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Freistaat Bayern Free State of Bavaria
Flag	Coat of arms
Details
Location
Coordinates	48°56′″N 11°30′″E / Expression error: Unexpected / operator, Expression error: Unexpected / operatorCoordinates: 48°56′″N 11°30′″E / Expression error: Unexpected / operator, Expression error: Unexpected / operator
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Administration
Country	Germany
NUTS Region	DE2
Capital	Munich
Minister-President	Günther Beckstein (CSU)
Governing party	CSU
Votes in Bundesrat	6 (of 69)
Basic statistics
Area	70,549 km² (27,239 sq mi)
Population	12,495,000 (04/2007)[1]
- Density	177 /km² (459 /sq mi)
Other information
GDP/ Nominal	€ 404 billion (2005)
Website	bayern.de

The geographic region and Free State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern (help· info)), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, forms the southernmost and geographically largest state of Germany. Its capital is Munich. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Bavaria is the name of: Bavaria, one of the 16 states of Germany. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bavaria_(lozengy). ... Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_Bavaria. ... Greater Coat of arms of Bavaria Small Coat of arms of Bavaria The coat of arms of the German state of Bavaria was introduced by law on 5 June 1950. ... Image File history File links Deutschland_Lage_von_Bayern. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... Time zones of Europe: Light colours indicate countries that do not observe summer time Central European Time (CET) is one of the names of the time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... Time zones of Europe: Light colours indicate countries that do not observe summer time Central European Summer Time (CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... Central European Time West Africa Time British Summer Time* Irish Summer Time* Western European Summer Time* Category: ... Eastern European Time Central Africa Time Israel Standard Time South Africa Standard Time Central European Summer Time West Africa Summer Time Category: ... This list of countries, arranged alphabetically, gives an overview of countries of the world. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) is a geocode standard for referencing the administrative division of countries for statistical purposes. ... Not to be confused with capitol. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... A minister-president (Ministerpräsident) is the head of government of a German federal state; the office corresponds to the governorship of a state in the United States. ... Günther Beckstein is a Bavarian politician from the CSU party. ... The Christian Social Union of Bavaria ( ) is a Christian democratic political party in Germany. ... Political Parties redirects here. ... The Christian Social Union of Bavaria ( ) is a Christian democratic political party in Germany. ... The Bundesrat (federal council) is the representation of the 16 Federal States (Länder) of Germany at the federal level. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Population density per square kilometre by country, 2006 Population density map of the world in 1994. ... This article is about GDP in the context of economics. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... Free state is a term occasionally used in the official titles of some states. ... Image File history File links Freistaat_Bayern. ... Germany is a Federal Republic made up of 16 States, known in German as Länder (singular Land). ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ...

[edit] History

Main article: History of Bavaria

The Bavarians emerged in a region north of the Alps, originally inhabited by the Celts, which had been part of the Roman provinces of Rhaetia and Noricum. The Bavarians spoke Old High German but, unlike other Germanic groups, did not migrate from elsewhere. Rather, they seem to have coalesced out of other groups left behind by Roman withdrawal late in the 5th century AD. These peoples may have included Marcomanni, Thuringians, Goths, Rugians, Heruli, and some remaining Romans. The name "Bavarian" ("Baiuvari") means "Men of Baia" which may indicate Bohemia, the homeland of the Marcomanni. They first appear in written sources circa 520. Saint Boniface completed the people's conversion to Christianity in the early 8th century. Bavaria was, for the most part, unaffected by the Protestant Reformation, and even today, most of it is strongly Roman Catholic. It has been suggested that Bavaria#Historical_Buildings be merged into this article or section. ... Celts, normally pronounced // (see article on pronunciation), is widely used to refer to the members of any of the peoples in Europe using the Celtic languages or descended from those who did. ... The (Late Old High) German speaking area of the Holy Roman Empire around 950. ... The Marcomanni were a Germanic tribe, probably related to the Suebi or Suevi. ... The Thuringii was a tribe which appeared later than most in the highlands of central Germany, a region which still bears their name to this day -- Thuringia. ... This article is about the Germanic tribes. ... The Rugians (Latin rugii) were an East Germanic tribe whose ultimate origins have been traced to Rogaland in Norway, whose population probably was the Rugii that Jordanes mentioned as a tribe that still remained in Scandza. ... The Heruli (spelled variously in Latin and Greek) were a nomadic Germanic people, who were subjugated by the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Byzantines in the 3rd to 5th centuries. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ; German: ) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... Events February 20 - Epiphanius elected Patriarch of Constantinople. ... For the Roman general of this name, see Bonifacius. ... Reformation redirects here. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ...

