I've been living in Munich since Feb, I've visited Hamburg several times, and previously lived in London and (rural) Portugal. (I'm British)
I'm really very surprised by some of the observations being made here, just because they are very contrary to my experience. Thoughts in no particular order:
- Hamburg's road systems took some inspiration from those of LA. To me Hamburg seemed exceptionally road/car heavy. Munich in comparison seems much more sane and European.
- The startup scene is great. I'm a member of the Werk1 co-working space there, and it is a huge and friendly community.
- Munich drivers are really great with cyclists. I eBike everywhere, and never have a had any problems with a car endangering me. They are exceptionally good at giving way to anyone in the cycle lines (bike, eBike, or scooter)
- For me it is a really very clean city.
- The English Garden (bigger the Manhattan’s Central Park) is a place of absolute magic in the summer. Floating down the river through a forest in the middle of the city?! Amazing.
- People are indeed super friendly when you talk to them. They don't do much needless smiling, but they are warm and friendly. (I'm white and look fairly presentable, and I cannot rule out that being a factor)
- You drive to the Alps in 1h ish. True, you cannot see them from them from the city. But it not much time you can be at the top of a ski resort.
- I think the comparison to Austin TX is very fair. Bavaria is conservative, Munich is not.
- The U-Bahn is pretty reliable, the S-Bahn less so. I cycle or e-scooter everywhere, so don't really notice (and even when it rains it really isn't that bad, said as a Londoner).
- I think there is more of a culture of having a stable job at large companies, perhaps in Germany in general (vs the UK). And I can see Munich feeling like 'a place people come to work' if you hang out in those groups. But I think there is is more available than just that.
> You’re close to places like Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, which makes it easy to travel.
One thing I really like about living in southwestern Germany is that I can hop onto a train at my local station at around 6am, and - after changing trains 1 time - get out in Milano Centrale at around 11am (until quite recently, there was even a direct train). From Milano Centrale, it's 2 hours to Venice or the Italian Riviera.
Paris is a 3 hour TGV trip from here. London is 5 hours, plus 1 hour transfer and checking into the Eurostar train at Paris Gare du Nord.
Milan, Paris, and London are all quicker to reach by train from here than Berlin.
I find both cities, cultivate a strong "The rest is peasants" vibe - but Hamburg is quite at the top with this. It seeps through the media made there ("Der Spiegel") and the authors writting in it. Its also part of the multi-culturality and openess that comes with having a harbour - which a landlocked city "naturally has a hard time developing". So whenever you goto hamburg from the south, you recieve a ton of subtle signs about the superiority of the city and the "elb-adel" (aristocrats) and its old history ("Wir waren Hanse, wat ward ihr? Bauernvolk für den Märchenkönig bis pleite!"). The harbour of hamburg is old and awesome by the way!
The only thing that really helped to covercome these century old - was ironically the Conscription for the Bundeswehr in the cold war, intentionally mixing recruits allover germany and binding groups of friends together. That is now absent for a while- but the Ruhrpott and hamburg have missmanaged germany for quite a while now - and it shows, as subtle cracks of doubt in the superiority surface.
Cumex and Wirecard showed that elite as the lame ducks without a plan they really are.
PS: This explicitly ignores the Neo-prussians of berlin and the insults they throw at everything outside in the "incest-villages" as they call the rest of germany.
I did a research stay two summers ago in Munich and oh my God, it's the best place I've "lived" by far. So clean, so calm, yet so vibrant.
A nitpick, that bothers me more, than I'd like to admit: the author talks about the former divide in Germany and the difference between Hamburg and Munich because of that. Problem is, both towns where in west Germany and not divided at all (except of course by the Weißwurstäquator ;-)).
Damn, he mentioned Andy's Krabblergarten. Now it will be overrun with even more tourists. My serious advice: Don't go there!! The Schnitzels are aweful and the Beergarden is ugly. ;-)
Too bad that Google, Apple, Intel now have offices here. This drives the rents up. Gentrification already killed the gay quarter. All luxury appartments and people now start complaining that the vibes of the quarter are gone. Who would have thought...
Servus from Munich: as you may know: Munich is now the most unfriedly city in the world. This comes from a Mix of the Grantler, Mia San Mia and Schickeria culture. The first is the traditional grumpy nature of the typical Bavarian (especially Oberbayern). Sone say this is because of the Föhn wind (warm, dry downdraft that occurs on the leeward side of alps mountains) which can cause headache and paired with a massive beer consume even more. Mia San Mia and Schickeria is only typical in Munich: Many people from all over Germany moved to Munich in the 60s and 70s and earned money and build up an extreme snob culture seeing theirself as better as the rural people in Bavaria. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2048237/incredible-euro...
