Das Münchner Kindl

Look! Up on top of the Rathaus! It's a monk! No, it's a little girl!

Or maybe it's both.

Das Münchner Kindl is the symbol of Munich. Historically, it's a monk in a black robe with yellow trim (the city colors of Munich). These days, the Kindl is usually represented as a little girl or a young woman. In Oktoberfest parades, the Kindl is played by a blonde teenage girl who rides a horse and carries a big mug of beer (much like the ones carried by the little girls in the picture above).

Munich was founded by monks; the name München comes from Mönche, the word for "monks." And monks, of course, are famous for beer. Which explains a lot.

As for whether the Kindl is a girl or a boy, it is not, as they say, an easy question. Clearly the monk was historically a man, but since the 1920s at least the representation became more female, in facial expression, body type, and hairstyle. The Munich City Museum calls the Kindl "gender neutral." Though every one I've seen since I moved here was clearly a girl or a young woman.

Either way, they like to have fun! See, this one's rollerskating.


The images are from the City Museum, which apparently has a very large collection of Münchner Kindl items. However, I doubt they have the latest fashions for the Kindl, seen downtown in the window of Hallhuber today: