New Town Hall (Munich)

Brief information

Munich City Council moved from the Old Town Hall into the New Town Hall, although the old one stands only a few dozen meters away. This immediately explains the scale of the building: the authorities did not simply change address, but acquired a large Neo-Gothic complex of brick and stone that was completed and expanded over decades.

The town hall occupies the northern side of Marienplatz and still serves the city administration. The tower rises to 85 meters, and the complex itself is grouped around six inner courtyards. So the building is best read not as a single facade for the square, but as a working urban machine that was given a solemn historical appearance.

What to notice first

On the facade, it is worth comparing the building’s administrative purpose with its decoration. About a hundred meters of wall are occupied by figures of Bavarian dukes, Wittelsbach kings, legendary characters, and saints. The administrative building presents itself through the history of the city and the region, rather than through strict bureaucratic restraint.

The central tower brings together the most expressive details. On the spire stands the “Munich Child”: in one hand he holds the Gospel, with the other he blesses the city. Below are the carillon clock, where 43 bells, opening windows, and 32 figures turn the facade into a small stage. The upper part shows a knightly tournament on Marienplatz, the lower one the coopers’ dance after the plague receded. These details help you see the town hall as a building where civic authority literally built its stories about the past into stone and mechanism.