Greetings
Grüß Gott
grooss GOTT
The Bavarian greeting, used all day by everyone. 'Guten Tag' marks you as northern German; 'Grüß Gott' is what you say here.
Servus
SER-voos
Hello and goodbye, informal, Bavarian and Austrian. Genuinely useful and warmer than 'Tschüss'.
Daily life
Anmeldung
AN-mel-doong
Registering your address with the city. Legally required within two weeks of moving in, and the gateway to your tax ID, bank account and everything else.
Schufa
SHOO-fah
The credit scoring agency. A Schufa-Auskunft is demanded by nearly every landlord, and a new arrival has no record at all — which is the central difficulty of finding a flat.
Kaltmiete / Warmmiete
KALT-mee-teh
Cold rent versus warm rent — the base rent versus rent plus heating and service charges. Listings quote Kaltmiete; your actual bill is Warmmiete.
Föhn
fern
The warm dry Alpine wind that clears the air, makes the mountains look startlingly close, and is widely blamed for headaches.
Culture
Wiesn
VEE-zn
What locals call Oktoberfest, after the Theresienwiese where it is held. Nobody in Munich says 'Oktoberfest' in conversation.
Biergarten
BEER-gar-tn
A beer garden, where by Bavarian tradition you may bring your own food but must buy the drinks. Under the chestnut trees, this is the summer social institution.
Food
Weißwurst
VYSS-voorst
White veal sausage, eaten before noon with sweet mustard and a pretzel. The rule that it must not hear the midday bells is only half a joke.
Social
Feierabend
FY-er-ah-bnt
The end of the working day, treated as a real institution. Germans leave on time and consider it normal; do not read it as disengagement.
Transport
Radlhauptstadt
RAH-dl-howpt-shtat
Cycling capital — Munich's own name for itself. The cycle network is genuinely excellent and a bike is the fastest way across the centre.
Emergency
112 / 110
—
112 for ambulance and fire, 110 for police. 112 works across the EU.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.