Origins of Munich

Munich takes its origin from a settlement of monks, from which the name comes, as Munich means by the monks. The city was founded in 1158 by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, who destroyed a toll bridge over the River Isar belonging to the bishop of Freising and moved the salt trade to a new bridge near the monastic settlement. The emperor Frederick Barbarossa confirmed the arrangement, and the town collected tolls on the salt that passed through. From the late thirteenth century it was the seat of the Wittelsbach dukes, and later kings, of Bavaria, who made it a centre of art and culture. Munich is now the capital of Bavaria and one of the largest cities of Germany.

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