The Consulate General of the United States, Munich represents the interests of the

United States government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Headed by the

Consul General A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

, the Consulate provides services to Americans in Bavaria and fostering Bavarian-American relations. The Consulate includes departments devoted to US Foreign Commercial Services, Political, Economic and Environmental Affairs, Public Affairs, Consular Services, and Administrative Affairs. It is the third-largest U.S. diplomatic post in

, following

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

History and architecture

Founded in 1835, the consulate has occupied various locations over its history. The consulate's operations were suspended between 1941 and 1945. In 1946, it resumed its functions from a new location before relocating to its current address between 1957 and 1959. The current site previously housed a building designed by

August Endell August Endell (April 12, 1871 – April 13, 1925) was a designer, writer, teacher, and German architect. He was one of the founders of the Jugendstil movement, the German counterpart of Art Nouveau. His first marriage was with Baroness Elsa, Els ...

for photographers Sophia Goudstikker and Anita Augspurg. This structure was destroyed in an April 1944 bombing. After the war, the Bavarian state acquired the property and transferred it to the USA. Initial designs for the new consulate building were proposed by architectural firm

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill SOM, an initialism of its original name Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, is a Chicago-based architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings. In 1939, they were joined by enginee ...

(SOM), but these plans were rejected by the Munich City Council. After multiple revisions by

Sep Ruf Sep Ruf (full name Franz Joseph Ruf; 9 March 1908, in Munich – 29 July 1982, in Munich) was a German architect and designer strongly associated with the Bauhaus group. He was one of the representatives of modern architecture in Germany af ...

, a modern design was approved and the building was constructed. The consulate occupies a uniquely constructed office building, the last of the signature

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

U.S. Consulates constructed in Germany in the 1950s still in operation. Designed by Bavarian architect

, the building is recognized as a historic monument. Originally elevated on concrete stilts to give an airy appearance, security enhancements added after 9/11 have overshadowed this effect. The Consulate is closed on both American and Bavarian/German holidays.

External links

Consulate General of the United States, Munich

References

{{Authority control

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Germany–United States relations