A
state (
Bundesland) in the Federal Republic of
Germany, Bavaria (
Bayern) takes up the entire southeastern corner of the country. Major cities in Bavaria include
Munich (
München) and
Nuremberg (
Nürnberg).
Bavarians are largely
conservative and
religious (
Catholic, to be exact) and have a distinctive
accent. There is a major conservative party, the Christian Social Union (
CSU), that finds its base of support almost exclusively in Bavaria and which strives for issues like manditorily posting
the Ten Commandments in schools. Bavaria is to Germany like
Texas is to the
USA.
Americans love Bavaria, especially those who flock to Munich for
Oktoberfest. Many
American soldiers were stationed in the state during the
Cold War, since Bavaria was in the
American sector. Many of the
stereotypes Americans have about
Germans come from Bavaria:
lederhosen and
dirndls, elaborate
beer steins, quaint
half-timber houses, and open-air beer fests.