Munich, Bavaria's capital, is home to centuries-old buildings and numerous museums. The city, located on the Isar River, is known for its annual Oktoberfest celebration and its beer halls, including the famed Hofbräuhaus, founded in 1589. In the Altstadt (Old Town), central Marienplatz square contains landmarks such as Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus (city hall), with a popular glockenspiel show that chimes and reenacts stories from the 16th century.

The city is famous for a record number of museums and exhibition halls, as well as art galleries. Although it was heavily damaged by allied bombing during World War II, many of its historic buildings have been rebuilt and the city center appears mostly as it did in the late 1800s including its largest church, the Frauenkirche, and the famous Neues Rathaus.

Munich is a major international center of business, engineering, research and medicine exemplified by the presence of research universities, a multitude of smaller colleges, headquarters of several multinational companies and world-class technology, and science museums like the Deutsches Museum and BMW Museum.