From about 550 to 788, the house of Agilolfing ruled the duchy of Bavaria, ending with Tassilo III who was deposed by Charlemagne. Events By Place Byzantine Empire Silk reaches Constantinople (approximate date). ... Events Charlemagne conquers Bavaria. ... The Agilolfings were a family of Frankish or Bavarian nobility that ruled the historical teritory of Bavaria on behalf of their Frankish overlords from about 550 until 788. ... The following is a list of rulers of Bavaria: Dukes of Bavaria, 889-1623 Liutpolding Dynasty Liutpold 889-907 Arnulf the Bad 907-937 Eberhard 937 Berthold 938-947 Liudolfing ( Ottonian) Dynasty Henry I 947-955 Henry II the Quarrelsome 955-976 Otto I 976-982 Liutpolding Dynasty Henry III... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Charlemagne (left) and Pippin the Hunchback. ...

Three early dukes are named in Frankish sources: Garibald I may have been appointed to the office by the Merovingian kings and married the Lombard princess Walderada when the church forbade her to King Chlothar I in 555. Their daughter, Theodelinde, became Queen of the Lombards in northern Italy and Garibald was forced to flee to her when he fell out with his Frankish overlords. Garibald's successor, Tassilo I, tried unsuccessfully to hold the eastern frontier against the expansion of Slavs and Avars around 600. Tassilo's son Garibald II seems to have achieved a balance of power between 610 and 616. Statue of Charlemagne (also called Karl der Große, Charles the Great) in Frankfurt, Germany. ... Garibald I (also Garivald) (b. ... For other uses, see Merovingian (disambiguation). ... Look up Lombard in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see number 555. ... Distribution of Slavic people by language The Slavic peoples are a linguistic and ethnic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Europe, where they constitute roughly a third of the population. ... Late Avar period Map showing the location of Avar Khaganate, c. ... The population of the Earth rises to about 208 million people. ... Garibald II (585 – 625) was Duke of Bavaria from 610 until his death. ... Events October 4 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas and becomes Emperor. ... Events Eadbald succeeds Ethelbert as king of Kent. ...

After Garibald II little is known of the Bavarians until Duke Theodo I, whose reign may have begun as early as 680. From 696 onwards he invited churchmen from the west to organize churches and strengthen Christianity in his duchy (it is unclear what Bavarian religious life consisted of before this time). His son, Theudebert, led a decisive Bavarian campaign to intervene in a succession dispute in the Lombard Kingdom in 714, and married his sister Guntrud to the Lombard King Liutprand. At Theodo's death the duchy was divided among his sons, but reunited under his grandson Hucbert. Theodo (before 665 – 11 December c. ... Theodbert (also Theodebert, Theudebert, Theotpert, and Theodo) (c. ... The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, whence comes the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe that entered the late Roman Empire. ...

At Hucbert's death (735) the duchy passed to a distant relative named Odilo, from neighboring Alemannia (modern Southwest Germany and northern Switzerland). Odilo issued a law code for Bavaria, completed the process of church organization in partnership with St. Boniface (739), and tried to intervene in Frankish succession disputes by fighting for the claims of the Carolingian Grifo. He was defeated near Augsburg in 743 but continued to rule until his death in 748. Duke Odilo (d. ... The following list of Frankish Kings is one of several Wikipedia lists of incumbents. ... Grifo was the illegitimate son of Charles Martel, an important leader of the Franks. ... For other meanings for Augsburg: See Augsburg (disambiguation) , Augsburg is a city in south-central Germany. ...

