Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Tradition, Innovation, and the Rest

Svenska social- och kommunalhögskolan

vid Helsingfors universitet, 29.04.2010

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

MUNICH
“Cosmopolitan city with a heart.”

(dt. München) state capital of Bavaria

3rd largest German city, strongest economic city

~2.6 million urban inhabitants

~5.2 million metropolitan inhabitants

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

FACTS: HISTORY
1158 Foundation (administrative centre 1255)
1806 Royal capital and centre of culture
1919 Soviet Republic and counter-revolution
1923 Hitler-Kapp Putsch
1933-45 Nazi regime and WW II
1957 First Million inhabitants, economic centre
1972 Summer Olympics & Transport system
2006 Football World Cup
Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

FACTS: ECONOMY
HQs of Siemens, BMW, MAN, Linde, Allianz
Insurance, R&S, MTU, EADS, Krauss-Maffei,
Infineon, Osram, Microsoft, Google, ARD,
Pro7Sat1…
Centre for BioTec, IT, and service
European publishers' capital
2nd largest German airport
Highest dispensable German income (in cities)
Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

TRADITION & IDENTITY
Fiercely independent historically
Strong agrarian background
Core Bavaria: Catholic anti-Prussian sentiment

Historicist (Monarchy, Beer, “tribal” districts)

and cultural (customs, costumes, dialect,
Mentality, food) pride

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

EVERYDAY LIFE & TRADITION
Christian Social Union as “the” Bavarian party
Beer garden, brewery house, and food culture
Exact architectural restoration after WW II
Bavarian patriotism

Rebellious AND conservative attitude

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

SO... HOW COME?

Why is a conservative province capital

- a centre of the creative industry and
- an European leader in innovation?

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

APPROACH I: RICHARD FLORIDA
“3 T” of creative cities:

Technology

Talent

Tolerance

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

APPROACH: RICHARD FLORIDA
Technology

Since WW II centre for Siemens, BMW

Active state support for new industries and PPP
Milieu of SME around world market leaders

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

APPROACH: RICHARD FLORIDA
Talent

More than 15 institutions of higher learning

More than 12 national research institutes
R&D intensive industry centered in Munich
89.000 students

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

APPROACH: RICHARD FLORIDA
Tolerance

City government in red-green-pink coalition

Christopher Street Day central part of city life
Glockenbach as gay quarter

Bohemian Schwabing-Maxvorstadt, Haidhausen

Strong foreigners' assembly, immigrant clubs

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

REMARKS
- “Unbavarian” urban educated middle class
- Divided government state vs. city
- Bohemian tradition since art-minded 19th cent.

- 70s culture shift due to Liberalitas Bavariae?

- General wealth as nutrient for creatives?
- Municipal commitment to gentrification?

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

RESULTS

- Among the highest standards of living

- Rising BioTec industry in Martinsried
- Establishment of micro-electronics and ITC
- Centre for Intellectual Property Law
- 300 000 internationals

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

READING
Hanns Seidel Stiftung (ed.): Generationenstudie 2003. Heimat und
Heimatgefühl inBayern,
(www.hss.de/fileadmin/migration/downloads/Politische_Studien_So
nderausgabe_Generationenstudie_2003.pdf)
Manuel Castells: City Class and Power, 1972
Manuel Castells / Peter Hall: Technopoles of the world, 1994
Richard Florida: Cities and the Creative Class, 2005

LINKS
MUNICHFOUND, www.munichfound.com
URBANAUTEN, www.die-urbanauten.de
UnternehmerTUM, www.unternehmertum.de

Munich's Laptop and Lederhosen

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME...

This presentation will be online at

http://blogs.helsinki.fi/varldenisockom10

Falko Blumenthal
student of Political Sciences and Political Economy at the Munich School
of Political Science, visiting student at SSKH 2009/10

feel free to contact me on Facebook or by e-mail