VIKTUALIENMARKT

Description

Essentials about the Viktualienmarkt in brief

The Viktualienmarkt (Viktualien Market) is to the people of Munich what the Naschmarkt is to the people of Vienna. It is a permanent focal point for all Munich residents and tourists who are enthusiastic about fresh and good food. Located in the south of the old town, the market has developed over the decades from the original farmers’ market to a popular shopping place for gourmets. Every day, over 140 stalls in an area of 22,000 square meters sell fruit and vegetables, meat and cheese, bread and baked goods, spices, flowers and much more. Nowhere in Munich is the selection of fresh food and specialties greater. As befits Munich, the market stalls are arranged in several sections around a beer garden.

The Name “Viktualienmarkt”

Incidentally, the name “Viktualienmarkt” is derived from the Latin “victus” for “food”. Originally, the market was called “Grüner Markt” (“Green Market”) or simply “market place”. The name Viktualienmarkt appeared in the 19th century, when it was fashionable among the educated bourgeoisie to Latinize German terms.

The history of the Viktualienmarkt

The Viktualienmarkt has a tradition of over 200 years. The market came into being at its current location in the southern part of Munich’s city center as a result of the relocation of the Munich city market from Marienplatz, which had become too small as a trading place for grain and other agricultural products. Therefore, King Max I Joseph decreed in 1807 to relocate part of the market to the area between the Heilig-Geist-Kirche and Frauenstrasse.

As early as the 1830s, this central market had to be significantly expanded. At the southern end on Blumenstrasse, the elongated Schrannenhalle, the forerunner of today’s Grossmarkthalle, had been built in 1852. Since 1870, there have been permanent stalls – before that, the sales places were allocated on a daily basis. In the course of time, the market underwent many additions, such as a bank butcher’s hall, a hall for the sale of tripe, bread stores, store buildings and pavilions for the sale of fruit, as well as a separate hall for the North Sea fishery. By 1890, the Viktualienmarkt had reached its present size.

During World War II, the square was severely damaged in air raids. Fortunately, the plan to use the valuable ground for the construction of high-rise buildings was discarded and the Viktualienmarkt was given a new lease of life. Munich citizens enriched the square with memorial fountains for the folk singers and comedians Liesl Karlstadt, Karl Valentin and Weiß Ferdl starting in 1953. Later three more fountains were added

The Viktualienmarkt today

Since the 1950s, the Viktualienmarkt has developed into a gourmet market. Covering an area of 22,000 square meters, it now houses 140 merchants offering bread, flowers, fruit, fish, meat, dairy products, juices, handicrafts and much more. Today it is both a shopping place for the people of Munich and a sight for tourists.