Tassilo III (b. 741 - d. after 794) succeeded his father at the age of eight after an unsuccessful attempt by Grifo to rule Bavaria. He initially ruled under Frankish oversight but began to function independently from 763 onwards. He was particularly noted for founding new monasteries and for expanding eastwards, fighting Slavs in the eastern Alps and along the Danube and colonizing these lands. After 781, however, his cousin Charlemagne began to pressure Tassilo to submit and finally deposed him in 788. The deposition was not entirely legitimate; Dissenters attempted a coup against Charlemagne at Tassilo's old capital of Regensburg in 792, led by his own son Pippin the Hunchback, and the king had to drag Tassilo out of imprisonment to formally renounce his rights and titles at the Assembly of Frankfurt in 794. This is the last appearance of Tassilo in the sources and he probably died a monk. As all of his family were also forced into monasteries, this was the end of the Agilolfing dynasty. Tassilo III was duke of Bavaria from 748 to 787, the last of the house of the Agilolfings. ... Charlemagne (left) and Pippin the Hunchback. ... Regensburg (also Ratisbon, Latin Ratisbona) is a city (population 151. ... Pepin (Pippin) the Hunchback (b. ...

For the next 400 years numerous families held the duchy, rarely for more than three generations. With the revolt of duke Henry the Quarrelsome in 976, Bavaria lost large territories in the south and south east. 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. Also the Electoral Palatinate was acquired by the Wittelsbach in 1214. Henry II the Wrangler Henry II (951–995), called the Wrangler or the Quarrelsome, in German Heinrich der Zänker, was the son of Henry I and Judith of Bavaria. ... Henry the Lion (statue on his tomb in Brunswick Cathedral). ... The House of Welf (or House of Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th century until the 20th century. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DED Capital Dresden Minister-President Georg Milbradt (CDU) Governing parties CDU / SPD Votes in Bundesrat 4 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  18,416 km² (7,110 sq mi) Population 4,252,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 231 /km... Frederick Barbarossa in a 13th century chronicle. ... Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud or fee, consisted of heritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord in return for a vassal knights service (usually fealty, military service, and security). ... The Wittelsbach family is an European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria. ... A palatinate is a territory administered by a count palatine, originally the direct representative of the sovereign, but later the hereditary ruler of the territory subject to the crowns overlordship. ...

The first of several divisions of the duchy of Bavaria occurred in 1255. With the extinction of the Hohenstaufen in 1268 also Swabian territories were acquired by the Wittelsbach dukes. Emperor Louis the Bavarian acquired Brandenburg, Tyrol, Holland and Hainaut for his House but released the Upper Palatinate for the Palatinate branch of the Wittelsbach in 1329. In 1506 with the Landshut War of Succession the other parts of Bavaria were reunited and Munich became the sole capital. Arms of the Hohenstaufen Dynasty The Hohenstaufen (or the Staufer(s)) were a dynasty of Kings of Germany, many of whom were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Dukes of Swabia. ... Germany, showing modern borders. ... Emperor Louis IV Louis IV of Bavaria (also known as Ludwig the Bavarian) of the House of Wittelsbach (1282 – October 11, 1347) was duke of Bavaria from 1294/1301 together with his brother Rudolf I, also count of the Palatinate until 1329 and, German king since 1314 and crowned as... For the similarly spelled Brandenberg, see Brandenberg (Austria) or Brandenburg (disambiguation) Location Coordinates , , Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE4 Capital Potsdam Minister-President Matthias Platzeck (SPD) Governing parties SPD / CDU Votes in Bundesrat 4 (of 69) Basic statistics Area  29,479 km² (11,382... Coat of arms of the Counts of Tyrol Austria-Hungary in 1914, showing Tirol–Vorarlberg as the left-most province, coloured cream Capital Meran (Merano), until 1848 Government Principality Historical era Middle Ages  - Created County 1140  - Bequeathed to Habsburgs 1363 or 1369  - Joined Council of Princes 1582  - Trent, Tyrol and... This article is about a region in the Netherlands. ... The virtually independent county of Hainaut emerged from chaotic conditions at the end of the 9th century as a semi-independent state, at first a vassal of the crown of Lotharingia. ... The Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of Bavaria. ... Combatants Bavaria-Munich Bavaria-Landshut Palatine of the Rhine The Landshut war of succesion resulted from a agreement between the duchies of Bavaria-Munich (Bayern-München) and Bavaria-Landshut (Bayern-Landshut), both being lines of the House of Wittelsbach about succession when one of the lines should have no...

