As far as I know, the founder of the Munich restaurant in 1893, Simon Bäumler by name, was from Nuremberg, where a very famous restaurant had a very similar name (Bratwurstglöcklein, which has the same meaning, but is Standard German, not Franconian dialect).
He was inspired by the name of the older restaurant in Nuremburg, it is said. Furthermore, his Munich restaurant was - and is - adjacent directly to the Cathedral of Our Lady, the Frauenkirche.
This has a little bell dangling from a ledge just next to the restaurant.. From time to time, it rings and can be heard clearly within the restaurant. So that was obviously the origin of the name :-)
BTW, the restaurant still exists, serving hearty German fare. It is both popular with the locals and with tourists. Whether it still is a gay meeting place, I cannot say, however, but probably not. They serve everybody who is hungry, though :-)
Thank you for that background information. That helps my understanding of what would have otherwise been a very curious and puzzling name.
BTW, the restaurant still exists, serving hearty German fare. It is both popular with the locals and with tourists. Whether it still is a gay meeting place, I cannot say, however, but probably not. They serve everybody who is hungry, though :-)
I would expect that people would not talk about it's past history. I am told Germany has some very strict anti-Nazi laws and no freedom of speech as exists here in the US.