New Town Hall
On Gingerguide's self-guided Munich audio tour, New Town Hall is a stop worth about ~45 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Munich Munich guide
About New Town Hall
The soaring neo-Gothic town hall whose tower stages Munich's beloved Glockenspiel: 32 figures that re-enact a 1568 wedding and a plague-ending dance twice a day, before a golden rooster crows.
The New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) dominates the north side of Marienplatz, though its Gothic appearance is deceptive: it was built between 1867 and 1908 in the neo-Gothic style, and the city government moved in from 1874. Its tall central tower carries the Rathaus-Glockenspiel, a carillon added in 1908 with 43 bells and 32 near-life-size figures. Twice daily, at 11 a.m. and noon (and additionally at 5 p.m. in summer), the figures enact two scenes in a show lasting about fifteen minutes: the upper tier re-creates the 1568 wedding of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lorraine, complete with a joust won by the Bavarian knight, while the lower tier performs the Schäfflertanz, the coopers' dance traditionally linked to the end of a plague in 1517. A golden rooster crows three times to close the performance, and a separate, quieter figure show plays at 9 p.m.
Did you know? The clockwork is bigger than it looks from the square: 43 bells and 32 near-life-size figures are packed into the tower to stage the twice-daily show.
How much time do you need at New Town Hall?
Around ~45 min works well for New Town Hall — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at New Town Hall?
Yes — New Town Hall made the cut as one of 26 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Munich. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Munich
Hear the story of New Town Hall
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