Bavaria

Trip preparation

Bavaria (Bayern in German) is the largest federal state of the sixteen states of Federal Republic of Germany. Located in the southeast of the country and its capital is Munich. Bavaria is the number one tourist destination in Germany and has a population of over 12.5 million people.

Language

You can find different dialects in Bavaria which often differ a lot from standard German. Foreigners -and even people from other parts of Germany- just have to ask Bavarians to speak standard German, otherwise it will probably not be possible for them to understand it.

Best travel time

The Bavaria has a continental climate. Throughout the year makes between 1,600 and 1,900 hours of sun on average. About 100 days a year ago degrees below zero.

History

The Celts were the first inhabitants of Bavaria and during the reign of Emperor Augustus the Bavaria area south of the Danube was part of the Roman Empire. After 1814, many of the modern boundaries of Bavaria were drawn, after signing the Treaty of Paris. Today Bavaria is part of Germany, this is so since German unification in 1871. Bavaria is bordered by Austria and the Czech Republic. Munich, the capital of Bavaria, Augsburg and Regensburg are among the most important cities in Bavaria.

Religion

Most of the population is Catholic, particularly in Lower Franconia (one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria). In Franconia the majority of the population is evangelical. Benedict XVI, the current Pope of the Catholic Church, was born in Marktl am Inn in Bavaria and was archbishop of Munich and in 1977 he was appointed cardinal.

By bus

Bavaria has many highways, so it is very well connected. In addition, you can move easily by railway. The central train station in Munich is one of the largest train stations in Germany. Munich and Nuremberg also have city trams and suburban trains ("Stadtschnellbahn" S-Bahn in its German abbreviation).

By plane

The heart of Bavaria International Airport Munich-Franz Josef Strauss (MUC), is one of the largest airports in Europe. In addition there are, two international airports in Nuremberg and Memmingen.

Sights

In Bavaria you can review a cultural history of over 1000 years. Under Article 3 of the constitution the federal state of Bavaria is a state of culture. The Cathedral of Regensburg (Regensburg) and Steinerne Brücke (Stone Bridge) Bamberg Cathedral Augsburger Rathaus (City Hall of Augsburg) Stephansdom (St. Stephan's Catetral) in Passau with the largest organ in the world. Würzburg Residence

Events

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany is the "Oktoberfest", in the Bavarian city of Munich it attracts more than six million visitors from Italy, USA, Spain and Japan. It is one of the most popular festivals in the world and takes place between September and October, for about two weeks. People come to the party dressed in traditional Bavarian costume. The men wear the typical "Lederhosen" (leather trousers) and women wear the "Drindl (Bavarian feminine dresses.) The Richard Wagner Festival in Bayreuth is held every year in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth and is dedicated to the operas of German composer Richard Wagner.

Food

A typical dish of Bavaria is the "weißwurst" white sausage accompanied by a little mustard and a pretzel. In general, the traditional drink is wheat beer. The beer is usually served in one liter glasses (called "Mass" in German). The "weißwurst" and beer is particularity eaten at Oktoberfest.