Schwabing is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

in the northern part of

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 ...

, the capital of the German state of

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 ...

. It is part of the city borough 4 (Schwabing-West) and the city borough 12 (Schwabing-Freimann). The population of Schwabing is estimated at 100,000, making it one of the largest districts of Munich. The main boulevard is Leopoldstraße.

Overview

Schwabing was a village, with a church documented in the 14th century. Schwabing used to be famous as Munich's bohemian quarter, but has lost much of this reputation due to strong gentrification in the last decades. A popular location is the ''

Englischer Garten The ''Englischer Garten'' (, ''English Garden'') is a large public park in the centre of Munich, Bavaria, stretching from the city centre to the northeastern city limits. It was created in 1789 by Sir Benjamin Thompson (1753–1814), later Coun ...

'', or English Garden, one of the world's largest public parks. Other not so commonly known parks in Schwabing are Leopoldpark, Petuelpark and Biotop am Ackermannbogen. The main buildings of Munich's largest

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, Ludwig Maximilian University and the

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Established in 1868 by King Ludwig II ...

and Academy of Fine Arts are situated in the nearby

Maxvorstadt Maxvorstadt (Central Bavarian: ''Maxvorstod'') is a central borough of Munich, Bavaria, Germany and forms the Stadtbezirk (borough) 3 Maxvorstadt. Since 1992, this borough comprises the former boroughs 5, 6 and 7 (Maxvorstadt-Universität, Maxvor ...

. A student housing area called " Studentenstadt" (literally, "student city") is located in the north of Schwabing. The

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

of Schwabing and various construction projects led to various protests around the year 2011. The Schwabinger Tor urban redevelopment includes more than 200 apartments, 50 offices, a 5-star hotel, and restaurants.

Culture

Bohemia since 1890

Schwabing became very famous especially during the reign of Prince Regent Luitpold when numerous artists like Ludwig Ganghofer, Heinrich Mann,

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...

, Oskar Panizza, Otto Julius Bierbaum,

Frank Wedekind Benjamin Franklin Wedekind (July 24, 1864 – March 9, 1918) was a German playwright. His work, which often criticizes bourgeois attitudes (particularly towards sex), is considered to anticipate expressionism and was influential in the developme ...

, Ernst von Wolzogen,

Gustav Meyrink Gustav Meyrink (19 January 1868 – 4 December 1932) was the pseudonym of Gustav Meyer, an Austrian author, novelist, dramatist, translator, and banker, most famous for his novel ''The Golem (Meyrink novel), The Golem''. He has been described as ...

Rainer Maria Rilke René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was an Austrian poet and novelist. Acclaimed as an Idiosyncrasy, idiosyncratic and expressive poet, he is widely recognized as ...

, Isolde Kurz, Ludwig Thoma, Max Halbe, Annette Kolb, Stefan George, Karl Wolfskehl, Ludwig Klages, Roda Roda,

Christian Morgenstern Christian Otto Josef Wolfgang Morgenstern (6 May 1871 – 31 March 1914) was a German writer and poet from Munich. Morgenstern married Margareta Gosebruch von Liechtenstern on 7 March 1910. He worked for a while as a journalist in Berlin ...

, Max Dauthendey, Mechtilde Lichnowsky,

Lion Feuchtwanger Lion Feuchtwanger (; 7 July 1884 – 21 December 1958) was a German Jewish novelist and playwright. A prominent figure in the literary world of Weimar Republic, Weimar Germany, he influenced contemporaries including playwright Bertolt Brecht. ...

, Leonhard Frank,

Joachim Ringelnatz Joachim Ringelnatz is the pen name of the German author and painter Hans Bötticher (7 August 1883 in Wurzen, Saxony – 17 November 1934 in Berlin). From 1894 to 1900 he lived with his family in the Gottschedstrasse 40 in Leipzig. Profile Hi ...

, Claire Goll,

Oskar Maria Graf Oskar Maria Graf (22 July 1894 – 28 June 1967) was a German-American writer who wrote several narratives about life in Bavaria, mostly autobiographical. In the beginning, Graf wrote under his real name Oskar Graf. After 1918, his works for ne ...

, Hugo Ball, Hermann Kesten, Thomas Theodor Heine, Olaf Gulbransson,

Bruno Paul Bruno Paul (19 January 1874 – 17 August 1968) was a German architect, illustrator, interior designer, and furniture designer. Trained as a painter in the royal academy just as the Munich Secession developed against academic art, he first ca ...

, Eduard Thöny and Rudolf Wilke lived or worked there.

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

was a resident of Schwabing for some years, as was noted psychoanalyst and bohemian Otto Gross.Jennifer E. Michaels (1983) ''Anarchy and Eros: Otto Gross' Impact on German Expressionist Writers'': 15 The Countess Fanny zu Reventlow was known as "The Bohemian Countess of Schwabing".

Famous 60s and 70s Scene

In the 1960s and 1970s Schwabing became a hotspot for the flower power and 1968 movements as well as an internationally renowned party district with legendary clubs such as Big Apple, PN hit-house, Domicile, Hot Club, Piper Club, Tiffany, Germany's first large-scale discotheque Blow Up and the underwater nightclub Yellow Submarine, as well as many bars such as Schwabinger 7, Drugstore and Schwabinger Podium. From the active nightlife during this time, the district became known as "Schwabingbang". The Schwabinger Krawalle unrests of 1962 were a prelude for the student protests of 1968. In the last decades Schwabing has lost much of its nightlife activity, mainly due to gentrification and the resulting high rents. It has become the city's most coveted and expensive residential district, attracting affluent citizens with little interest in partying.

Maps

Image:München - Stadtbezirk 04 (Karte) - Schwabing-West.png, Borough 4 Schwabing-West: position in Munich Image:München - Stadtbezirk 12 (Karte) - Schwabing - Freimann.png, Borough 12 Schwabing-Freimann: position in Munich

External links

References

{{Authority control Boroughs of Munich Entertainment districts in Germany