Viktualienmarkt Farmers Market at Marienplatz Square – Munich, Germany

I cannot express how much we enjoyed our visit to Germany and running around Munich. It was our 20th anniversary trip in May of 2018. and it was incredible.  Sadly it rained a lot, which limited some of the things we could do outside. However one afternoon we were able to visit Marienplatz Square and see the Glockenspiel clock. It was really interesting and we had a great time walking around the square. Eventually, we make our way to Viktualienmarkt Farmers Market. It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

A little bit of history, when the food market of the city grew too large for the Marienplatz central square, King Maximilian I issued a decree on May 2, 1807, to have it moved a few metres to the south-east. It was erected the square between Heiliggeist-Kirche and Frauenstraße. Sadly, the charity buildings that had once belonged to the church were demolished to make way for the market square or “Marktplatz”. Today it is better known as “Viktualienmarkt” or victuals market.

Today the Viktualienmarkt is a 2200 square meters market with vendors offering a huge range of fresh produce fruits and vegetables: bakers, butchers, fishmongers, delis, and flower stalls. There are also snack and coffee stands and a cozy beer garden with maypole. I did not know this but apparently maypoles date from the ages of general illiteracy and served to represent a village. This one contains figurettes displaying the trades and crafts of this part of Munich. I thought it was quite intriguing.

The first thing I noticed when we walked in was all the bread (brot) vendors. Yum, I love bread and they had so many different kinds.  It was so hard to decide which vendor and which type of bread to try. Can’t remember the type we had, but it was really good and fresh.

The other type of vendors we saw a lot of was of course those selling fruit and veggies. We did happen to notice that white asparagus must have been in the season because a lot of them had some for sale. Plus I couldn’t help but notice that they were quite large. We had never seen so many large white asparagus.

I also have to mention that we saw many flower vendors, and thought this one was really cute with the little pig. I took a picture of it for my sister in law who really likes pigs. Thought she would enjoy it. Definitely added character to her display 🙂

Today the market also hosts a number of traditional and folkloric events such as weighing celebrities, brewers’ day, gardeners’ day, the opening of the asparagus season, summer festival, the dance of the market women on Shrove Tuesday, etc. Hence the Viktualienmarkt, which has been a pedestrian zone since November 6, 1975, is also a meeting point.

I didn’t know what the name Viktualienmarkt actually meant, but while writing this post I learned that it means supplies or food. Makes sense, and I was so glad we were able to spend some time as well as dinner and a beer at this wonderful market.  Here is a link to a website with more information about the market. Make sure to venture a few meters to the south to check it out if you are in Marienplatz Square.

Viktualienmarkt Visitor Information

Address:

Viktualienmarkt 3, 80331 Munich, Bavaria Germany

Hours:

Monday – Saturday 8 am-6 pm

Beer Garden:

Summer Mon-Sat 9am-10pm

Winter Mon-Sat 9 am-6 pm