Feeling poor? Wash your wallet in fish fountain!

Everyone knows the fish fountain, or Fischbrunnen at Marienplatz. It has to be one of the most popular meeting places in the centre of town. What might not be known is that the water of the fountain is said to bring good fortune. It is said that anyone who washes their wallet in the fish fountain on Ash Wednesday will never see it empty. This custom is strong enough that the mayor of Munich traditionally washes the symbolic City Purse every year in the waters. Pictures of current mayor, Christian Ude, washing the city purse can be seen here. So get down there with your wallet on Ash Wednesday to see if you can improve your fortunes.

And in case you were wondering about the figures on the fountain, they are Metzgerburschen, or butchers' apprentices. Up until WWII, they were regularly "baptised" upon completion of their apprenticeship by being thrown into water and are so represented on the fountain.

After seeing people throw up in there today, I don't think I would want to wash anything there

So did anyone wash their wallet during their lunch break?

Isn't there a 150kg woman who washes her "purse" in there? ;-)

Nude fountain bather defies police

I checked the water at 2pm and it was completely clean, no vomit or anything. Ude washes at 11 am. Hubby tried to get his boss to wash his wallet but he refused, but he's Dutch so he probably just didn't believe in the magic.

Interesting that Hacker Pschorr seem to be happy to put their logo round the inside of a big bucket of water, ah, the poetry. Perhaps the Dutchman thought that commercial cynicism had washed away all the magic. Not so daft these dykemen!