Heavenly

The gilded statue of Mary and the Christ by Dutch Sculptor Hubert Gerhard, stands on a red marble column in the centre of Marienplatz.

The Mariensäule was erected in 1638 during the reign of Maximilan I in thanks to Mary for sparing the city from destruction by the army of Gustavus Adolphus during the Thirty Years War.

The statue can also be seen in some of the other photographs from Marienplatz I have posted in the last few days. This picture was taken in the evening with the sun directly behind the statue creating the silhouette. The low lying cloud added some extra drama to the image.

MORE HERE

Rathaus

The Rathaus, or Town Hall, dominates Marienplatz, Munich's central square. Despite its appearance it's a relatively recent addition to the city built between 1867 and 1908 in Neo-Gothic style. This is the Neues Rathaus as opposed to the Altes Rathaus which stands on the East side of the square.

The 85 metre high central tower is open to the public and an elevator is provided for those whose knees or lungs might not be up to climbing the stairs. In this picture the upper structure of the Rathaus is visible behind the Mariensäule.

MORE HERE

6:59

The Mariensäule - the column of the Virgin Mary in Marienplatz - stands before the tower of Peterskirche, known locally as Alte Peter. St Peter's is the oldest parish church in Munich. There is evidence that this was a religious site as far back as the 8th century. The current church dates from the 13th century, but has been remodelled and rebuilt many times since.

The church was so badly damaged during the Second World War that the initial plan was to demolish the fragments of the building that remained standing. However, a campaign to save the church succeeded and the exterior reconstruction was completed 1954. The restoration of the interior was not completed until 2000.

The railings surrounding the tower that can been seen in this picture mark the walkway that is accessible by climbing around 300 steps (the precise number seems to be a matter of disagreement). Thanks to enlightened planning laws that have banished tower blocks and skyscrapers to the far suburbs the views over the city and beyond to the Alps in the South are superb.

MORE HERE