Viktualienmarkt: the extravagant marketplace where you can do anything and everything!
Viktualienmarkt is a very famous daily food market square which is located in the center of Munich, in Germany. Viktualienmarkt has developed into a very popular market for exquisite gourmet products from being a simple farmer’s market. It covers an area of 22,000 m2 and contains about 140 stalls and shops that offer the customers beautiful and authentic flowers, poultry, juices, cheese, exotic fruits, spices, fish, and so on. Most of the stalls and shops are open during the opening hours which is Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 8 pm. Also, the Biergarten is not open until 9 am in the morning. You will find that many stalls close by 6 pm which is actually before the standard closing time. Restaurants, flower shops, and bakeries have special opening hours.
Viktualienmarkt is a very bustling local outdoor market of Munich and is, in fact, located in the heart of the city’s old town. It was one of the oldest farmers markets located in Munich which Dating back to 1807. It has got its name from the Latin word victualia meaning “groceries.”
What to Get at the Munich Viktualienmarkt:
This is one of the premier places if you want to shop in Munich. You are sure to get all fresh produce including Bavarian specialties, bread, and dairy. You will find that the city’s top chefs, tourists and also the locals visit the market and take home everything from fresh vegetables and fruits to seafood and meat. Also the best quality of honey, fresh squeezed juices can be bought from here.
The market is set up six days of the week and is a treat for your senses browsing through it. You can easily scan all the 140 booths and also the farm stands which are all decorated with beautiful garlands of sausages, pyramids of fruits and mountains of vegetables.
The Beer Garden at Viktualienmarkt:
There is a beer garden which is located in the heart of Viktualienmarkt, which is shaded by hundred-year-old chestnut trees. If you want to take a break from all the shopping and watch the busy and bustling market, this is the right place for that. The best thing is, the beer garden can accommodate up to 1000 people and also offers several hearty Bavarian specialties. You can try a pork roast along with sauerkraut and dumplings. Also, the warm potato salad or even the “Brotzeit” platter that includes cold cuts and homemade artisan cheese is a must try.
History
The Viktualienmarkt became the rightful successor of today’s Marienplatz which is a store for cereals, and various other agricultural products that have become very small. Viktualienmarkt being one of its rightful successors evolved where it is still located today because of the decree which was issued by King Maximilian I on the 2nd of May 1807. At this time the king had ordered the parts of the market between the Heiliggeist Church and Frauenstraße be relocated and also asked the municipal authorities to get the buildings of Heiliggeist hospice be demolished which were acquired by the city.
It was only later that the Latin word meaning food called “Viktualien” was used. After the burning down of the market in 1932, it was opened in the year 2005 and several changes were made. The butcher’s shop which was located at the foot of Petersburg, venison, and the stalls built for poultry and also the stands of the flower vendors even started expanding. Also, the Second World War resulted in damaging the cozy atmosphere of the square. In fact, there were talks of closing down the market and erecting huge multi-storey buildings at this site. Instead, the municipal authorities decided to rebuild the Viktualienmarkt with some good financial support along with the help of the citizens of Munich and to enrich it with memorial fountains for the various folk singers and comedians.
Events
Various kinds of traditional and folkloric events like weighing celebrities, gardener’s day, summer festival, brewer’s day, the opening of the asparagus season and dance of the market women on Shrove Tuesday are few of the many events that the markets hosts. So the Viktualienmarkt has been a pedestrian zone from 6th November 1975 and also is an important meeting point.
Administration
The Wholesale Market Munich organizes the Viktualienmarkt. The food market started growing too large for the central square of Marienplatz when King Maximilian I issued a decree in the year 1807 and had it moved to few meters to the south-eastern square between the Frauenstraße and Heiliggeist-Kirche. At this time the charity building belonging to the church were demolished in order to make way for the market square which later became to be known as the victuals market or even commonly as the “Viktualienmarkt.”
By the end of 1823, the market had enlarged again, and many market halls were added as well. Pavilions for bakeries and fruits vendors, fish hall, stands for fowls and venison a butcher’s hall and even flower shops were added. Also after the Second World War, the marketplace was revived by the city administration along with the citizens of Munich. It was enriched with various memorial wells for the folk singers and also comedians like Karl Valentin and LieslKarlstadt. It is interesting to know that water has always played a major role in the market square. In the olden days, there were seven brooks which were connected to the river Isar that flowed through the square. Some figurants display the ideas and also the various part of Munich, which is known as the Maypoles in the center. These Maypoles go back to the ages of general illiteracy and is served to represent a village also like a borough and the trades of a salesman or sometimes a traveling craftsman. Some of the shops open earlier than the others and some close later too. It depends on the individual stores.
Visit Munich and experience this extravagant marketplace full of all your daily and even exquisite requirements that will keep you wanting more and more!