1. Beer Gardens: Munich is famous for its beer gardens, but what many may not know is that the city has over 180 beer gardens, serving as social hubs for locals. The largest one, the Englischer Garten's beer garden, can accommodate around 7,000 people. 2. Cultural Festivals: While Oktoberfest is well-known, Munich hosts numerous other cultural festivals throughout the year, such as the "Starkbierfest," a springtime celebration of strong beer, and the "Tollwood Festival," which combines music, art, and sustainable living. 3. Green Space: Munich is one of the greenest cities in Germany, with over 4,000 acres of parks and gardens. The English Garden is one of the largest urban parks in the world, even bigger than New York's Central Park, and features a river for surfing, making it a unique spot for both locals and tourists.
Munich's housing market is characterized by high demand, limited supply, and rising prices. The city has approximately 810,000 housing units for its population of around 1.58 million. About 60% of Munich residents live in rented accommodations, while 40% own their homes. The median rent price in Munich is €22.96 per square meter per month, making it one of the most expensive rental markets in Germany. For those looking to buy, the median purchase price for apartments is around €10,000 per square meter, with new constructions reaching €11,980 per square meter. Public and social housing play a significant role in Munich's market. The city's "Socially Just Land Use" (SoBoN) policy requires at least 30% of new developments to be reserved for social housing and 10% for subsidized rental housing. Additionally, the city focuses on developing the rental market by favoring solidarity-based concepts like cooperative housing when offering publicly held land. Cooperative housing is gaining traction, with projects like wagnisART offering a mix of subsidized and market-rate units to create more affordable options. These initiatives aim to address the persistent housing shortage and rising costs, as Munich needs about 10,000 new apartments annually to meet demand but is only building around 6,500 per year.
The Munich city administration actively addresses the housing crisis through ambitious programs and targets. The "Wohnen in München VI" program, the largest municipal housing initiative in Germany, aims to construct 8,500 residential units annually from 2017 to 2021, with €870 million allocated for affordable and subsidized housing. The city's two municipal housing companies, GEWOFAG and GWG, focus on building affordable rental housing for low and medium-income households, targeting 1,250 housing units per year. These companies own about 7.5% of Munich's total residential stock, serving as market regulators. Munich's housing action plan "Wohnen in München VII" provides €2 billion for subsidized and climate-friendly living spaces by 2028. The city also supports large-scale projects, including a new residential quarter between Freiham Nord and Aubing with 1,200 apartments, and a 500-apartment development in Bogenhausen. To address affordability, the city council grants available land to municipal housing associations free of charge and provides regular subsidies. Additionally, Munich implements building law restrictions and offers assistance to tenants through subsidized housing programs. Despite these efforts, challenges persist. The proportion of social housing decreased between 2011 and 2017, and the city still struggles to meet the high demand for affordable housing in its competitive market.