Bigger Government, Bigger City Hall, Bigger Toys?

This past December, on my second visit to Munich in 2016 I had the pleasure of discovering some of the city's fascinating history and architecture. While standing in front of the building that you see below it made me think of one of my favourite expressions: "The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys". 

What does this have to do with the Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) in Munich? Let's find out!

A view of the new city hall with its central tower and Glockenspiel!

  At the half-way point of the 19th century the city of Munich was undergoing explosive growth. With growth came the inevitable move to increase the size of the local government and so plans were made for a new city hall. Would it include a new toy for the big boys?  

  A site at the Marienplatz was selected and 24 buildings were demolished to make space for the incredible Neues Rathaus (City Hall) building that you see in these photos. Interestingly the Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus) was not destroyed but still stands (although likely with an inferiority complex) near the new one.  

This is a view of the new city hall from another nearby tower that we climbed.

  Construction was started in 1867 (incidently that is the year Canada was founded) and after various extensions it was finally completed in 1909, just 5 years before WWI!  

  The Hall is constructed in the Flemish Gothic style and is over 90m (300 feet) in length. The ornate stonework that is featured on the exterior is stunning with all of its intricate details. I was happy that my buddy used his high resolution camera to capture the images that you see here as I am now able to zoom in and examine various features!    

  The Glockenspiel Quite The Toy For The Boys at That Time!  

  The main feature of the Rathaus is a 79 meter (259 feet) tower in which is housed the amazing “glockenspiel”, the fourth largest in all of Europe!   

  The Glockenspiel features 42 bells and 32 nearly life sized figures. Every day at 11 am, noon, and 5 pm, these figures put on a performance for the crowds that gather at Marienplatz to watch.   

Here is the central tower showing the coloured figures of the glockenspiel

  What a Toy And What a Show! 

  If you visit you can view two presentations:  

   1.) The top half of the Glockenspiel acts out the story of the marriage of the local Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lorraine. To honour the couple there is a joust with life-sized knights on horseback representing Bavaria (in white and blue) and Lothringen (in red and white). The result is always the same with the Bavarian knight winning!  

Zooming in we can start to see the details of both the tower and the coloured figures of the glockenspiel.

A close-up view of the upper scene. You can also see the golden rooster above them.

Moving even closer we can see the details of some of the "actors" in the first scene.

  2.) The bottom half continues with a second story: Schäfflertanz (the coopers' dance). According to myth, the coopers are said to have danced through the streets to bring vitality and joy to a population which had been ravaged by the plague. Their dance came to symbolize perseverance and loyalty to authority through difficult times.   

Here is a  close-up of the lower scene which shows the performing dancers.

  

The entire performance lasts between 12 and 15 minutes depending on which tune it plays that day. At the very end of the show, a small golden rooster at the top of the Glockenspiel chirps three times as it marks the end of the spectacle.  

As I stood and watched the performance it made me think of the little wind-up toys that I played with as a child!

Points to Ponder:

Is it really true that "The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys"?

Is the glockenspiel in the New City Hall proof of that phrase?

If you are all grown up what toys do you play with?

Are your toys expensive?

I hope that you enjoyed this visit to The Neues Rathaus Glockenspiel!

Until next time,

@kus-knee (The Old Dog)

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