One of our first adventures in Munich was a 3-hour walking tour . . . in the cold. Even my love affair with the cold weather started to wear off about hour #2. We had a great guide who told lots of stories about Munich which I'll try to share with you.
Our first stop was Marienplatz (Mary's Square) and the famous Glockenspiel. Glockenspiel means ringing bells in German and this GS also has a little show it puts on 3 times per day. The first show is the top of the tower where you see a number of Germans partying at a wedding feast. This represents the marriage of King Maximillian and his wife Marie. Then there is a joust that plays out.
The second level tells the story of the plague that hit Munich a number of different times. When the plague hit, all the healthy people would lock themselves in their houses as a quarantine. This was a problem for the coopers who made beer barrels since no one was out buying beer. They were the brave souls that finally left their houses to see if the plague had passed and when it did, began dancing around town to alert the rest of the townspeople that the plague was over. This has now become a traditional dance that takes place every seven years in Munich. Book your tickets for January 2019 for the next one.
The Glockenspiel is part of the new town hall that sits in Marienplatz (Mary's square). The square, named after the Virgin Mary is home to the largest Christmas Market in Munich. It has a column in the middle with a golden statue of Mary on the top and is in between the new and old town hall buildings.
Here you can see the two levels of the Glockenspiel. The jousters come out 3 times per day.
Here is a glimpse of the square and the Christmas market. More on the markets in another post.
And a nice night shot of the square all lit up.
Our first stop was Marienplatz (Mary's Square) and the famous Glockenspiel. Glockenspiel means ringing bells in German and this GS also has a little show it puts on 3 times per day. The first show is the top of the tower where you see a number of Germans partying at a wedding feast. This represents the marriage of King Maximillian and his wife Marie. Then there is a joust that plays out.
The second level tells the story of the plague that hit Munich a number of different times. When the plague hit, all the healthy people would lock themselves in their houses as a quarantine. This was a problem for the coopers who made beer barrels since no one was out buying beer. They were the brave souls that finally left their houses to see if the plague had passed and when it did, began dancing around town to alert the rest of the townspeople that the plague was over. This has now become a traditional dance that takes place every seven years in Munich. Book your tickets for January 2019 for the next one.
The Glockenspiel is part of the new town hall that sits in Marienplatz (Mary's square). The square, named after the Virgin Mary is home to the largest Christmas Market in Munich. It has a column in the middle with a golden statue of Mary on the top and is in between the new and old town hall buildings.
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