The oldest building in Munich dates back to 1261. The wooden shaft 5 from Marienhof was actually designed as a well, but was converted into a latrine (toilet) shortly after it was built.
A cow fell into the well, and the water was no longer usable as drinking water. The animal carcass was then covered with a layer of earth and the shaft remained until the 18th century been used as alatrine and waste pit. Many other insights can be derived from the finds. About the diet of Munich residents at the time, how they dealt with illnesses, the structure and change of entire city districts, says Dr. Brigitte Haas-Gebhard, an archaeologist at the Munich State Archaeological Collection. It is fascinating that “many aspects from the past seem quite modern”, she says. For example, the issue of housing shortages in Munich. “Not yet 100 years old, Munich had obviously already become too small,” Haas- Gebhard looks back.