In 1623 the Bavarian duke replaced his 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. Also the Upper Palatinate was reunited with Bavaria. The ambitions of the Bavarian prince electors led to several wars with Austria during the early 18th century. From 1777 onwards Bavaria and the Electoral Palatinate were governed in personal union again. A palatinate is a territory administered by a count palatine, originally the direct representative of the sovereign, but later the hereditary ruler of the territory subject to the crowns overlordship. ... Combatants Sweden  Bohemia Denmark-Norway (Until 1643) Dutch Republic France Scotland England Saxony  Holy Roman Empire ( Catholic League) Spain Austria Bavaria Commanders Frederick V Buckingham Leven Gustav II Adolf â€  Johan Baner Cardinal Richelieu Louis II de Bourbon Turenne Christian IV of Denmark Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar Johann Georg I of... The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire — German: Kurfürst (singular) Kurfürsten (plural) — were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Emperors of Germany. ... This article is about the medieval empire. ...

When Napoleon abolished the Holy Roman Empire, Bavaria became a kingdom in 1806, and its area reduplicated. Tyrol and Salzburg were temporarily reunited with Bavaria but finally ceded to Austria. In return the Rhenish Palatinate and Franconia were annexed to Bavaria in 1815. Between 1799 and 1817 the leading minister count Montgelas followed a strict policy of modernisation and laid the foundations of administrative structures that survived even the monarchy and are (in their core) valid until today. In 1818 a modern constitution (by 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. For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... Anthem Königsstrophe Kingdom of Bavaria within the German Empire. ... Coat of arms of the Counts of Tyrol Austria-Hungary in 1914, showing Tirol–Vorarlberg as the left-most province, coloured cream Capital Meran (Merano), until 1848 Government Principality Historical era Middle Ages  - Created County 1140  - Bequeathed to Habsburgs 1363 or 1369  - Joined Council of Princes 1582  - Trent, Tyrol and... This article is about the capital of the Austrian state of Salzburg. ... The Palatinate (German: Pfalz), historically also Rhenish Palatinate (German: Rheinpfalz), is a region in south-western Germany. ... For other uses, see Franconia (disambiguation). ... Maximilian Josef Garnerin, Count von Montgelas (1759–1838), was a Bavarian statesman, from a noble family in Savoy. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

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, later devastated by World War II. For other uses, see Prussia (disambiguation). ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Combatants Austria, Saxony, Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg, Hanover and some minor German States (formerly as the German Confederation) Prussia, Italy, and some minor German States Strength 600,000 Austrians and German allies 500,000 Prussians and German allies 300,000 Italians Casualties 20,000 dead or wounded 37,000 dead... For German colonial territories, see German Colonial Empire. ... Wassily Kandinsky (Russian: Василий Кандинский, first name pronounced as [vassi:li]) (December 16 [O.S. December 4] 1866 – December 13, 1944) was a Russian painter, printmaker and art theorist. ... “Klee” redirects here. ... Ibsen redirects here. ... Schwabing is a neighborhood in the northern part of Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Wieskirche

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. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (896x600, 56 KB) Summary The Wieskirche Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (896x600, 56 KB) Summary The Wieskirche Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... Monument to Kurt Eisner on the sidewalk where he fell when he was assassinated in Munich. ... Ludwig III (Ludwig Leopold Joseph Maria Aloys Alfred), King of Bavaria, (January 7, 1845 – October 18, 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918. ... The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed coup détat that occurred between the evening of Thursday, November 8 and the early afternoon of Friday, November 9, 1923, when the Nazi partys leader Adolf Hitler, the popular World War I General Erich Ludendorff, and other leaders of the Kampfbund... Nürnberg redirects here. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal         Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ...

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. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ... Edmund Stoiber in Würzburg Edmund Stoiber [IPA: ˈɛtmʊnt ˈʃtɔʏbɐ] (born September 28, 1941) is a German politician, currently minister-president of the state of Bavaria and chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU). ... The 15th German federal election, 2002 was conducted on September 22, 2002, to elect members to the Bundestag (lower house) of Germany. ... Cardinal Bishops, or Cardinals of the Episcopal Order, are among the most important persons in the Roman Catholic Church. ... Papal Arms of Pope Benedict XVI. The papal tiara was replaced with a bishops mitre, and pallium of the Pope was added beneath the coat of arms. ... Hitler redirects here. ...

