Marienplatz ( English: Mary's Square, i.e. St. Mary, Our Lady's Square) is a central square in the city centre of

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Germany. It has been the city's main square since 1158.

History

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, markets and tournaments were held in the Marienplatz, which was originally called ''Markth'' ("market"), ''Schranne'' (" grain market") and later ''Schrannenplatz'' ("grain market square"). After the grain market was moved into the modern glass-and-iro
Schranne
near "Blumenstrasse" in 1853, the square received its new name, starting 9 October 1854. File:Der Marckt zu München 1656 (Marienplatz) - Matthäus Merian d.J.jpg, View of the New Town Hall and Frauenkirche looking westward, 1656 File:München Schrannenplatz Soeltl 1838.jpg, View of the square towards the west from an 1838 print File:Anton Doll Der Marienplatz in München 1853.jpg, View of the square towards the east from an 1853 painting

Architecture

Marienplatz was named after the Mariensäule, a Marian column erected in its centre in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation. Today the Marienplatz is dominated by the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) on the north side, and the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus, a reconstructed Gothic council hall with a ballroom and tower) on the east side. The

Glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( ; or , : bells and : play) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a Musical keyboard, keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the v ...

in the tower of the New Town Hall was inspired by the tournaments that were held in the square during the Middle Ages, and draws millions of tourists a year. Furthermore, the pedestrian zone between Karlsplatz and Marienplatz is a crowded area with numerous shops and restaurants.

Mary's Column

The ''Mariensäule'' is a Marian column located on the Marienplatz i
Munich
Germany. Mary is revered here as '' Patrona Bavariae'' (Latin: Protector of

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

). It was erected in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, following a respective vow by Duke Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria if the ducal residential cities of

and Landshut were spared from war destruction. The column is topped by a

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

standing on a crescent moon as the

Queen of Heaven Queen of Heaven () is a title given by the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy, to Mary, mother of Jesus, and, to a lesser extent, in Anglicanism and Lutheranism. The title has long been a tradition, included in prayers and devotional literat ...

, created in 1590. The figure was originally located in the Frauenkirche. ''Mariensäule'' in Munich was the first column of this type built north of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

and inspired the construction of other Marian columns in this part of Europe. At each corner of the column's pedestal is a statue of a putto, created b
Ferdinand Murmann
The four putti are each depicted fighting a different beast, symbolizing the city's overcoming of adversities: war represented by the lion, pestilence by the

cockatrice A cockatrice is a mythical beast, essentially a two-legged dragon, wyvern, or snake, serpent-like creature with a rooster's head. Described by Laurence Breiner as "an ornament in the drama and poetry of the Elizabethans", it was featured promine ...

, hunger or famine by the dragon and

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...

by the serpent.

Christmas Market

Three weeks before Christmas the '' Christkindlmarkt'' opens at Marienplatz and other squares in the city, selling Christmas goods and food and drink.

Transport

The square is served by the Munich Marienplatz station, offering both U-Bahn and

S-Bahn The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...

access. A new station
Marienhof
will be built to the north of the square, as part of the second S-Bahn tunnel project (Zweite Stammstrecke). The new station will also connect to the existing lines.

Gallery

File:Mariensaeule oberer Teil.jpg, Marian column File:Wolf Hirtreiter Kräutlmarkbrunnen 1972.jpg, Krautlmarkt fountain File:Fischbrunnen Muenchen Detail-1.jpg, Fish fountain File:München - Altes Rathaus - Julia 003.jpg, Charming Julia File:Marienplatz 20, München - Architekt Curt O. Schaller - Laden Swarovski.JPG, Swarovski store at Marienplatz

References

External links

Official site
– (in German)

{{Authority control Squares in Munich Tourist attractions in Munich