Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Munich, Bavaria & the Black Forest Today
It's the Economy, Stupid!
Even the most militant anti-capitalist might shut down Face-
book and blow out the Molotov, just for a moment, to agree that
Bavaria is a rampant success story of post-war free enterprise.
Just one stat says it all - if Bavaria was an independent country
(and not a small number of locals secretly wish it were), its eco-
nomy would be the world's 19th largest (equally affluent
Baden-Württemberg would rank around 22nd), bigger than
Sweden or Austria and more than twice the size of neighbour-
ing Czech Republic. Germany's economic California is cooking
with gas, and probably on an eco-friendly stove of sturdy
design, proudly stamped with
'Hergestellt in Bayern'
(Made in
Bavaria). Even as it looked as though Germany's economy was
losing momentum in late 2012, Bavaria and the rest of southern
Germany still seemed like a pretty good investment.
So what underpins the south's economic triumph? Good 'ole
manufacturing seems to be the 'secret', with a motor industry
second to none leading the way. The most desirable names of the Teutonic luxury car world
- BMW, Audi, Porsche and Mercedes - are all based in the south, pumping billions of
euros into the economy and employing hundreds of thousands. Other local corporate be-
hemoths include Siemens, Allianz, Grundig and Adidas.
Tourism also generates a solid chunk of the south's wealth. In 2010 Munich alone saw
well over five million foreign guests crumple hotel bed sheets, and blockbuster sights such
as Schloss Neuschwanstein and Regensburg's Unesco-listed city centre attract millions.
Fast Facts: Mu-
nich & Bavaria
» Area: 70,549 sq km
» Population: 12.6 million
» GDP: €446 billion
» Per capita income: €2650 per
month (blue-collar), €3600 per
month (white-collar)
» Unemployment rate: 3.8%
» Annual per capita beer con-
sumption: 170L
» Kilometres of autobahn:
2506
» Museums: 1150
