Munich is celebrating its 850th birthday this year and the city that has been voted as one of the top ten most liveable cities in the world is hosting several events this summer to commemorate the founding of Munich. The theme for the birthday celebrations is "Building Bridges", a bit of an inside joke as Munich became a city after Henry the Lion destroyed the Isar bridge and built his own bridge into what was then Munichen. If you are planning a summer vacation in Germany, you might want to take in one of the events as Munich parties hardy -

• June 14-15, 2008 Town Foundation Festival
• July 19-20, 2008 Old Town Ring Road festival
• August 1-3, 2008 Isar Bridge festival