Münchner Kindl

Münchner Kindl, meaning "Munich child" in the Bavarian dialect, is the name of the symbol on the coat of arms of the city of Munich.

The lesser coat of arms of Munich

History

This symbol has been the coat-of-arms of Munich since the 13th century. The figure portrayed was originally a monk (or friar) holding a book, but by the 16th century it evolved in different portrayals into the figure of a small child wearing a pointed hood, often shown holding a beer mug and a radish. It has been theorized that the name for the city of Munich (München in German) comes from the term Kloster von Mönchen or "Cloister for Monks" due to the Imperial Abbey of Tegernsee--a Benedictine Monastery near which the original town of Munich was built.

The image in its different configurations has appeared on countless different objects, from atop the city hall in Munich to manhole covers and even beer steins. The gender of the figure has also changed over the years: from a clearly male, to a gender-neutral child, to a small girl. Nowadays when the kindl is portrayed by a person - for instance, as a mascot for Oktoberfest - it is usually enacted by a young woman.

gollark: There are things other than those which matter? Also, subsistence farming is kind of no?
gollark: Oh, so you assume anarchocapitalism will magically lead to hyper-advanced technology which will allow you to trivially make anything at home.
gollark: Why would cities not be needed? They seem useful for, well, having people work close together to save on commute times, I guess?
gollark: Which you also can't do.
gollark: You can't just magically live off a garden very well. Especially in cities.

See also
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