Christkindl Markt – München
14 December 2019
From the Munich Airport, it is a 50 minute S-Bahn (local train) ride into Munich (München) historic town center. The main square, Marienplatz, is alive with activity at any time of the year, but at Christmas, it is festive and filled with the Christkindl Markt (Christ Child Market).
This is Marienplatz. Notice the Christmas Tree, a very important item in any Bavaria town square. Each year, a “perfect” tree is donated from an alpine village in Germany and displayed and decorated in Marienplatz. The village whose tree is selected has the honor of serving their own special recipe Glühwein on the city hall’s courtyard.
The Christmas Tree with the new town hall in the background. The Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) is the ornate building towering over the square. Smack-dab in the center is the glockenspiel which puts on a “show” for all to see at 11:00, 12:00, and 17:00 every day.
Notice this souvenir mug. It promotes Munich’s Christ Child Market 2019 (München Christkindl Markt 2019). Munich and all of Bavaria were once part of the Holy Roman Empire and became the last northern bastion defending the Church against Martin Luther and his reformers in the 16th century. Therefore, Bavaria today is still heavily Catholic (almost 50%) when it comes to religion.
Every Christmas market has its own souvenir ceramic mug. When purchasing your hot drink, notice a placard stating the price of the drink and the deposit (pfand). This deposit ranges from €3-4 per cup. When finished, either keep the mug or return it to get your deposit returned. Often there will be a queue and sign for the mug return (pfandrückgabe).
Fröhliche Weihnachten!
