Education & Research > Studying in Germany : Munich is where it's at

A student at Munich's Ludwig Maximilians University

Munich is where it's at

December 12, 2008

Munich, home to two of Germany’s absolute top universities, is a city full of contradictions. Vibrant and energetic but also laid back and quiet. Hard-working but also relaxed. It’s a world of laptops and lederhosen. It’s where high culture and academia coexist with the pure, raw fun of Oktoberfest. There is something for everyone here. But come see for yourself.

Overview of the universities

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)

With 47,000 students – 16 percent of whom are foreign – Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) is not only Germany’s largest university, but also one of its best. Ranked number one in both the Shanghai Ranking and Humboldt-Ranking in 2005, LMU has also been rated one of the country’s elite universities by the German government’s Excellence Initiative – for which it will receive 40 million euros annually over the next five years.

LMU, with its 700 professors, offers 160 programs of study in the humanities and natural sciences, and students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of study courses available within Germany only at LMU. Both the list of professors and alumni reads like a who’s who of academia, business, and culture. The LMU currently boasts academic heavyweights such as Professor Theodor W. Hänsch, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2005, and University President Bernd Huber, who is ushering the LMU into its rightful position of prestige among the world’s top universities and is at the forefront of the changes taking place within Germany universities.

Set in the chic and bustling Schwabing district, the university buildings are surrounded by a sea of cafes and bars, giving students a chance to relax, unwind and meet up with friends. The buildings are also just down the street from the palace that was home to Bavaria’s ruling family, the Wittelsbacher.

Munich’s famous English Garden is also right nearby, its vast green lawn being a favorite place for students to lounge around during the warmer season.

Technische Universität München (TUM)

The Technische Universität München (TUM) is consistently near the top of the many different German university ranking lists. And 2005 was no exception, with TU München taking the top spot in Spiegel Magazine’s rankings, second place (to the LMU) in the Shanghai Rankings and fourth place in the 2005 Humboldt-Rankings. In addition, the German government’s Excellence Initiative has rated TU München as an elite university. Like the LMU, the TU München boasts its own list of Nobel Laureates, most of Resercher working at the technical university of Munich

Resercher working at the technical university of Munich

whom won in the fields of Chemistry or Physics.With the university not having one central campus, the 20,000 students (20 percent of whom are foreign) attend its courses in technical and natural science related subjects at locations throughout the city. Such a dispersal of facilities provides a great contrast in study settings; the Garching campus, to the north of the city, offers state-of-the-art science facilities nestled in a quiet rural area, while the downtown university facilities are located near the hopping city center, right next to the Museum district and not far from the LMU. The TUM cafeteria lies next to the breathtaking Königsplatz square, a tribute to Greek architecture harking back to King Ludwig’s dream of transforming Munich into the “Athens of the Isar.”With its commitment to the idea of the “entrepreneurial university”, the university invests in its students and faculty and has a number of corporate research centers, including the Central Institute of Medical Engineering (IMETUM) and the Walter Schottky Institute for Semiconductor Research.Founded in 1868 by Bavarian King Ludwig I, the TUM played an important role in Bavaria’s transformation from an agricultural state into a high-tech hot spot. These days the university has set a new goal for itself, and that is to become the most alluring German technical university for women by meeting the needs of women with young families.

What Munich is like

Oyvind Moe, a native of Norway, began pursuing his Masters in Technology in October 2005 at Munich’s Technical University. As long as Moe continues to pass his classes, he will receive his public financing degree from the Norwegian government like any other Norwegian student. Moe says he was surprised how “unexpectedly friendly” the people of Munich were, and he says they showed a lot of patience with his “bad German.” Another benefit of Munich? How about the weather, says Moe: “Coming from Norway, this is like heaven here for me.” The city has grown on him, says the young Norwegian. “I was only going to study here for one year, but I’ve stayed on, so I guess you could say I like it. Of course I won’t lie to you: my girlfriend has a bit of say in that as well,” he says with a chuckle.