[edit] Geography

The Bavarian Alps

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, while the upper Rhine forms part of the southwest border of the state. The Bavarian Alps define the border with Austria, and within the range is the highest peak in Germany, the Zugspitze. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (896x600, 78 KB) Summary The Bavarian countryside and Alps as seen from the Romantic road. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (896x600, 78 KB) Summary The Bavarian countryside and Alps as seen from the Romantic road. ... For other uses, see Lake Constance, New Zealand. ... Location Coordinates , , Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE1 Capital Stuttgart Minister-President Günther Oettinger (CDU) Governing parties CDU / FDP Votes in Bundesrat 6 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  35,752 km² (13,804 sq mi) Population 10,741,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE7 Capital Wiesbaden Largest city Frankfurt Minister-President Roland Koch (CDU) Governing party CDU Votes in Bundesrat 5 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  21,100 km² (8,147 sq mi) Population 6,077,000 (08/2006)[1]  - Density... The Free State of Thuringia (German: Freistaat Thüringen) is located in central Germany and is considered one of the smaller of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), with an area of 16,200 km² and 2. ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DED Capital Dresden Minister-President Georg Milbradt (CDU) Governing parties CDU / SPD Votes in Bundesrat 4 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  18,416 km² (7,110 sq mi) Population 4,252,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 231 /km... This article is about the Danube River. ... For other uses, see Main (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that River Rhine Pollution: November 1986 be merged into this article or section. ... The Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany. ...

The major cities in Bavaria are Munich (München), Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Augsburg, Würzburg, Regensburg, Ingolstadt, Fürth and Erlangen. For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... Nürnberg redirects here. ... For other meanings for Augsburg: See Augsburg (disambiguation) , Augsburg is a city in south-central Germany. ... Würzburg Residenz. ... Regensburg (also Ratisbon, Latin Ratisbona) is a city (population 151. ... Ingolstadt (Austro-Bavarian: InglstÃ¥dt) is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, Germany. ... South part of the city, seen from the Alte Veste (Zirndorf), 2004 The city of Fürth is located in northern Bavaria, Germany in the district of Middle Franconia. ... Erlangen around 1915 Erlangen is a German city in Middle Franconia. ...

See also: List of places in Bavaria This is a list of geographical features in the state of Bavaria, Germany. ...

[edit] Politics

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. Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber. ... The Landtag of Bavaria is Bavarias unicameral legislature. ... For the band, see Senate (band). ... A minister-president (Ministerpräsident) is the head of government of a German federal state; the office corresponds to the governorship of a state in the United States. ...

Bavaria has long been a bastion of conservative politics in Germany, with the Christian Social Union having almost a monopoly on power since its inception in 1946. Every Minister-President since 1957 has been a member of this party. The Christian Social Union of Bavaria ( ) is a Christian democratic political party in Germany. ...

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 organization which campaigns for the right to citizen-initiated referendums. 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 referendums took place from 1995 through 2005. Direct democracy, classically termed pure democracy,[1] comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein sovereignty is lodged in the assembly of all citizens who choose to participate. ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ...

In the 2003 elections the CSU won more than two thirds of the seats in Landtag. No party in post-war German history had achieved this before (not counting the rigged election wins of the SED in communist 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 early in the 19th Century. The party emblem represented the handshake between Communist Wilhelm Pieck and Social Democrat Otto Grotewohl when their parties merged in 1946 The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) (German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands) was the governing party of East Germany from its formation in 1949 until the elections of 1990. ... This article is about the state which existed from 1949 to 1990. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

[edit] 2003 election result

See also: Bavaria state election, 2003

At the last state election on 21 September 2003, the CSU achieved a two-thirds majority of seats, the first ever gained by a party in a German state parliament. Edmund Stoiber remained Minister-President, with the CSU forming a government without a coalition. The Bavaria state election, 2003, was conducted on September 21, 2003, to elect members to the Landtag (state legislature) of Bavaria. ... Edmund Stoiber in Würzburg Edmund Stoiber [IPA: ˈɛtmʊnt ˈʃtɔʏbɐ] (born September 28, 1941) is a German politician, currently minister-president of the state of Bavaria and chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU). ...

