Although I've shown Munich's Rathaus many times, I don't think I've ever focused in on the Glockenspiel. For most locals, I'm not sure they even notice the famous tourist attraction. You can point them out, moving quickly through the hypnotized crowd of tourist, staring to the skies for a peek at Munich's history being acted out twice per day. In reality, locals report that they ignore because it's a bit dull. The scene on the facade of the Rathaus acts out two stories from the 16th century. The top half tells of the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V (founder of Hofbrauhaus) to Renata of Lothringen at Marienplatz, followed by knights on horseback jousting, with the Bavarian knight winning of course. On the bottom level, you see the Schafflerstanz (cooper's dance) which local barrel makers performed to show it was safe to come out after the plague. Apparently, you can still see this dance reenacted every seven years during the Fasching Carnival (the next one in 2012).
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Munich's Trinket Showcase
Although I've shown Munich's Rathaus many times, I don't think I've ever focused in on the Glockenspiel. For most locals, I'm not sure they even notice the famous tourist attraction. You can point them out, moving quickly through the hypnotized crowd of tourist, staring to the skies for a peek at Munich's history being acted out twice per day. In reality, locals report that they ignore because it's a bit dull. The scene on the facade of the Rathaus acts out two stories from the 16th century. The top half tells of the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V (founder of Hofbrauhaus) to Renata of Lothringen at Marienplatz, followed by knights on horseback jousting, with the Bavarian knight winning of course. On the bottom level, you see the Schafflerstanz (cooper's dance) which local barrel makers performed to show it was safe to come out after the plague. Apparently, you can still see this dance reenacted every seven years during the Fasching Carnival (the next one in 2012).
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I remember having to slalom my way around and in-between all the google-eyed tourists when I needed to get from one side of Marienplatz to the other. I tried to avoid Marienplatz like the plague around 11 a.m. or I just used the underground ticketing area of the U- and S-Bahn.
When I return to Munich for a visit in a few weeks I want to show my partner the very thing I always avoided...the Glockenspiel. Funny, huh!?
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