Platzl

The Platzl is a small public square in the heart of Munich. It sits near the city’s old town, where narrow streets still carry the names of medieval quarters. The square first appeared on maps in 1780 under its present name, though earlier it was called the Graggenau quarter. For centuries it formed part of the city’s brewing quarter, where beer cellars and breweries clustered close together. In the 19th century the Platzl became the heart of Munich’s beer trade. The Hofbräuhaus moved its white beer and brown beer brewing to the square, and later added the Bockbierkeller. By the late 19th century the Platzl had grown into the main meeting place for Munich’s beer drinkers. A theatre-restaurant opened opposite the Hofbräuhaus in 1874 and soon became known as the Platzl Bühne, turning the square into one of the city’s key entertainment districts. Today the Platzl remains a lively corner where visitors can still taste beer in the Hofbräuhaus cellars. The Platzl Bühne continues to stage performances in the same building that opened in 1874. Around the square stand several historic houses that recall Munich’s brewing past. The narrow Platzl itself is paved with cobblestones, and small groups of drinkers spill out from the beer halls onto the pavement.