Marienplatz, Munich

Marienplatz is Munich’s main square, and its story reaches back to 1158. You are looking across a broad pedestrian space framed by the New Town Hall, the Old Town Hall, shops, and places to eat. The square has served as Munich’s urban heart since the city was founded, and it remains part of the pedestrian zone.

Focus on the Marian Column rising from the paving. It was erected in 1638 after the Swedish occupation ended during the Thirty Years’ War. The figure of Mary above it was made in 1590 and originally stood in the Frauenkirche.

At the pedestal’s corners, four small figures struggle with a lion, a cockatrice, a dragon, and a serpent; together, these creatures represent war, pestilence, famine, and heresy overcome by the city. The square’s earlier life was practical and dramatic: markets and tournaments filled it, and grain trading gave it the name Schrannenplatz. When the grain market moved away in 1853, the present name took effect on 9 October 1854.

Above the New Town Hall, the Glockenspiel recalls those medieval tournaments. Beneath you, the Marienplatz station links the U-Bahn and S-Bahn, making this historic square a major meeting point above and below ground.