Bavaria (Bayern) is Germany's largest and most diverse state, stretching from the Danube lowlands in the north to the soaring peaks of the Alps in the south. Home to Munich, one of Europe's most livable cities, Bavaria enchants visitors with fairy-tale castles, pristine Alpine lakes, ancient beer halls, and UNESCO World Heritage towns. The state blends rich Catholic traditions, a proud regional identity, and world-class cultural institutions with stunning natural scenery.
Destination Bavaria, Germany, Summary Bavaria has one of Europe's richest and most continuous regional histories, from Roman settlement through a medieval duchy, a Holy Roman Empire power, an independent kingdom, and a central player in the catastrophic 20th-century events that reshaped the world. Bavaria's history is inseparable from the Wittelsbach dynasty, which ruled for 738 years (1180–1918) — one of Europe's longest-ruling dynasties.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Bavaria.
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1
Roman generals Drusus and Tiberius conquer the Alpine Celtic tribes and found the province of Raetia, with Augusta Vindelicorum (Augsburg) as its capital.
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2
The Germanic Bajuvari tribe settles the region after the Roman withdrawal, giving Bavaria its name.
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3
Duke Otto I of Wittelsbach receives Bavaria as a fief from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, beginning the 738-year Wittelsbach dynasty.
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4
Napoleon elevates Bavaria to a Kingdom; Maximilian I becomes the first King of Bavaria.
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5
The Kingdom of Bavaria joins the newly formed German Empire under Prussian leadership while retaining significant autonomy.
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6
King Ludwig III abdicates amid the German Revolution, ending the Wittelsbach monarchy and establishing the Free State of Bavaria.
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7
Adolf Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch fails in Munich, though it establishes the city as a symbolic centre of the Nazi movement.
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8
The Dachau concentration camp opens near Munich, the first of its kind under the Third Reich.
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9
The Nuremberg Trials are held at the Palace of Justice, prosecuting leading Nazi war criminals before an International Military Tribunal.
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10
Munich hosts the Summer Olympics, marred by the killing of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches in the Black September attack.
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11
Bavaria integrates fully into the European Union and becomes Germany's wealthiest state, anchored by BMW, Siemens, and Allianz.
Historical sites
Places where Bavaria's past comes alive.
Nuremberg Castle (Kaiserburg Nürnberg)
A sprawling medieval fortress complex overlooking Nuremberg's old town, built from the 11th century onward as one of the most important imperial castles of the Holy Roman Empire. Nearly every German king and emperor between 1050 and 1571 stayed here during their reign.
Where: Auf der Burg 13, 90403 Nürnberg
Würzburg Residence (Würzburger Residenz)
A UNESCO World Heritage baroque palace built between 1720 and 1744 for the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg, featuring the largest ceiling fresco in the world by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo above the grand staircase.
Where: Residenzplatz 2, 97070 Würzburg
Neuschwanstein Castle
The romantic fairy-tale castle commissioned by King Ludwig II and built between 1869 and 1886 in the Bavarian Alps above Hohenschwangau. It was left unfinished at Ludwig II's mysterious death and later became the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Where: Neuschwansteinstraße 20, 87645 Schwangau
Munich Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Dear Lady)
Munich's late-Gothic cathedral, completed in 1488, whose twin onion-domed towers are the symbol of the city skyline. Heavily damaged in World War II bombing and carefully restored, it remains the seat of the Archbishop of Munich and Freising.
Where: Frauenplatz 12, 80331 München