Marienplatz

An introduction to Marienplatz

Marienplatz is a square in Munich, the most beautiful and famous one in the whole German city. I´ve already written about attractive and famous squares of the world in my previous posts, and Marienplatz is definitely on that list. I hope you´ll like it.

This square has stood in Munich for several centuries, although at first it was known as 'Schrannen'. The name was changed to ´Virgin Mary Square` as an appeal to the Virgin from the city to protect them from the cholera epidemic spreading through its streets at the time.

In the present day, the square stands in the very heart of the city of Munich, a popular meeting place and where all kinds of events are celebrated due to the square´s historical importance and strategic location. In fact, on the day I visited the square it was full of police, Bayern Munich football fans and people walking around in traditional Bavarian dress as if it were totally normal. There was also a huge screen: this was a day where Bayern Munich were celebrating winning a title (I think they were champions of the German League in 2014), and people were waiting to see the footballers and their manager appear at the top of the New Town Hall tower.

Places and buildings of interest

From the middle of the square, you can get a good look at all the buildings. There are statues and fountains, which I´ll describe to you now.

• The New Town Hall - The building which stands out the most in this square is this neo-gothic style one, and above all its tower. Built between 1867 and 1908, its front facade is 100 metres long and 85 metres high due to the tower in its centre. The New Town Hall's famous carillon is located within the tower, ringing out at a different time depending on the time of year. I can't tell you exactly when it rings, but the life-sized figures on the front of the tower dance the 'Schäfflertanz' (the coopers' dance) when the bells chime, commemorating the festivities which took place when the plague left the city in the 16th century. On every side of the tower, there are three flags which brighten up the building with their colours. You can of course go up the New Town Hall tower, but I think it´s better to view the building from the outside and not the inside, although I´m sure it offers very good views of Munich.

• The Old Town Hall - this Gothic-style building is situated next to the newer building which has now taken over its function. You'll think you haven't seen it in the square though, as it looks more like a church than a town hall. It's a white building with a tower on its right hand side, and if it weren't for a friend of mine telling me it was the Old Town Hall, I would still have believed it to be a church. It's very worth visiting on the inside, since the building dates from the Middle Ages and has been very well preserved.

• The Fish Fountain (Fischbrunnen) - this small to medium-sized fountain's purpose used to be for fisherman to use to keep their fish fresh, while nowadays it is functions better as a decorative element and a meeting point. Dating back to 1864 and featuring several statues, the Fish Fountain had to be rebuilt after being bombed in the Second World War.
• St Mary's Column - this column is found in the centre of the square, and is quite tall, so you're unlikely to miss it. Crowned with a golden statue of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus in her arms, the column was constructed in 1638 to celebrate the end of the Swedish invasion. At the base of the column, four small statues of angels can be seen, representing victory in the face of war, hunger, heresy and plague. I personally really like it when statues symbolize something particular instead of just representing a famous person.

There are also cafés and other shops in the square, but my friend told me they're quite expensive since they are on the Marienplatz. There's also a terrace where viewing the New Town Hall and its surroundings with a pint of German beer in hand is definitely worth it.

Personal opinion and experience

I really liked the square because of its buildings, the contrast between them and the atmosphere of the whole area, which when I visited was full of people wearing typical Bavarian costumes, waiting to celebrate their team's victory. The New Town Hall tower enchanted me, as did the style of the building in general, since I'd never seen anything like it before and always love to see new things. The square reminded me slightly of the Grand Place in Brussels (which I wrote about in an older post). The Grand Place in Brussels won hands down in my opinion, but it's difficult sometimes to compare a place like this with one of the most beautiful in the world.

I only spent half a day in Munich, since the friend I was visiting actually lived in Passau and did me the favour of showing me around some of Munich before going to her house. If I'm honest, I'm glad I didn't get to spend so much time in this city, since from what I saw the only thing that was really worth doing was visiting this square and one or two other places. Munich was disappointing for me, but it's worth going there just for a look at the Marienplatz. My friend told me that before our visit I should make a list of things we could visit in Munich, and it turned out that the majority of the things on my list were on the Marienplatz anyway: this is because during my Erasmus exchange before I went travelling, I looked up the most popular tourist attractions in the cities on Tripadvisor, and there they listed attractions separately even though they were actually all on the Marienplatz. For this reason, I'm going to use Erasmusu more to find out about places to visit in cities.

I left wanting to see more of the Bayern Munich celebrations, not because I'm a football fan, but because I liked the idea that the celebrations completely change the atmosphere of the place into a huge party. Seeing the local people wearing traditional Bavarian clothes, I suddenly wanted to buy an outfit for myself, put some plaits in my hair, grab a pint of beer and stay there all afternoon and into the evening - but my train to Passau was waiting for me.

How to get to Marienplatz

Walking to Marienplatz is easy, since it is well-signposted all over the city since it is located practically in the very centre. If you prefer to use public transport however to avoid getting lost, you have three options: the metro, the bus and the commuter train. The stop to get off at on all three modes of transport is called 'Marienplatz'. Use the U3 or U6 lines for the metro, line 52 for the bus, and lines 1 and 8 for the commuter train.

The metro and train station at Marienplatz have several different exits leading to the square. The station is one of the busiest in Munich and it's usually a popular station for changeovers, too. You're near to Munich cathedral, quite different to typical European cathedrals and whose two towers can be seen from Marienplatz, and you can also go shopping in the area. Don't forget about one of the other most-visited tourist attractions in the German city, Viktualienmarkt, a market originally situated on the Marienplatz but which later moved a few streets away for space reasons - currently the food market is larger than 22, 000 metres squared in size! Good quality food can be bought there, and you can eat there too and enjoy the atmosphere instead of spending double the amount in a café on the Marienplatz.