One of the most notable features in Munich is the Mariensäule. It is located in the Marienplatz not very far from the Neues Rathaus (New City Hall).
The gold statue of Mary (Maria) dates to 1590 and was originally displayed in the Frauenkirche, the main cathedral in Munich.
Munich was occupied by the Lutheran Swedes during the Thirty Years’ War. When Swedish occupation ended in 1638, the golden statue was placed on a column in the city square. Marian columns are fairly common in Roman Catholic countries, but this was the first one erected north of the Alps.
Natural History 