The new town hall from 1867 to 1909. on Munich's Marienplatz has the largest carillon in Germany. Powered by solar energy, it delights passers-by and tourists two or three times a day, depending on the time of year. And it even becomes romantic in the evening.
Glockenspiel Munich has 43 bells and 32 playing pieces
In the tower spire, 43 bells weighing 7,000 kg and with a diameter of 18 to 125 cm play four different melodies. These are changed from time to time throughout the year. The oriel of the Munich carillon also contains 32 figures. Georg Hauberrisser, the architect of the New Town Hall, came up with the idea. The clockmaker and inventor of the four-stroke engine Christian Reithmann was responsible for the cinematic design. The carillon was put into operation for the first time on 18 February 1909 and has been ringing for around eight minutes every day since then, at 11 a.m. and 12 noon and also at 5 p.m. between March and October.
The history of the city is shown
The upper part of the carillon depicts a tournament that took place on St Mary's Square in 1568 on the occasion of the wedding of Duke William V and Renata of Lorraine. You can see 11 pages, fanfares, jesters and standard bearers marching past the bridal couple and their court marshal. Two knights then appear, fighting each other with lances. In the second round, the Bavarian Caspar von Nothafft defeats his opponent from Lorraine.
The dance of the Schäffler is shown in the lower part of the carillon. This is reminiscent of the time of the plague in Munich. The barrel makers, who were called Schäffler, were the first to dare to go out on the streets again after the Black Death. They danced and played music, luring the people of Munich out of their homes.
The Munich Glockenspiel is particularly romantic in the evening
Every evening at 9 pm, the Münchner Kindl is put to bed in the Glockenspiel. The two side tower oriels are illuminated and a night watchman with a lantern, who blows a horn and is accompanied by a dog is accompanied by the ‘Meistersinger von Nürnberg’ by Richard Wagner. This is accompanied by Richard Wagner's ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’. The Münchner Kindl then circles the right-hand oriel to Johannes Brahms' “Lullaby”, receiving a good-night blessing from the Angel of Peace.
As soon as they reach the other side, the lights go out and the city of Munich goes to sleep.
The spectacle also attracts thieves
When the carillon begins, there is no getting through on Marienplatz. Thousands of Munich residents and tourists stop, pull out their mobile phones and cameras and look up to the town hall tower. Munich is one of the safest cities in the world, but you shouldn't be too distracted by the chimes.
Unfortunately, the crowds are also a highlight for pickpockets. Handbags should therefore be closed and worn on the front of the body. With rucksacks, make sure you store valuables inside and not in the outside pockets. Purses should also be taken out of the back pocket so that they are not stolen while the bells are ringing.
