munich stopover10

1010

Munich (München) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Bavaria, on the banks of River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, and the 12th biggest city of the European Union, with a population of above 1.5 million.Marienplatz, the true heart of Munich is dominated by the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus).

Its main tower has a height of 85 m and is available for visitors with an elevator. On the top thrones the Münchner Kindl 

The monumental town hall was built between 1867 and 1909 by Georg Joseph Hauberrisser in Flemish Gothic style to alleviate the overcrowded Altes Rathaus nearby

Every evening at 9pm you can watch the performance "Bedtime for the Münchner Kindl". A night-watchman appears in the left pillar arch and blows his horn three times whereupon an angel in the right pillar arch begins to move and stretch a protecting hand over the Münchener Kindl, a child-like monk, who is Munich's heraldic figure and mascot. This performance lasts only five minutes

In the Middle Ages, the Marienplatz square used to be a market place as well as the site where tournaments and festivities took place

Münchner Kindl means "Munich child" in the Bavarian dialect of German and is the name of the symbol on the coat of arms of the city of Munich. The Münchner Kindl on the top of high tower of New Town Hall in Munich was created by Anton Schmid, said his son Wiggerl (Ludwig Schmid-Wildy) standing model.

The city is a major centre of art, advanced technologies, finance, publishing, culture, innovation, education, business, and tourism in Germany and Europe and enjoys a very high standard and quality of living, reaching #1 in Germany and #4 worldwide according to the 2015 Mercer survey

Statue of the Holy Mary (The Mariensäule) and New Town Hall Clock Tower 

The New Town Hall hosts the city government, including the city council, offices of the mayors, and part of the administration

The clock tower of the new town hall in Munich

A sculpture of a green dragon on the wall of the New Town Hall in Munich. This part of the building is called the Wurmeck ('Dragon/Worm Corner')

Detail of the decorations of the main gate: Coat of arms (old) The almost 100-meter-long (300 feet) main facade on Marienplatz is richly ornamented in neo-gothic style and shows almost the entire line of the house of Wittelsbach in Bavaria

Detail of the decorations of the main gate of the Town Hall

Weinstraße side portal

Halfway up the 85m tower of the New Town hall is

one of Munich biggest tourist

draws, a two-tier Glockenspiel

(Carillon) with 43 bells and 32 mechanical figures. The figures rotate

around accompanied by

music of the bells. Duration ca.15 minutes

The group of figures in the upper part re-enact a tournament held during the wedding of Duke Wilhelm V and Renata of Lorraine, which took place here in 1568 along with lavish festivities.

The 1568 wedding of Duke Wilhelm V and Renata von Lorraine. It features a French jouster fighting a Bavarian one. (No prizes for guessing the outcome).Wilhelm and Renatas' was one of the most expensive weddings of the Middle Ages where, among over things, over 500 oxen were eaten!

On the bottom level the “Schäfflertanz” is played out, that's a jig traditionally performed by Munich’s red-coated coopers (barrel makers).The city's real coopers repeat this dance every seven years to celebrate the end of the Plague which devastated Munich in the 15th and 16th centuries. The next Schäfflertanz is due in 2019

Munich’s Glockenspiel is the largest in Germany and the 4th largest in Europe

Finally a small golden rooster at the top of the Glockenspiel chirps three times with flapping wings marking the end of the performance.

The Glockenspiel (carillon) springs to life at 11am and 12pm (and at 5pm from March to October) 

The Battle of St. George and the

Dragon

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Internet Copyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela

Sound: Richard Strauss - Arabella - Aber der Richtige (Lisa della Casa and Anneliese Rothenberger)