc and resettled by Germanic peoples in the 5th and 6th centuries. One of these groups, the Baiovarii, gave its name to the region. It became a possession of Charlemagne in 787 and was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until the 10th century. In 1180 it passed to the Bavarian family of Wittelsbach. During the Reformation Bavaria remained staunchly Roman Catholic and was consequently ravaged by Protestant forces during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). The fertile soil and strategic position of the region made it a highly prized possession, and it was frequently invaded by foreign armies in the 17th and 18th centuries, such as during the War of the Austrian Succession and the War of the Spanish Succession.

During the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815), Bavaria was made a kingdom by Napoleon. In the 19th century, Bavaria tended to support Austria against Prussia. After being defeated with Austria in the Seven Weeks' War (1866), however, Bavaria sided with Prussia and in 1871 joined the new German Empire. After World War I, which ended the 738-year reign of the Wittelsbach dynasty, a Communist-led group belonging to the Independent Socialist party seized power, but troops of the central government assisted by Bavarian volunteers crushed the rebellion. In the 1920s Bavaria was able to retain a large degree of autonomy, which it lost in the 1930s with the rise of Adolf Hitler. Munich became the headquarters of the National Socialist (Nazi) party during the Hitler regime. In 1933 the first Nazi concentration camp was built at Dachau, near Munich. The infamous Nazi rallies, and later the war crimes trials, took place in Nuremberg.

After World War II Bavaria was included in the United States Zone of Occupation. A new constitution was drawn up in 1946, and in 1949 Bavaria became a constituent state of West Germany. In 1990, West and East Germany united and became the Federal Republic of Germany.