One of the largest industrial centers in Europe is the German city of Munich. The population in it has long exceeded one million people. In addition, it is a rather old settlement, which is the cultural center of the Bavarian region. Let's find out what is the population of Munich, what is its size, demographic characteristics, living conditions and much more.
The geographical location of Munich
Before we begin to study the population of Munich, let's find out where this European city is located.
Munich is located in southeastern Germany on the territory of the Upper Bavaria administrative district in the federal state of Bavaria. Although Munich is the capital of the federal state and the administrative center of the district, at the same time, it is one of 107 cities in Germany with non-district status.
A Brief History of Munich
In order to understand how the population of Munich was formed, you need to look at it through the prism of history.
The history of the appearance of the first settlement in these places dates back to the Early Middle Ages, namely to the VIII century, when monks began to live on Petersberg Hill. They made up the very first population of Munich. The annalistic certificate of Munich appeared only in 1158, but after seventeen years it received the status of a city with all the privileges ensuing from it. The city was mainly inhabited by Bavarians - a subethnos of the German people.
In 1240, Munich passed into the possession of the Duke of Otto Svetley from the house of the Wittelsbach, who was the ruler of Bavaria and the Palatinate, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire. From then until 1918, the Wittelsbachs did not lose the right to own the specified city. In 1255, after the division of Bavaria into two parts between the brothers, Munich became the capital of the Duchy of Upper Bavaria. In 1507, Bavaria reunited into a single duchy, but nevertheless, Munich did not lose its capital status, remaining the center of a united state. In 1806, Bavaria received the status of a kingdom. Munich reached real prosperity under King Ludwig I, who made construction in the city, decorated it, and invited many famous cultural figures here. The city has become a real cultural capital of southern Germany.
During World War I, the city was bombarded by the Entente. After the war, the king of Bavaria fled the country, and in 1919 in Munich, Marxist forces proclaimed the creation of the Bavarian Soviet Republic. True, less than a month later, Bavaria was returned to Germany (Weimar Republic).
It is in Munich that the origins of German Nazism begin. Here in 1920 the National Socialist German Workers Party was founded. In 1923, in Munich, the Nazis made an unsuccessful attempt at a coup d'etat, which became known as the Beer Coup. In 1933, the Nazis nevertheless managed to come to power in Germany through democratic elections. But it should be noted that Munich at the same time became the main center of the anti-Nazi movement among German cities. During the Second World War, the city was repeatedly subjected to airstrikes, during which the population of Munich was reduced by at least 25%.
After the war ended, Munich fell into the American zone of occupation. The city was rebuilt. In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany became part of the newly formed state. Munich has become the country's largest industrial city, as well as one of its political and cultural centers. In terms of size and population in Germany, this locality is second only to the capital of the country - the city of Berlin, as well as Hamburg.
Population
Now it’s time to determine what Munich population is. This indicator is the base for all other demographic calculations. So, the population of Munich is currently 1526.1 thousand people.
As mentioned earlier, this is the third largest number of residents in Germany. For comparison, 3490.1 thousand people live in Berlin, 1803.8 thousand people in Hamburg, and 1017.2 thousand people in the fourth largest city in Germany, Cologne.
Population dynamics
Now let's find out how the population of the city has changed in dynamics. Munich mainly increased by this indicator, although there were periods when the number of residents temporarily decreased.
We will begin our excursion in 1840, when Munich was the capital of the kingdom. Then 126.9 thousand people lived in it. The population grew until 1939. So, in 1871 it amounted to 193.0 thousand people, in 1900 - 526.1 thousand people, in 1925 - 720.5 thousand people, in 1939 - 840.2 thousand people. . But the Second World War, which resulted in the mobilization of men in the army, as well as the bombing of the city by allied forces, significantly reduced the number. According to the 1950 census, the population of Munich is 830.8 thousand people, but we can say with confidence that in the first post-war years the number of people living was even less. But then growth began. So, in 1960, the number has already exceeded one million inhabitants, thereby setting a city record, and amounted to 1101.4 thousand inhabitants. In 1970, the city was already inhabited by 1312 thousand inhabitants.
