Marienplatz Webcam – Munich’s Main Square and New Town Hall

The Marienplatz Webcam streams live from the fourth floor of the Ludwig Beck department store, on the northeast corner of Munich’s central square, and looks west along it. The Fischbrunnen fountain sits just below the lens, the neo-Gothic front of the Neues Rathaus runs down the right side above its arcades, and the Marian Column rises from the crowd in the middle. At the far end stands the Galeria building, where the pedestrian street Kaufingerstrasse begins. A second tab carries the feratel camera on the tower of the Altes Rathaus, the Old Town Hall next door, which pans across a wider arc from St. Peter’s Church to the twin onion domes of the Frauenkirche and the ochre dome of the Theatinerkirche on the northern skyline. Crowds gather below the town hall tower for the Glockenspiel, and the midday sun lights the town hall front.

About Marienplatz

Marienplatz has been the central square of Munich since 1158. For centuries it was the market square, known as Schrannenplatz after its grain market, and it took its present name on 9 October 1854, once the grain trade had moved elsewhere. The name comes from the Marian Column, the slim column in the middle of the crowd on the camera. It was raised in 1638 to celebrate the end of the Swedish occupation during the Thirty Years’ War, and the gilded Virgin Mary on top, standing on a crescent moon as Queen of Heaven, is older still, made in 1590.

The Neues Rathaus takes up the whole north side. Georg Hauberrisser won the design competition, the first section went up from 1867 to 1874, and extensions followed until 1905, because the council had run out of room in the Old Town Hall. Its main tower is 85 meters (279 feet) tall, and its Glockenspiel uses 43 bells and 32 mechanical figures to replay two scenes: the tournament held in 1568 for the wedding of Duke William V and Renata of Lorraine, and the coopers’ dance that recalls the plague years of 1515 to 1517. The Fischbrunnen fountain stands in front of the town hall arcades.

The panorama tab sits on the Altes Rathaus, a reconstructed Gothic council hall with a ballroom and a tower 55 meters (180 feet) high. The green-capped corner turrets of that tower frame both edges of its wide archive panoramas. The main camera is next door in Ludwig Beck, and the store also plays the live picture inside, in its Monaco cafe. The entrance to Marienplatz station, served by both U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains, opens in the middle of the square, just past the fountain on the main view.

Weather and Climate in Munich

Munich lies at about 520 meters (1,706 feet) on the plain north of the Alps. January averages highs of 4°C (39°F) and lows of -1.8°C (29°F), and the city counts around 39 days a year with at least 1 centimeter (0.4 inch) of snow on the ground, so the town hall roofs and the square can turn white in midwinter. Spring warms quickly, with April highs near 15°C (59°F) and lows around 5°C (42°F).

July brings average highs of 24.9°C (77°F) and lows of 14.7°C (58°F). October cools to highs of 14.5°C (58°F) and lows of 6.5°C (44°F). The city collects about 940 millimeters (37 inches) of rain and snow a year and around 1,840 hours of sunshine. The foehn, a warm wind that drops off the Alps, can push temperatures up sharply within a few hours, even in winter.

Things to Do Near Marienplatz

Two towers on the square let you look down on it in person. The tower of St. Peter’s, the oldest church in Munich, stands 91 meters (299 feet) high, and more than 300 steps lead to a viewing platform 56 meters (184 feet) up, with the Alps in sight on clear days. The Neues Rathaus tower has a viewing gallery reached by elevator. Inside the Altes Rathaus tower, a toy museum fills four rooms, one on each level. The Glockenspiel plays at 11:00 and 12:00 every day, with an extra show at 17:00 from March to October.

Behind the camera, the Viktualienmarkt food market lies just southeast of St. Peter’s. The pedestrian streets Kaufingerstrasse and Neuhauser Strasse lead west from the square toward Karlsplatz, the Frauenkirche stands a block to the northwest, and the Hofbrauhaus beer hall is a short walk east on Platzl. Theatinerstrasse runs north to Odeonsplatz and the Theatinerkirche seen on the panorama tab’s skyline. In the weeks before Christmas, the Christkindlmarkt sets up on Marienplatz and the squares around it.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More Bavarian and German town squares and city views on the site:

• Freising Webcam
• Berg am Laim Webcam
• Hildesheim Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Marienplatz in Munich?

Marienplatz is the main square of the Altstadt, the old town at the heart of Munich, the capital of Bavaria in southern Germany. Marienplatz station sits directly under the square, served by U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines.

What can you see on the Marienplatz Webcam?

The main camera looks west from Ludwig Beck, over the Fischbrunnen and the entrance to Marienplatz station, along the arcaded front of the Neues Rathaus to the Marian Column and the Galeria building at the far end. The Old Town Hall tab pans from St. Peter’s Church across the square to the Neues Rathaus with the Frauenkirche towers behind it, then on to the Ludwig Beck building and the Theatinerkirche dome. Neither camera shows the Viktualienmarkt, which lies southeast of the square.

Is the Marienplatz webcam live?

Yes. The main camera is a live YouTube stream from Ludwig Beck that runs around the clock. The Old Town Hall tab is a feratel player that shows the most recent recorded pan, with a new one every 8 to 10 minutes during the day, and its menu opens an archive of earlier panoramas and a time-lapse.

Is this the Ludwig Beck Marienplatz webcam?

Yes. The main camera is the store’s own webcam, filming from the fourth floor of Ludwig Beck on the northeast corner of the square, and the store shows the same picture in its Monaco cafe. The red and white patterned facade of the building appears close on the right of the pan on the Old Town Hall tab.

Can you watch the Glockenspiel on the webcam?

Not the figures themselves. The main camera looks along the Neues Rathaus from close beside it, so the tower rises above the top of the picture. On the Old Town Hall tab the tower stands in the middle of the view, but the figures are small at that distance. On both, the crowd gathering below at show time is easy to see. The show runs at 11:00 and 12:00, plus 17:00 from March to October.

Can you see the Christmas market on the Marienplatz webcam?

Yes. In the weeks before Christmas, the stalls of the Christkindlmarkt fill the square in front of the Neues Rathaus, in view of both cameras.

Is this the Marienplatz in Freising or Ravensburg?

No. These cameras are on Marienplatz in Munich. Freising and Ravensburg each have a main square of the same name, and the Freising square has a webcam of its own, listed above.

What is the weather like in Munich?

Winters are cold, with January highs around 4°C (39°F) and snow on the ground on about 39 days a year, and summers are warm, with July highs near 25°C (77°F). The foehn wind from the Alps can bring sudden warm spells, even in winter.

Source: Ludwig Beck, feratel and muenchen.de