Bavaria: Tops for locals and in Germany

This is especially expressed by their strong affinity to their own region and the entire state. Another of the study's aspects: not only long-time residents swear by their home (75 percent of those surveyed are very fond of the region they live in), even new arrivals from other German states do not regret their decision to move to Bavaria. More than half enjoy living in their region. Immigrants feel an even stronger bond to Bavaria than newly arrived Germans; 77 percent of them state that they are very fond of the region they live in.

Bavarian tradition scores points

"Hard" location factors such as workplace, leisure activities or a good infrastructure have an undeniable importance for those surveyed, however, Bavaria as a feelgood location benefits mainly from its landscape and nature as well as the special regional attitude towards life. In recent years, social interaction has gained more and more importance. 52 percent of those surveyed think it is important to be there for their fellow man.

Traditions and customs also play an important role in establishing a regional identity. Those surveyed agree: Upholding their region's traditions is important to more than three-fourths of them. However, being rooted in traditions does not lead to progress being negated. On the contrary: The participants of the survey welcome the state's development in the areas of business, leisure and culture as well as in educational opportunities. 

Economically well-positioned too

The Hamburgische Weltwirtschaftsinstitute's and the Berenberg Bank's city ranking confirms that Bavaria scores not only when it comes to “soft” location factors, but is popular with locals and new arrivals for very good reasons. According to the ranking, Munich offers the best future prospects of Germany's 30 largest cities. With this result, the Bavarian capital replaces the previous repeat winner Frankfurt am Main and works its way up from the second position in previous rankings to the top position in the current ranking.

The study analyses the location conditions which shape the economic competitiveness of German cities. The economic situation, population development, educational level, innovation, internationality and accessibility were examined for this. The evaluation clearly showed the reason for Munich being in the top position: Unlike other states and cities, much of the structural transformation has already been completed here. The economy is focused on knowledge-intensive service sectors and industries with an emphasis on research. Thus, half of all employees in Munich work in a knowledge-intensive business segment. Munich also shines when it comes to internationality. With almost 18 percent, there are more foreign employees in Munich than in any other city in the ranking. All in all, the study's authors conclude: “Munich's economic competitiveness is outstanding.”

Both studies show: Bavaria and Munich in particular score when it comes to their location advantages. The economic orientation of important industries is particularly promising and is embedded in a location with a high quality of life.