The trip though short in kilometres took some time due to very slow traffic on the A8 as well as some heavy downpours, the first rain of any significance we have experienced in Europe in the last 46 days.
Our Munich accommodation is about a 45 min walk from central Munich so travel by U-Bahn was the way to go as this dropped us right in the centre of Marienplatz, the main city square in Munich since 1158!
Again the buildings around the square are eye-catching from the Old Town Hall (1300s),
Ludwig Beck, a High Street department store,
The New Town Hall (1867) which looks older than the Old Town Hall and which
houses the Glockenspiel.
Part of the second construction phase of the New Town Hall, it dates from 1908. Every day at 11 a.m. (as well as 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. in summer) it chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16th century.
It consists of 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures. The top half of the Glockenspiel tells the story of the marriage of the local Duke Wilhelm to Renata of Lorraine. In honour of the happy couple there is a joust with life-sized knights on horseback representing Bavaria (in white and blue) and Lothringen (in red and white).
This is then followed by the bottom half and second story: Schäfflertanz (the coopers' dance). According to myth, 1517 was a year of plague in Munich. The coopers are said to have danced through the streets to, "bring fresh vitality to fearful dispositions." The coopers remained loyal to the duke, and their dance came to symbolize perseverance and loyalty to authority through difficult times.
By tradition, the dance is performed in Munich every seven years. This was described in 1700 as, "an age-old custom", but the current dance was defined only in 1871. The next one is in 2019.
The whole show lasts somewhere between 12 and 15 minutes long depending on which tune it plays that day. At the very end of the show, a very small golden bird at the top of the Glockenspiel chirps three times, marking the end of the spectacle.
We then ambled through some pleasant side streets until we came to the "world
famous" Hofbrauhaus am Platzl which is a beer hall originally built in 1598 by Bavarian Duke Maximilian I.
The building was completely remodeled in 1897. In the bombing of WW II, everything but the ground floor was destroyed; it took until 1958 to be rebuilt.
Even at around 3.30 in the afternoon it was almost full and rocking!
Around this time there was a very heavy downpour so we spent the rest of the day in and around shops to shelter before having our evening meal in another beer hall type establishment before getting on a train to return to our accommodation.
No comments:
Post a Comment