How to Visit Munich’s Best Kept Secret, Juristische Bibliothek: A Law Library
Last Updated on 24th September 2026 by Sophie Nadeau
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Munich’s New Town Hall or Neues Rathaus as it’s known in German, is one of the city’s most impressive buildings and inside is one of the world’s most magical libraries. Juristische Bibliothek is Munich’s Law Library, however, it’s more than just a collection of books, but rather a fairytale view of ornate decor.
Its dark stained wood and spiral staircases, draped in wrought-iron vines and ivy, swirl around to make the library appear as if it’s an enchanting forest. Here’s your guide on how to visit Munich’s best-kept secret, the Law Library!
A brief history
The New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) forms the northern part of the central square Marienplatz, in the heart of the city. It was built between 1867 and 1908, providing extra space that the Old Town Hall was lacking.
The Austrian architect Georg von Hauberrisser was head of design, who, along with other buildings in the city, also designed St. Paul’s Church in Munich.
The New Town Hall was built in the neo-Gothic revival style, its towering spires and intricate stonework piercing into Munich’s skyline as a bold and beautiful piece of 19th-century architecture.
A particular masterpiece of his work, within the building, was that of the Law Library, which was added in 1906. The library itself was founded in 1843 when it was decided to catalogue all of the books belonging to the city government. However, Hauberrisser elevated these books once they filled the lavish Art Nouveau style library, creating a beautiful space (for quite boring books!)
Today, Munich’s Law Library, or Juristische Bibliothek as it’s known in German, is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world and is one of Munich’s best-kept secrets, though images have circulated on social media meaning it has grown in popularity since.
This enchanting forest of law books is a delight to visit and feels akin to walking through a room in Hogwarts, from the Harry Potter series.
Although the Neues Rathaus suffered minimal damage during the air raids on the city in 1944, some parts of the building had to be rebuilt. Today, the New Town Hall continues to house the city government including the city council, offices of the mayors and a small portion of the administration.
Can you visit the Munich Law Library?
Yes! Despite being a library exclusively for law books, thankfully you don’t need to be a lawyer or law student to enter as it’s open for the public to visit and wander around.
However, unlike previously when you could ask to visit the library just before the building closes, you now have to book a tour.
There are two options for this, you can either book a 30 minute slot which is available at these times: Tuesdays at 5:15 PM & 6:30 PM, Fridays at 5:15 PM, Saturdays 10:30 AM or Sundays at 12:30 PM. This is a paid tour of 30 minutes and will only allow access to the library. Book a Law Library tour here.
Or, you could opt to book a tour of Neues Rathaus, Munich’s New Town Hall, (which I highly recommend) as it offers a great opportunity to explore one of the city’s most beautiful buildings!
How to visit Neues Rathaus
Book a Munich New Town Hall Tour
Firstly, to visit you’ll need to book a guided tour of Munich’s New Town Hall which can be easily done online through Get Your Guide. Book your Munich New Town Hall Tour here.
Though it can seem a little pricey, there’s lots to see and a bilingual tour (in both English or German) is offered.
The tour lasts between 90- to 120-minutes and you will learn about the unique history of the building, visit some of its grand rooms, including its reading room and library, as well as get to see the city from above from the observation tower (please note, an extra ticket is required for the tower).
Admire the Art-Nouveau Library (Juristische Bibliothek)
The library can be found on the upper floor of the New Town Hall. Munich’s Law Library is a German literary treasure, despite the fact the contents of the books might be boring to some, the overall design and layout of the library itself is simply stunning!
It resembles a bright and warming forest that invites you in, with spiral staircases richly decorated with intricate gold-plated wrought iron ivy and draped vines. The colours of each book pop against the dark stained wood shelves, filling them from floor to ceiling. And, as with any room filled with literature, it has that familiar musty scent that’s ultra comforting.
Munich’s Law Library is set over two storeys and continues to be a working library for lawyers, law students, and others, where they can sit and work in the enchanting space. So, when visiting, be mindful of others and do so quietly so as not to disturb anyone.
Climb the neo-Gothic staircase
An architect enthusiasts’ haven, the best thing about exploring Munich’s New Town Hall is that you can see the Gothic revival architecture seeping into the interior, through its vaulted ceilings, beautiful stained glass windows and hanging lamps.
Simply wandering up the magical vault ceiling staircase is one of the best ways to soak up the grandeur of the design. Please note that climbing the staircase isn’t always freely accessible, even during a guided tour, and so might not be available on the day of your visit.
Visit the meeting rooms
On your tour, you’ll also be taken around the meeting rooms, which is where some of the most important discussions surrounding the laws of the city take place. You will be shown around two rooms, one small and one a little larger, but both equally as impressive in beauty.
Ornate and wooden panelled, again with arched stone windows in the classic Gothic style, the meeting rooms have a similar vibe to that of a dimly lit church.
One of the most impressive things to see while viewing the meeting rooms is the huge oil painting called “Monachia”, where a woman in a white tunic stands in its centre and is said to personify Munich in female form. The artwork was painted by Karl Theodor von Piloty, who at the time was the foremost representative of the Realist painting style in Germany.
Neues Rathaus Observation Tower
It’s worth noting that a visit to the observation tower requires a separate ticket from that of your New Town Hall tour pass; this can be bought at the entrance.
There is an elevator which takes you to the top, or you can brave the hundreds of steps that will take you 85 meters into the sky. The top boasts of sweeping vistas overlooking Munich’s skyline, where you can take in the city’s main sights.
Free things to see around Neues Rathaus
Rathaus-Glockenspiel
Before even entering the town hall you’ll likely have seen the iconic Glockenspiel that adorns the side of the building. During the final phases of construction, it was added to the town hall’s facade in 1908.
This large mechanical clock has become a historical landmark and tourist attraction where visitors can enjoy its nearly life-sized figures re-enacting scenes from Munich’s past.
The glockenspiel acts out two different stories, the first being the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lorraine in 1568, and then of the Schäfflerstanz, also known as the Coopers’ Dance (a guild dance of coopers that originally started in Munich).
This impressive clock rings every day at 11 AM and 12 PM (as well as 5 p.m. from March to October) and comprises 43 bells and 32 life-size figurines.
Neues Rathaus
As mentioned, it’s a little on the pricey side to go on the tour (but worth it for some), however, if you just want to admire the architecture then you can do so from the inner courtyard, which is free to wander around and easily accessible from Marienplatz.