Seat results – SPD in red, Greens in green, CSU in black

The Christian Social Union of Bavaria ( ) is a Christian democratic political party in Germany. ... SPD redirects here. ... The Alliance 90/The Greens (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), the German Green party, is a political party in Germany whose regional predecessors were founded in the late 1970s as part of the new social movements. ... The Free Democratic Party (German: Freie Demokratische Partei; FDP) is a liberal political party in Germany. ... There is open debate on rather facism is rightwing or not. ... The Ecological Democratic Party (German: Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei, ÖDP) is an environmentalist political party in Germany. ... Image File history File links Results of the 2003 Landtag election in Bavaria SDP in red, CDU in black, Greens in green Created by Willhsmit. ... Image File history File links Results of the 2003 Landtag election in Bavaria SDP in red, CDU in black, Greens in green Created by Willhsmit. ...

[edit] Economy

Bavaria has long had one the largest and healthiest economies of any region in Germany, or Europe for that matter. Its GDP in 2004 exceeded 385 billion Euros. [1] This makes Bavaria itself one of the largest economies in Europe. Some large companies headquarted in Bavaria include BMW, Audi, Siemens, Allianz, Infineon, the European Aerospace and Defense Company, Puma AG and Adidas AG. For other uses, see BMW (disambiguation). ... Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer with headquarters in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, and has been an almost wholly owned (99. ... Siemens redirects here. ...   SE[1], (ISIN: DE0008404005; IPA pronunciation: [alliˈanʦ], and formerly AG) is a large financial service provider headquartered in Munich, Germany. ... Infineon Technologies is a German manufacturer of integrated circuits and related products. ... The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. (EADS) is a large European aerospace corporation, formed by the merger on July 10, 2000 of Aérospatiale-Matra of France, Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) of Spain, and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) of Germany. ... For other uses, see Puma (disambiguation). ... This article is about the company. ...

[edit] Culture

Bavarian church with Alps in the background

Though only a very small part belongs to the Alps, the perception of Bavaria as an alpine region endures.

Due to their long independence (until 1871), Bavarians have always maintained a strong national identity. Some features of the Bavarian culture and mentality are remarkably distinct from the rest of Germany. A prevalent perception among other Germans is that Bavarians see Bavaria as the most important part of Germany.^{[citation needed]} A common play on words "It's nice to be a Preiss, but it's higher to be a Bayer" ^{[attribution needed]} lambasts the Bavarian sense of superiority. Its name in German, "Freistaat Bayern" means simply "the free state of Bavaria." However, many Germans sarcastically refer to Bavaria as "Frei statt Bayern" which literally means "Free instead of Bavaria," implying that Bavarians view themselves as a separate country, or at least culturally superior to the rest of Germany. Noteworthy differences (especially in rural areas, less significant in the major cities) can be found with respect to: Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (806x652, 184 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bavaria ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (806x652, 184 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bavaria ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (900x675, 380 KB) Summary I am the author, Michel May, 07. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (900x675, 380 KB) Summary I am the author, Michel May, 07. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

[edit] Religion

The predominant faith is Catholicism, particularly in the southern parts of Bavaria and Lower Franconia. As per the most recent available Kirchliche Statistik Eckdaten from the Deutsche Bischofskonferenz, Bavaria is one of two Bundesländer with a population that is in majority Catholic. As per this source, in 2005 57.8 % of the Bavarian population was Catholic. Meanwhile, Lutheranism has a significant presence in large parts of Franconia. Religion remains important to many in the region, as expressed by the typical Bavarian and Austrian greeting: "Grüß Gott!" (God bless you). The current pope, Benedict XVI (Joseph Alois Ratzinger), was born in Marktl am Inn in Upper Bavaria. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      As a... Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestant Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther. ... Grüß Gott (God bless you, literally Great God) is a greeting, less often a farewell, in the Upper German Sprachraum, particularly in Catholic states. ... Papal Arms of Pope Benedict XVI. The papal tiara was replaced with a bishops mitre, and pallium of the Pope was added beneath the coat of arms. ... Marktl am Inn Marktl am Inn (Little Market on the Inn River), or simply Marktl, is a village and historic market municipality in the state of Bavaria, Germany, near the Austrian border, in the Altötting district of Upper Bavaria. ... Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the south of Bavaria, around the city Munich. ...