But then Munich, however, like all of Germany, suffered a demographic crisis. Fertility has declined significantly with increasing awareness of the level of responsibility for the child in society. In 1980, the population fell to the level of 1298.9 thousand people, in 1990 it decreased to 1229.0 thousand people, and in 2000 to 1210.2 thousand people.
True, in the next period, the number of residents began to grow again. Already in 2009, it reached a record level for the entire previous history - 1330.4 thousand inhabitants. But this did not stop the growth. In 2013, the population reached the figure of 1,407.8 thousand inhabitants, in 2015 - 1,405.4 thousand inhabitants, and currently it is 1,526.1 thousand inhabitants. The trend of population growth in the city continues today.
Population density
The area occupied by Munich is 310.4 square meters. km Knowing the area and population, it is not difficult to calculate its density in Munich. At the moment it is 4890 people / sq. km
For comparison, look at the density in other major cities in Germany. In Berlin, it is 3834 people./sq. km, in Hamburg - 2388.6 people / sq. km. and in Cologne - 2393 people / sq. km Thus, we can state the fact that Munich has a rather high population density.
Ethnic composition
Now we find out what people of what nationalities live in the capital of Bavaria - Munich. The vast majority of the population of the city are Germans, most of whom belong to the subethnos of the Bavarians. Some ethnographers even tried to separate them into a separate nation, since the culture and dialect are significantly different from the population of the rest of Germany.
But a lot of immigrants from other countries of the world live in the city, as well as persons with foreign citizenship, including those with refugee status. The share of such residents exceeds 25% of the total number of residents. But the social protection of the population of Munich extends to most of them.
Most of all the population of Munich is immigrants from Turkey. Their number is 39.4 thousand people. In addition, there are many immigrants from Croatia (29.3 thousand people), Greece (26.4 thousand inhabitants), Italy (26.0 thousand inhabitants), Austria (21.8 thousand inhabitants), Poland (21.1 thousand inhabitants), Bosnia and Herzegovina (16.5 thousand inhabitants), Romania (16.2 thousand inhabitants), Serbia (13.5 thousand inhabitants). It should be noted that recently the influx of refugees from Arab countries, mainly from Syria, has especially intensified. However, this is a problem not only of Munich or Germany, but of the whole of Europe. At the same time, in Munich, the largest percentage of residents with a migration past live in relation to the general urban population (in comparison with other large German settlements).
Religion
Almost half of Munich’s population does not belong to any religious community. Such people make up about 45% of the total population. At the same time, 33.1% of the population are parishioners of the Roman Catholic Church, 11.9% are Protestants, 7.2% are Muslims, 0.3% are Jews, and another 0.7% belong to other faiths.
The city administration of Munich is trying to ensure the rights of representatives of all religious denominations of the city.
Employment
Now let's find out in which areas of activity the population of Munich is occupied. Description of the main areas of production in the city, we present below.
The main sector of the economy of Munich is mechanical engineering, in particular automotive and aircraft manufacturing. So, in the territory of the city the largest German automobile manufacturing plant is located, which is a world-famous brand - BMW (Bavarian Motor Plants). This company provides the population with more than 100 thousand jobs.
The city has developed the electronics industry (Siemens concern). In addition, Munich is one of the world's largest beer production centers.
But industry is not the only direction of the city’s economy. The provision of various services, in particular of a financial nature, is also developed here, as Munich is a large banking center.
Social protection of the population
As in most other cities in the European Union, Munich maintains high social standards. In particular, the employment center deals with the employment of the unemployed and the payment of benefits to them. The population of Munich is thus insured against problems that arise after losing a job.
As mentioned above, refugees and other migrants also do not remain without appropriate protection. They are also considered persons of the population of Munich. The Migration Service, as well as other social institutions, provided that the immigrants comply with German laws, also guarantee them social protection.
General characteristics of the population of Munich
Munich is the third most populated city in Germany, the country's largest industrial and cultural center. Currently, the city has seen a steady increase in the number of inhabitants, which is provided, among other things, by migrants, which make up about 25% of the total number of inhabitants of Munich. About half of the population of the city do not profess any religion. Among believers, the majority are Catholics.
In general, we can say that Munich has excellent demographic and economic prospects.