Munich Platzl: The old town center with Hofbräuhaus and old town houses

Where the name Platzl comes from

The street name has existed at this location since at least 1780. Before that, the area also appears under the name Graggenau in Munich tax and court records dating from 1368 to 1805 – the name of one of Munich’s four medieval city quarters.

The diminutive form should be taken literally: Platzl exists only because northern Orlandostraße widens in steps and the façades stand at angles to one another. The staggered sections of the Hofbräuhaus also contribute to this sense of space – one section of the building appears almost like a separate corner house.

👉 Platzl in Munich’s Old Town is not a purpose-built square, but a square-like widening of Orlandostraße whose name has been documented there since at least 1780.

The Hofbräuhaus at Platzl

The Hofbräuhaus occupies almost the entire eastern side of Platzl. The present Neo-Renaissance building was constructed in 1896/97 according to plans by Max Littmann after the brewery had moved to Haidhausen. A brewery already stood on this site in 1607 – long before the location was even called Platzl.

You can find everything about its history, interiors, and traditions on the dedicated Hofbräuhaus page.

👉 The Hofbräuhaus has shaped the eastern side of Munich’s Platzl since 1607 as a brewery and, following the 1896/97 reconstruction, as a Neo-Renaissance beer hall and restaurant.tzl.

The townhouses at Platzl 2 and 3

The buildings at Platzl 2 and 3 are considered rare surviving examples of traditional Munich townhouses. The front building at Platzl 3 still contains remains dating back to the Middle Ages. The main construction phases are clearly visible: the core of the front building at Platzl 2 dates from the Renaissance around 1565, the central building from the mid-17th century, and the rear building from the first half of the 18th century. The front building at Platzl 3 had an additional story added around 1700.

The group of buildings was renovated in 1987/88 – accompanied by an extensive architectural investigation, but also by significant losses of historic fabric. Since then, passageways have led into the courtyards, which can be explored from Platzl.

👉 At Platzl 2 and 3 stand two of the few surviving traditional Munich townhouses, with building fabric ranging from medieval remains and the Renaissance to the 18th century.

The Orlandohaus and the man it was named after

North of Platzl stands the richly decorated, five-story Orlandohaus, completed in 1900. An arcade runs along the ground floor – a detail that is easy to miss if you are only looking at the Hofbräuhaus across the way.

It is named after Orlando di Lasso, the Franco-Flemish composer who directed the Munich court chapel under Duke Albrecht V and his son Wilhelm V and ranked among the most influential musicians of his time. The adjoining Orlandostraße is also named after him.

👉 The Orlandohaus at Munich’s Platzl was completed in 1900 and commemorates Orlando di Lasso, the 16th-century music director of the Munich court chapel.

When Platzl had its own stage

For decades, one of Munich’s most important folk-singer stages stood opposite the Hofbräuhaus. It was housed in a venue that had been converted into a large hall with around 600 seats in 1888. The program featured comic songs, rural plays, brass music, yodeling, and farces – all performed in front of the same Alpine hut backdrop.

The best-known name associated with this stage was Ferdinand Weisheitinger, who performed as Weiß Ferdl, joined the ensemble in 1907, and later became director of the theater. The image of Bavaria cultivated there – traditional dress, dialect, and romanticized Alpine life – shaped the way many visitors from outside the region saw the city. The history of the stage also includes the fact that Weiß Ferdl sympathized with National Socialism early on and was already appearing at Nazi Party events from the early 1920s onward. Performances continued after World War II until the venue closed in the mid-1990s.

👉 From 1906 into the 1990s, a folk-singer stage at Munich’s Platzl performed at the address opposite the Hofbräuhaus and helped shape the popular image of Bavaria for generations of visitors.

Student fraternities around Platzl

Dueling student fraternities have been based around Platzl since the 19th century. Historically, these included the Corps Bavaria, Makaria, Franconia, Rheno-Palatia, Hercynia, Vitruvia, and Cisaria, as well as the Burschenschaft Rhenania. Some have since moved elsewhere, including to Bogenhausen or Schwabing; the Corps Rheno-Palatia, Vitruvia, and Cisaria are still represented at Platzl today.

👉 Student corps have maintained houses at Munich’s Platzl since the 19th century, and three of them are still based there today.

Getting there and services

• Address: Platzl, 80331 Munich
• S-Bahn: all lines to Marienplatz or Isartor, each about a 500-meter walk
• Subway: U3/U6 to Marienplatz
• Tram: lines 19 and 21 to Nationaltheater
• Bus: line 132 to Marienplatz
• Car: parking garage at Thomas-Wimmer-Ring; Platzl itself is in the pedestrian zone
• Accessible parking: designated spaces on Maximilianstraße and Sparkassenstraße

Frequently asked questions about Platzl

What can you see at Platzl?

The Hofbräuhaus, the Orlandohaus from 1900, and the townhouses at Platzl 2 and 3, with architectural fabric dating from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

Is there an admission fee to visit Platzl?

No, Platzl is a public street in the Old Town pedestrian zone and is freely accessible at all times.

How do you get to Platzl?

The fastest way is to take the S-Bahn or subway to Marienplatz and then walk about five minutes northeast.

Why is it called Platzl?

Because Orlandostraße widens into a square-like space at this point. The name has been documented since at least 1780.

Is Platzl accessible?

The area is level, but it is paved entirely with cobblestones, which can be uncomfortable for wheelchair users and strollers.

How much time should you plan for Platzl?

About 15 to 20 minutes is enough for the ensemble itself, and a visit can easily be combined with a stroll along Maximilianstraße or a trip to Viktualienmarkt.