Glockenspiel

The Glockenspiel stands on the tower of Munich’s New Town Hall, overlooking Marienplatz with bells and moving figures. Its tower setting places Munich’s history above the city square. The display brings together a knightly tournament celebrating a ducal wedding and the Schäffler dance, performed by barrel makers. The installation has stood there for over a century.

The Bavarian knight unseats his rival below. The dance reaches back to the early sixteenth century and recalls how barrel makers lifted Munich’s spirits after plague. Munich still preserves that barrel makers’ dance as tradition. Behind the moving figures, a dedicated team manually controls and maintains the mechanism, keeping its operation close to the original installation. Music cylinders guide its melodies like a barrel organ. The repertoire draws mainly on folk songs from the early twentieth century, while the bells supply the sound above Marienplatz. The platform records wheelchair access at this spot.