Portal:Bavaria

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Bavaria

Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a landlocked state of Germany. It borders the states of Baden-Württemberg to the west, Hesse to the north-west, and Thuringia and Saxony to the north, as well as the countries of Switzerland and Austria to the south and the Czech Republic to the east. The state's capital and largest city is Munich; other major cities include Nuremberg, Augsburg, Regensburg, and Ingolstadt. With an area of 70,550 square kilometres (27,249 sq mi), it is the largest German state, and with 13.08 million inhabitants, the second-most populous.

The history of Bavaria begins with the settlement of Celtic tribes during the Iron Age. The territory was then ruled by the Roman Empire and incorporated into the provinces of Raetia and Noricum in the first century AD. Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Duchy of Bavaria was created in Francia in 555 AD. It later became part of East Francia and controlled territory in modern-day Austria, Slovenia and Italy. Within the Holy Roman Empire it gained elector status in 1623 during the Thirty Years' War, eventually becoming the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1806. Following the Unification of Germany, Bavaria remained a kingdom within the German Empire until the end of World War I. The modern state of Bavaria was established in 1945 and became part of West Germany in 1949.

The culture of Bavaria is heavily influenced by its Catholic heritage. The Bavarian language is a group of German dialects in both Bavaria and Austria with around 12 million speakers, making it the largest German dialect. Other major cultural influences of Bavaria include its cuisine, consisting of foods such as Weißwurst and Leberkäse, its architecture, largely focused on Alpine symbolism in southern Alpine regions, and its major festivals such as the Oktoberfest in Munich.

Modern Bavaria's borders consist of Altbayern as well as parts of the historical regions of Franconia and Swabia. There are 7 administrative regions of Bavaria, 3 of which are in Franconia and Altbayern and 1 of which is in Swabia. Bavaria has a tradition of conservatism; the CSU is the largest party in Bavaria and is known as the 'sister party' of the national CDU, being collectively known as the Union. (Full article...)

Selected article

Wittelsbach: Coat of Arms
Wittelsbach: Coat of Arms

The House of Wittelsbach (German: Haus Wittelsbach) is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, Holland, Zeeland, Sweden (with Swedish-ruled Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary, Bohemia, and Greece. Their ancestral lands of Bavaria and the Palatinate were prince-electorates, and the family had three of its members elected emperors and kings of the Holy Roman Empire. They ruled over the Kingdom of Bavaria which was created in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918.

The House of Windsor, the reigning royal house of the British monarchy, are descendants of Sophia of Hanover (1630–1714), a Wittelsbach Princess of the Palatinate by birth and Electress of Hanover by marriage, who had inherited the succession rights of the House of Stuart and passed them on to the House of Hanover. (Full article...)

Selected biography

Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss

Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, particularly of operas, Lieder and tone poems. Strauss was also a prominent conductor.

Strauss was born on 11 June 1864, in Munich, the son of Franz Strauss, who was the principal horn player at the Court Opera in Munich. He received a thorough, but conservative, musical education from his father in his youth, writing his first music at the age of six. He continued to write music almost until his death.

Quotes

  • Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.

Christian Morgenstern (poet)

  • So certainly, if we can tell evil stories to make people sick, we can also tell good stories that make them well.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (film director)

  • Hopefully it won't be worse than it is already.

Karl Valentin

Selected image

Königsee
Königsee
Credit: Fanndian
The Königssee is a lake located in the extreme southeast of the German State of Bavaria (Bayern), near the German-Austrian Border. Lying near the Bavarian town of Berchtesgaden in the municipality of Schönau am Königsee, just south of the Austrian city Salzburg in the German Alps, the Königssee is the deepest lake in Germany.

Did you know?

  • ...that there is a Bavarian citizenship (as opposed to a German citizenship)? Actually, the Bavarian constitution (Bavaria has a separate constitution that exists alongside the German constitution) explicitly provides for it in articles 6 and 7. Specifically, you become a Bavarian citizen by birth, by marriage or by being naturalized.

Subcategories

Topics

Cities of Bavaria: Munich • Nuremberg • Augsburg • Würzburg • Regensburg • Ingolstadt • Fürth • Erlangen • Bayreuth • Bamberg • Aschaffenburg

Regions of Bavaria: Lower Bavaria • Lower Franconia • Upper Franconia • Middle Franconia • Upper Palatinate • Swabia • Upper Bavaria

Politics of Bavaria: List of Ministers-President of Bavaria • Bavarian state election, 2008 • Landtag of Bavaria

Economy of Bavaria: BMW • Siemens • Audi • Allianz • Adidas • MAN

History of Bavaria: List of Ministers-President of Bavaria • Agilolfings • Kingdom of Bavaria • House of Wittelsbach • Bavarian Council Republic

Symbols: Coat of arms of Bavaria • Flag of Bavaria • Bayernhymne • Bavaria statue • Coat of arms of Munich • Münchner Kindl

Original languages: Austro-Bavarian (boarisch) • Swabian • Low Alemannic • East Franconian

Culture: Paganism in the Eastern Alps • Lederhosen • Dirndl • Maibaum • Oktoberfest • Hofbräuhaus am Platzl • Academy of Fine Arts, Munich • Der Blaue Reiter • Bavarian National Museum • Pinakothek der Moderne • Neue Pinakothek • Alte Pinakothek

The Zugspitze massif from the northeast

Germany state portals

WikiProjects

Main project
  • Bavaria

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Wikipedia in Bavarian languages

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