Marienplatz - the Heart of Munich
Since the founding of Munich in 1158, this square has always been the center and the heart of the city. Life here never stops. Munich’s largest metro station is under the square. The Old and New City Hall buildings are on Marienplatz. The column, from which the square got its name, is erected in the center.
At first glance, the New City Hall looks older than the Old City Hall though it was built relatively recently - in 1867-1908. There are chimes on the neo-Gothic building. Every day at 11am, at noon and 5pm the painted mechanical figurines come out to the balcony on the clock face and the show begins. One tier recreates the nights’ joust held at the wedding of William V in 1568, while the other depicts the legendary dance of the coopers marking the end of the plague epidemic in 1517. Towards the evening the Night Watchman with lanterns and the Guardian Angel with the Munich Infant appear in the windows of the seventh floor. You need to rise to the third floor of the tower to see the area from a height of 85 meters.
The Old City Hall looks plainer, but it's true Gothic. It was built in 1470 - 1474. The building houses a museum of toys.
Mariensäule column appeared on the main square in Munich in 1638. It is decorated with a gilded statue of Virgin Mary as the patron saint of the city. The memorial sign was established in honor of the expulsion of the Swedish army during the Thirty Years’ War.
Every seven years, you can watch coopers’ dance during the carnival on the square. It was first held in 1517 to encourage residents, exhausted by an epidemic of plague. Since then, the citizens started to believe in the miracle of recovering and life returned to the streets of Munich. Coopers always came out accompanied by Harlequin. They dance linked to each other with plant garlands. Their costumes- black shoes, white socks, knee-length pants, a red jacket and a green hat with a feather -have not changed since the XVIII century. Every year Marienplatz hosts a Christmas Fair.
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