Knowledge platform

The Munich Maypole

Munich's best-known maypole stands in the middle of the old town, on the Viktualienmarkt, in white and blue. But the custom is not confined to this one square.

Explore the tradition

34.5 mViktualienmarkt
16th c.first recorded
1 Mayraising day

Some time in late April the long, peeled trunks go up in many districts, decorated with the emblems of the trades, and for a few weeks spring belongs to the trees again. The maypole is a village custom, and Munich is anything but a village. And yet it has held on here, stubbornly and matter-of-factly, from the landmark at the Viktualienmarkt to the trunks in the neighbourhoods.

Chinesischer Turm e.V., named after the landmark tower in the English Garden and Munich's second-largest beer garden, gathers this knowledge under the name Maibaum München. These pages follow the custom: its origins and meaning, the feat of raising it, the stories of maypole stealing, and the tree that became a landmark, the maypole at the Viktualienmarkt.

The maypole in brief

What: A peeled trunk, usually painted white and blue, with guild emblems, a sign of spring and community.
When: Raised around 1 May, often on the holiday itself, sometimes the night before.
Where in Munich: At the Viktualienmarkt as a landmark, plus trees across the districts.
Height: Usually around 30 metres; the tree at the Viktualienmarkt stands 34.5 metres.

What a maypole tells you

Look closely and a maypole spells out a whole place. The plaques and figures on the trunk show the trades, the guilds and the clubs, the baker, the smith, the brass band. The tree is a shop window of the community, raised into the sky, and whoever puts it up is also saying who lives here. More on the pages about meaning and decorating.

Munich Maypole 2027

Raising happens around 1 May, usually on the holiday itself, often already the night before. The dates, locations and programme for the coming season are gathered on the page Munich Maypole 2027, from the city maypole at the Viktualienmarkt to the trees in the districts.

Topics

Everything about the maypole

From origins and raising to maypole stealing and the coming season.

Origins and meaningTraditionWhere the maypole comes from and why the custom endures.Read How it is doneRaisingHow a maypole goes up without a crane.Read The theft that isn't oneMaypole StealingAllowed before raising; the ransom is paid in beer.Read The landmarkViktualienmarkt34.5 metres, six figure groups and the Purity Law.Read Symbol and signMeaningSpring, fertility and a place's self-image.Read Emblems and wreathDecoratingWhite and blue, the wreath and the guild plaques.Read Guide for clubsBuyingCost, height, weight and what matters.Read Dates and locations2027 SeasonThe coming maypole season in Munich.Read

Every Munich maypole on one map

Locations, height and year of every maypole in the city, as an interactive map and collection.