[edit] Attitude towards traditions

Bavarians commonly emphasize pride in their traditions. Traditional costumes collectively known as Tracht are worn on special occasions and include Lederhosen for males and Dirndl for females. Century-old folk music is practiced and dialect songs and poems are taught in nursery schools. The Maibaum, or Maypole (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 ancient Celtic and Germanic remnants of cultural heritage of the region. An Austria folkloric group There has been a renewed interest in Germanic traditional costumes, or Tracht. ... Men in lederhosen Lederhosen (leather trousers in German; singular: Lederhose) are knee-breeches (knickerbockers or shorts) made of leather. ... a Dirndl A dirndl is a type of traditional dress worn in southern Germany and Austria, based on the historical costume of the Alpine peasants. ... Dancing around the maypole, in Ã…mmeberg, Sweden The maypole is a tall wooden pole (traditionally of hawthorn or birch), sometimes erected with several long coloured ribbons suspended from the top, festooned with flowers, draped in greenery and strapped with large circular wreaths, depending on local and regional variances. ... Procession in Klagenfurt The eastern and central Alpine region is rich in traditions dating back to pagan times, the pre-Christian Germanic (1st millennium), or even the Celtic (1st millennium BC) period. ...

[edit] Food and drink

Bavarians tend to place a great value on food and drink. Bavarians also consume many items of food and drink which are unusual elsewhere in Germany, for example Weißwurst (white sausage). Beer in particular has always been regarded as a basic nutrient (Grundnahrungsmittel, or 'the base foodstuff'). . At folk festivals, beer is traditionally served by the litre (the so-called Maß). Bavarians are particularly proud of the traditional purity law, initially established by the Duke of Bavaria in 1516. According to this law, only three ingredients were allowed in beer: water, barley, and hops. In 1906 the Reinheitsgebot made its way to German law and it had been a law in Germany until the EU struck it down recently as incompatible with the European common market. Bavarians are also known as some of the world's most beer-loving people with an average annual consumption of 170 litres per person. Weißwurst (literally white sausage) is a traditional Bavarian sausage made from very finely minced veal and fresh pork bacon. ... A Löwenbräu Stoneware Maß and a tourist shown for scale The Maß (measure) is an old Austro-Bavarian unit of volume, now typically used for measuring beer. ... The Reinheitsgebot (literally purity requirement) is a regulation that originated in the city of Ingolstadt in the duchy of Bavaria in 1516, concerning standards for the sale and composition of beer. ...

A village chapel in Franconia.

Download high resolution version (1260x1659, 253 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1260x1659, 253 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A chapel is a private church, usually small and often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... For other uses, see Franconia (disambiguation). ...

[edit] Language and dialects

Bavarian (blue), Franconian (green) and Alemannic German (red colour)

These three German dialects are spoken in Bavaria: Austro-Bavarian in Old Bavaria (South East and East), Swabian German (an Alemannic German dialect) in the Bavarian part of Swabia (South West) and East Franconian German in Franconia (North). Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (653x652, 35 KB) Beschreibung: Darstellungskarte mit den oberdeutschen Mundarten seit 1945 Zeichner: de:Benutzer:Postmann Michael (erstellt auf de. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (653x652, 35 KB) Beschreibung: Darstellungskarte mit den oberdeutschen Mundarten seit 1945 Zeichner: de:Benutzer:Postmann Michael (erstellt auf de. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Austro-Bavarian or Bavarian is a major group of Upper German varieties. ... Swabian (Schwäbisch) is one of the Alemannic dialects of High German, spoken in the region of Swabia. ... Alemannic German (Alemannisch) is a group of dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. ... Germany, showing modern borders. ... East Franconian (Ostfränkisch) is a dialect which is spoken in Bavaria and other areas in Germany around Bamberg, Würzburg and Bayreuth. ... For other uses, see Franconia (disambiguation). ...

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, but is considered a strengthening of regional identity. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language characteristic of a particular group of the languages speakers. ... Legend:  Dutch. ... Swabian (Schwäbisch) is one of the Alemannic dialects of High German, spoken in the region of Swabia. ...

[edit] 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. The Christian Social Union of Bavaria ( ) is a Christian democratic political party in Germany. ...

[edit] Ethnography

In comparison to the sometimes elaborate formality in other parts of Germany, Bavarians are known to be more egalitarian and folksy. Their sociability can be 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 beer from the brewery that runs the beer garden. ^{[citation needed]} For the beer, see Pale lager#Oktoberfestbier. ... A typical beer garden in Munich A beer garden is an open-air area where alcohol is legally served. ...

In the United States, particularly among