Old Town Hall
Old Town Hall is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Munich audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~30 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Munich Munich guide
About Old Town Hall
A fairy-tale white Gothic hall at the east end of Marienplatz, now home to a toy museum, and once the room where a 1938 speech helped ignite Kristallnacht.
Munich's Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) closes the eastern end of Marienplatz. First documented in 1310, its Grand Hall was built in the 1390s and rebuilt in late-Gothic style around 1470 by Jörg von Halsbach, architect of the Frauenkirche; the tall spire was originally the Talburg Gate in the city's first ring of walls. It served as the seat of Munich's government until 1874, when the administration moved to the New Town Hall. Since 1983 the building has housed a toy museum, and its banqueting hall is still used for civic ceremonies. The Grand Hall was also the setting for Joseph Goebbels's speech of 9 November 1938, which helped trigger the Kristallnacht pogrom across Germany. Badly damaged in the Second World War, the building was restored and its spire reconstructed between 1971 and 1974.
Did you know? That fairy-tale spire was never built as a town-hall tower at all: it began as the Talburg Gate, one of the gateways in Munich's very first ring of medieval city walls.
How long should you spend at Old Town Hall?
Plan about ~30 min at Old Town Hall. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Old Town Hall worth visiting?
Old Town Hall is one of the 26 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Munich, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Munich
Hear the story of Old Town Hall
Preview the Munich tour free in the Gingerguide app.