Toytown Germany

For nearly a year now the square behind Munich's town hall, Marienhof, has been a building zone. But what will become of this area when the cranes and diggers finally move out? No one yet knows! Not even the city council themselves. If you travel regularly through the Marienplatz U/S-Bahn hub you'll have noticed that just this week the building work has been extended to the platforms. They are digging two new tunnels so as to double the capacity of the U6 line in readiness for the 2006 football world cup. Then after the world cup they plan to build a new central S-Bahn station. This S-Bahn construction will last another 4 years. It is only in 2010 that Marienhof will become free for development. And the city has yet to decide what to build there. What would you prefer? Another shopping center? A beer garden? Fountains and a glass house? The options are open. But first a bit of history. ...

[img]http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/marienhof_pre_1944.jpg[/img]
1930's aerial photo of the area which was to become Marienhof. In the lower right you can see Marienplatz and the Rathaus. In the upper left Max-Joseph-Platz and the opera house.

Prior to the second world war, Marienhof didn't exist. Instead this was a built up area consisting of shops and flats of various shapes and sizes. See photo above. On the night before 18th December 1944 the buildings were completely flattened by an allied bombing raid. The city decided not to rebuild but instead to clear the rubble and create a car park. Marienhof was born. It remained a car park from 1948 until 1971.

[img]http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/marienhof_post_1944.jpg[/img]
The Marienhof area immediately post-WWII

[img]http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/marienhof_1950s.jpg[/img]
Marienhof in the 1950's

[img]http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/marienhof_1980s.jpg[/img]
Marienhof in the 1980's
Above photos from München Baureferat

In 1971 the Marienplatz U-Bahn was opened, just in time for the 1972 Olympic games. Marienhof became a green area and home to an olympic information pavilion. Marienhof remained mostly a green park area, with a few minor alterations, until 2003. It is now being used as an access point for the tunnel works which will continue until 2010. What becomes of Marienhof after this date is still open to question.

For further information, in German, see München Baureferat - Marienhof.

NitC will lap this one up.

You know what? I would have left that Marienhof as it is. It was so nice to have a bit of green where to relax while taking a break from shopping. It was great for the dogs also. I just don't see the point of having to build something on every last little space available. What is wrong with just trees and a bit of grass?

a beer garden would be great.

i agree that a bit of green space is needed in the city... there is too much concrete down there...

it should be turned back into a nice leafy park... a lung for the city!!!

Yes, true. If the Marienhof park goes as well, there is nothing green in the heart of the city - the nearest green place being the Hofgarten at the Odeonsplatz. In or around Marienplatz, there'll be nowhere to go for a bit of nature.

How about another Irish pub?

I think they should enter the tallest sky scraper in the world race, and put a massive building in the shape of a giant Mass-Krug, that can be seen from all of Bavaria. Lets not forget what makes this City great...

Yep - the tallest building in the world should go in Marienhof and then be turned into an irish pub - all 100 floors of it.

I miss it terribly, it was right outside the door at work in Weinstrasse...lovely to just go and lie out in the sun at lunchbreak. Gits.

Restore it back to what it used to be pre war.