> The only thing that bothered me was the building with the O2 logo. I was surprised that the city allowed it. It really stands out and ruins the view a bit. I did a quick search and found out that after that building was built, Munich had a vote to stop any new buildings over 100 meters tall. I wish they could also do something about that building now.
Why German economic growth has stalled, in a nutshell.
They told me I was in Munich now, but all I saw was the same old bun beneath me and the ever present dressing soaked lettuce on top.
How is it that Hamburg's football club (HSV) is not anywhere near the level of Munich's? They are from similarly large cities, and had somewhat comparable history until it diverged in recent decades.
Never been to Munich, but went to Hamburg (and LĂĽbeck) a number of times, as we worked with a German company there.
One of the German managers was from East Germany, and was very much a "Northern German."
We used to bait him, by talking about Bavarian stereotypes, like steins and lederhosen.
He'd get cranky, and start going on about how "We're Northern Germans..."
Hamburg is a pretty industrial city, and was firebombed flat, in WWII, so most of the architecture is relatively new (like Tokyo).
LĂĽbeck was really cool. The company we worked with, started in a 1,000-year-old building.
"Besides Munich, I’ve also been to Berlin and Magdeburg, but Munich gave me a very different impression."
Hamburg and Munich are like San Francisco and Houston.
Sure, Munich is more progressive than the rest of Bavaria, but it's still in Bavaria.
And not a word about racism.
Munich is notorious on that (among Europe only).
Munich is an awesome city... for a tourist. It's clean, one of the safest cities of Germany (with the exception of the Central Station) and, with the exception of some "Asi-Viertels", well maintained (particularly compared to Berlin, Frankfurt or most of NRW), the attractions are awesome, and the beer is excellent.
For locals though? Speaking as one (who fled a year ago to nearby Landshut and still has to commute)... if you think about moving here, please don't:
- public transport is way too overcrowded, no matter what type of it, and forget about commute by car unless you are rich enough to pay someone to drive for you
- The rents are frankly insane, and fucking Bavarian wannabe-chieftain Söder keeps inviting one big company after another to Munich (instead of, say, Nuremberg for a change) while doing everything he can to avoid and hinder helping Munich alleviate the housing cost crisis.
- Munich's police are rabid if you're not white. Particularly the Central Station is not a good thing to "live while Black" (or dressed like a hippie or alternative), you'll get hounded by them because they can and will suspect you being a drug dealer, although the situation has relaxed a bit ever since cannabis got legalized federally a year ago.
- did I already mention the insane lack of housing? Seriously: prepare to either pay through your nose for short-term accomodation or couchsurfing, unless you are employed at one of the tech giants or rich enough to buy a place in cash you will likely spend a year or two until you have housing. If you are a student, that applies even more.
- a lot of Munich's infrastructure dates back to the money spigot times of the Olympic Games 1972 - and is subsequently shut down for repairs all the time because there hasn't been much invested in maintenance over the decades.
- Oktoberfest, Bauma (the construction trade fair) and the regular Champions League soccer games grind the entire city to a standstill. If you can help it, DO NOT move to any area close to the Theresienwiese (people WILL piss and even shit on your porch, I speak from personal experience) and to the Sechzger-Stadion in Giesing (in addition to the noise, 1860 fans are violent hothead hools that lead to massive disruptions for traffic every time that sorry excuse for a football club has a game).
CTRL + F "Fischköppe" ... null.
Ze Wurstlingers are certainly not what they used to be. Practice!
From a hamburger's perspective, I'm sure Munich looks like munchin'.
I clicked so fast expecting some sort of weird art experiment of maybe a hidden camera stuffed into a delicious cheese burger, as it goes through Munich.
Sadly, I was disappointed.
I am from Hamburg, white and really don't like Hamburg, but I am surprised that no one mentioned the difference in subtile and public display of racism. I have foreign non-white friends who studied in northern Germany, moved to Munich/Bavaria to earn good money in tech and left or plan to leave again just because of that. My girlfriend is from Nuremberg and the open extreme right-wing and racism there is on another level btw.
I would have opened with a picture of a big open mouth approaching :)
I was really hoping that this was about a grilled ground beef sandwich opining on a German city :(
Have to admit, I first read, "munching from a hamburger's perspective", expecting a satire about the trauma a burger goes through while being eaten.
As someone who has been to both Hamburg and Munich quite a few times I find them hard to compare. Each city has its own benefits and they are both great in their way.
I think in the end it comes down to whether you like mountains more than harbors. ;-)
Hamburg has its own charme with the harbor and the surrounding history of sailors, trade, red light districts, very old factories etc.
Munich is much more polished but also kind of crammed. Cars everywhere, lots of traffic in the streets, yes, parks also, but... it's different.
I like both cities and also beer from both cities. If you're not from Germany and decide to come over: Visit both of them and enjoy their uniqueness.