Around 100 metres long and 50 metres wide, Marienplatz Munich forms the centre of the Bavarian capital. At the time the city was founded, it was nothing more than a crossroads, as this is where the salt road leading from Bad Reichenhall to Augsburg met the connection to Sendling and Schwabing.
Frederick Barbarossa brought the salt trade to Munich
In 1157, Duke Henry the Lion destroyed the Föhring Bridge in order to seize the lucrative salt trading business run by Bishop Otto of Freising. Bishop Otto then brought an action before the Imperial Diet of Augsburg. Nevertheless, Duke Henry was granted the right to operate a toll bridge by the Augsburg Arbitration, a document drawn up by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. As a result, the salt trade was transferred to apud Munichen (‘near the monks’ - as Munich was still called at the time) and the city was founded at the same time in 1158. From then on, one of the most important trade routes ran through the centre of Munich, roughly along the line of today's Kaufinger Straße.
A square in honour of the Mother of God at Marienplatz
At the point where the Salzstraße crossed the road between Sendling and Schwabing, all kinds of goods were sold back then. The Fischbrunnenin the north-east of today's Marienplatz, is a reminder of the former location of the fish market. For many centuries, the square was simply called market place, or Schrannenplatz, as it was mainly grain that was on offer.
It was given its current name, Marienplatz, after the grain market was moved to Blumenstraße in 1854. The city authorities at the time wanted to honour the Virgin Mary and hoped to save the city from the cholera that was rampant at the time.
In the centre of Marienplatz you will also find the Mariensäule, one of the Munich's landmark. It was erected in 1638 by order of Duke Maximilian I. During the Thirty Years' War, he vowed to erect a votive column for the Mother of God if Munich and Landshut survived the war in good health. The column is 11 metres high and made of red Tegernsee marble.
The old and the new town hall
There are still two town halls on Marienplatz in Munich today. The first town hall, which was built in 1310, burnt down after being struck by lightning. The late Gothic Old Town Hall, built in 1480 by Jörg von Halsbach which still borders the square to the east, was the seat of the town council until 1874. There was a large banqueting hall on the first floor and the former town prison in the basement. The Old Town Hall was badly damaged during the Second World War, but was reconstructed according to old plans. Today it is only used for prestigious occasions. The tower houses a toy museum and the ballroom is used for various town events and ceremonies. It is also available for private hire.
When the old town hall became too small, Georg von Hauberrisser, a German-Austrian architect, built the new town hall from 1867 to 1909. on the north side of Marienplatz. Since then, this neo-Gothic building has been the seat of Munich's Lord Mayor and the city administration.
Marienplatz in Munich is completely traffic-free
Today, large shops and restaurants are located on the west and south sides of the square. The pedestrianised areas of the city can also be accessed from here. Marienplatz, where city festivals, demonstrations and FC Bayern championship celebrations take place, has been more or less traffic-free since 1972. Until recently, only buses, taxis, cyclists and rickshaws were allowed to pass. Marienplatz is now a pedestrian zone and completely closed to traffic.
