Viktualienmarkt: The Maypole and Karl Valentin
Why is it significant?
Now you are standing in the stomach of Munich. Around you are stalls under striped awnings, pyramids of radishes, white asparagus in spring, wheels of mountain cheese, sausages hanging like curtains, and in the middle a tall maypole painted in blue and white spirals, hung with little carved figures.
Key Facts
| Place | Viktualienmarkt: The Maypole and Karl Valentin |
|---|---|
| Address | Viktualienmarkt 3, 80331 München, Germany |
| Geo Coordinates | 48.13510, 11.57610 |
| Part of Walk | Salt, Beer and Pretzels: A Food Lover's Walk Through Munich's Old Town |
| Generated | Generated |
Now you are standing in the stomach of Munich. Around you are stalls under striped awnings, pyramids of radishes, white asparagus in spring, wheels of mountain cheese, sausages hanging like curtains, and in the middle a tall maypole painted in blue and white spirals, hung with little carved figures.
The market moved here in 1807, by royal order, because the main square had become far too small for it. Its name comes from the Latin word victualia, provisions. To the north you can see the tower of the Heilig-Geist-Kirche, the church of the old Holy Spirit hospital. In the nineteenth century the hospital buildings were torn down, and the market spread over their grounds and gardens... the sick moved out, the cheese moved in.
Look at the figures on the maypole: they show the trades of the town, brewers, butchers, bakers, dancers. And under the chestnut trees is the market's beer garden, with a very Munich rule. It serves beer from the six big Munich breweries in rotation: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten. Nobody gets to own the market... not even in a glass.
Scattered between the stalls are six fountains honouring Munich's folk singers and comedians. Find the one with a long, thin bronze figure with a big nose: that is Karl Valentin, set up in 1953, the great absurdist comedian whom Bertolt Brecht admired. Someone puts fresh flowers in his hand almost every day. One of his most quoted lines fits this whole city: everything has already been said, just not yet by everyone.
The market women here, the Standlfrauen, are famous for a tongue as sharp as their knives, so do not prod the peaches. And a word about the Weisswurst you will see on every menu. Tradition says you eat it before the noon bells ring, with sweet mustard and a pretzel. Now leave the market heading east, past the stalls, towards the old gate where Munich's fortune first rolled in on salt carts.