Henry the Lion founded Munich in 1158. Munich was ranted town rights in 1214 and became the seat of power of the duchy of Bavaria-Munich in 1255. Gustav Adolf of Sweden occupied the city during the Thirty Years War; in 1806 Munich became the capital of the kingdom of Bavaria.

During the reign of King Ludwig I such famous buildings as the Glyptothek, Old and New Pinakothek, the royal palace, Feldherrnhalle and Siegestor were built. Munich developed into one of Europe's most important cultural centres. Kurt Eisner proclaimed the Free State of Bavaria in 1918 and was elected Prime Minister of Bavaria.

In 1933 the National Socialists, the Nazis, seized power in the City Hall. Allied air bombardments caused widespread destruction in Munich in 1944. Today the Bavarian capital on the river Isar is an economic and media metropolis with an international reputation.

Munich enjoys a special place of honour in the world of sports as venue of the 1972 Olympic Summer Games. Since then innumerable events of national and international importance have been staged in the Olympiastadion in the middle of a beautiful park. These included the 1974 World Cup final, the final of EURO '88 and the UEFA Champions League Final in 1997.

Munich has been one of Europe's most important sports cities since the 1972 Olympic Games. The first traditional sports clubs were founded in the last century, among them the "Turn- und Sportverein München von 1860" - TSV 1860, which together with FC Bayern München dominates Munich football. FC Bayern is the most successful German club with 18 national titles, nine Cup wins and additional titles in all European competitions. Munich offers 373 sports facilities to its 732 clubs with a total of 292,829 active members.