Munich can boast an impressive cultural pedigree. It is significant that the head office of the German cultural organisation, the Goethe Institut, is based here. The city was a major centre for the arts during the 19th century, under the patronage of Ludwig I and II. At the beginning of the 20th century, Munich found itself at the forefront of the new Expressionist movement. Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group, founded in 1911 by Russian-born Wassily Kandinsky and Munich-born Franz Marc, is considered a seminal influence in the development of modern art. Other members of the group included August Macke and Paul Klee. The most important works of the group are on permanent show at the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Luisenstrasse 33 (tel: (089) 2333 2000; www.lenbachhaus.de).

The English-language monthly Munich Found (www.munichfound.de) provides cultural listings information. The tourist office also supplies a useful monthly programme (in German).

In addition to the box offices mentioned below, the best general source for tickets is München Ticket (tel: (089) 290 1897; www.muenchenticket.de). München Ticket has a counter in the tourist information office in the Rathaus, Marienplatz; also in Residenzstrasse and Arnulfstrasse (near the Hauptbahnhof).

Music: Munich's musical heritage is dominated by the imposing figure of Richard Wagner, who composed many of his works for the Bavarian King Ludwig II. His successors, Richard Strauss and Carl Orff, were both born in Munich. In addition, Mozart often performed in the city and Gustav Mahler conducted the world premiere of his eighth symphony here, in 1910. Nowadays, Munich boasts three international orchestras - the Münchner Philharmoniker (www.mphil.de), the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (www.br-online.de/br-klassik/br-symphonieorchester) and the Bayerisches Staatsorchester (www.staatsorchester.de).

The Gasteig, Rosenheimer Strasse 5 (tel: (089) 5481 8181; www.gasteig.de), is the city's main cultural and performing arts centre, which includes the Konzertsaal, the Carl-Orff-Saal and the Kleiner Konzertsaal. The Nationaltheater, Max-Joseph-Platz (tel: (089) 218 501), is the home of the Bavarian State Opera (www.bayerische.staatsoper.de) and hosts the annual international Opera Festival in July. Opera and chamber music can also be enjoyed in the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, Gärtnerplatz 3 (tel: (089) 2185 1960; www.staatstheater-am-gaertnerplatz.de), and in the lavish 18th-century rococo surroundings of the Altes Residenztheater, Residenzstrasse 1 (tel: (089) 2185 01; www.bayerischesstaatsschauspiele.de), usually known as the Cuvilliés-Theater, after its original designer. Tickets for the Nationaltheater, Staatstheater and Cuvilliés-Theater are available from a central bookings hotline (tel: (089) 2185 1920).

Theatre: Classic German drama is performed by the Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel (www.bayerischesstaatsschauspiel.de) at the Residenztheater, Max-Joseph-Platz 1 (tel: (089) 2185 1940; www.residenztheater.de). The Münchner Kammerspiele, Maximilianstrasse 28 (tel: (089) 2339 6600; www.muenchner-kammerspiele.de), is one of the most important theatres in Germany and counts the young Bertolt Brecht among its former dramatists. Brecht also worked at the Deutsches Theater, formerly in Schwanthalerstrasse, but now located at Werner-Heisenberg-Allee 11 (tel: (089) 5523 4444 (tickets); www.deutsches-theater.de). Nowadays it stages popular shows and musicals. Experimental theatre venues include Theater im Marstall, Marstallplatz 5 (tel: (089) 2185 1940; www.bayerischesstaatsschauspiel.de), and Teamtheater Tankstelle, Am Einlass 2A (tel: (089) 260 4333; www.teamtheater.de).

Circus-Krone (tel: (089) 545 8000; www.circus-krone.de), the world's largest touring circus, performs in a permanent big top, at Zirkus-Krone-Strasse 1-6, during the summer and winter holidays.

Dance: Immobile but enchanting, the carved figures of the Moriskentänzer (Morris Dancers) by Erasmus Grasser are a highlight of the Münchner Stadtmuseum (City Museum), St-Jakobs-Platz 1 (tel: (089) 2332 2370; www.stadtmuseum-online.de). More lively is the Bavarian State Ballet (tel: (089) 2185 1711; www.bayerisches.staatsoper.de), which performs at the Nationaltheater, Max-Joseph-Platz (tel: (089) 218 501). The group hosts an international ballet week in spring each year.

Film: About 50 films are produced in Munich each year. The city has connections with some of the key directors in new German cinema, including Rainer Werner Fassbinder of Lili Marlene (1980) fame, who studied drama here, and Werner Herzog, who was born in Munich in 1942. Both directors worked at the Bavaria Film Studios in Geiselgasteig, which were founded in 1919. Visitors can enjoy a tour through the studios (see Further Distractions). Films set in the city include white-knuckle-ride thriller Das Experiment (2001), based on the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment, and Carnival Story (1954), the high-wire, old-world romance directed by Bavarian-born Kurt Neumann, who is probably more famous for his later work, The Fly (1958). The most recent 'biggie' to come out of the Bavaria Film Studios was Perfume - The Story of a Murderer (2006) starring Dustin Hoffman. Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg's Munich (2006) explored the aftermath of the 1972 Olympics incident in the city.

The Filmmuseum in the Münchner Stadtmuseum, St-Jakobs-Platz 1 (tel: (089) 2332 4150; www.stadtmuseum-online.de), has a monthly schedule of classic and art house films dedicated to a particular director, actor or genre. Most films are shown in the original language. Cinema, Nymphenburgerstrasse 31 (tel: (089) 555 255; www.cinema-muenchen.com) has a strong programme of international and English-language screenings. There are around 40 other cinemas in the city, some of which show movies in their original language versions.

Literary Notes: Thomas Mann moved to Munich as a young man and worked for the satiric journal, Simplicissimus, before taking up writing as a career. His first great novel, Buddenbrooks (1900), was finished in the city. 

The 20th-century writers associated with Munich include Siegfried Sommer, who wrote Und Keiner Weint Mir Nach (And Nobody Weeps For Me, 1996), and Alfred Andersch, author of Sansibar oder der letzte Grund (Zanzibar or the Last Reason, 1999), who was born in Munich in 1914 and spent a short time in the concentration camp in Dachau, for his left-wing views. 

Young visitors will enjoy the works of Erich Kästner - Emil und die Detektive (1929), otherwise known as Emil and the Detectives, and Das doppelte Lottchen (1949), which was filmed as Two Times Lotte (1950).