My favorite spot

Moe’s favorite hangout in Munich? That’s an easy one: “Schwabinger 7,” a dark cellar bar with arguably the most diverse crowd you’ll find anywhere. Moe says it takes the prize hands down. “It’s the atmosphere. There are a lot of hot clubs in Munich, and you can have a lot of fun at them, but there are often too many stuck-up people at some of them. The people at Schwabinger 7 are just more real and down-to-earth.” Low-key and a bit hard to find, the bar is located at Feilitzschstr. 7, just a stone’s throw away from the Münchner Freiheit subway station.

About Munich

Munich's famous football field Allianz Arena

Munich's famous football field Allianz Arena

Munich, capital of Germany’s southernmost state, lies on the Isar River north of the Bavarian Alps. Home to almost 1.3 million people (22.9 percent are non-German, hailing from 181 different countries), Munich is Germany’s third-largest city after Berlin and Hamburg. Known for all things beer-related (including the world famous Oktoberfest), and its vast cultural and recreational offering, Munich is also a strong economic engine, with major players in the high-tech, electronics, and automotive industries based there.

Driven by some of the major big hitters of international business – many of which are based here – Munich has one of the strongest economies of any German city. Among those operating out of the Bavarian capital are BMW, Siemens, Infineon Technologies, Allianz and Munich Re Group. The presence of such big hitters provides a wealth of job opportunities for young professionals in various industries. There are also jobs in the realm of intellectual property, for example with the German Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office, two institutions situated right on the banks of the picturesque Isar.

Did you know?

Nobel Prize winner Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was a Physics Professor at the LMU from 1900 to 1920. Röntgen received the Nobel Prize in 1901 for his discovery of the x-ray.

Munich was home to the White Rose, the most organized anti-Nazi resistance movement in Germany during the Second World War. The White Rose consisted of five students and later one professor from the LMU. Their activities were brought to a halt when the founders, siblings Sophie and Hans Scholl, were arrested by the Nazi secret police Gestapo in the main university building and later executed.

While you’re there

While you’re in Munich, be sure to try the traditional Bavarian breakfast of Weisswurst, Weissbier, and a pretzel (in line with local tradition, to be consumed before noon!). A good spot for that is the Weisses Brauhaus, a cozy beer hall just a short walk from the main square, Marienplatz.

Take a bike tour through the historic old town; it’s a great way to see and explore the city and blend in with the locals (25 percent of whom travel about town on two wheels).
Marienplatz (Mary's place) in Munich

Also worth a visit is the Olympic Tower, in the northern part of the city. On a clear day you can see as far as the Austrian Alps.

Munich is also home to FC Bayern, one of Europe’s best soccer teams. Check out one of their games in the flashy new Allianz Arena, which was built for the 2006 World Cup and is mistaken by some to be a gigantic hovercraft. Designed specifically for soccer, you can be sure every seat comes with a great view of the field.

And don’t miss a stroll through the English Garden, home to multiple beer gardens and many naked sunbathers. Don’t be offended by the “Nackerten,” though – after all, Munich’s guiding theme is “Live and let live.”

What’s happening?

Rich in culture and nightlife, there’s always something to do in Munich. One of the city’s most well known and spectacular sites is the Deutsche Museum, the world’s largest museum of science and technology. If you take in all the exhibitions, you’ll be walking 17 kilometers (that’s more than 10 miles, folks).

Sunday is a popular day for visiting any of the three world class Pinakothek museums, with reduced admission rates drawing in the crowds. The Alte Pinakothek features European paintings spanning from the 13th to the 18th century and numbering in the thousands, while the Neue Pinakothek focuses on European art of the 18th and 19th century. Finally, the Pinakothek der Moderne is considered the most important modern art museum in Europe.

You can also head to a concert at one of the city’s numerous venues, hit the clubs in the trendy Kultfabrik (an old potato processing facility that is now home to more than 20 clubs, bars and discos), or visit the many seasonal festivals (heck, it can’t be Oktoberfest all year long, but Munich residents still find plenty of other reasons to celebrate festival style).

Whatever you are looking for in your free time, this city promises a lot and rarely disappoints. And just in case you still have some spare time on your hands, students can also take advantage of the wide variety of athletics courses and athletic facilities offered for a minimal fee by the Zentraler Hochschulsport München.

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