Old Market (Dortmund)
The Old Market in Dortmund is the historical center and one of the oldest squares in the city. It was probably created as early as the 9th century. The Old Market is located south of the Westenhellweg shopping street . Until its demolition in 1955, the old Dortmund town hall stood here , the oldest secular building north of the Alps. The blower fountain, built in 1901, is located in the northeast of the square.
history
When exactly the Old Market was created cannot be said with absolute certainty due to the difficult source situation. It was probably built as early as the 9th century after the first city expansion. At that time, the city was expanded to the area south of the Hellweg for the first time. The parcel sizes on the north side of the market towards Westenhellweg allow the conclusion that they were created after all others on Hellweg itself, so the market must have been created later. The reason for the construction of the market square is assumed to be the fact that the market areas along the existing streets have become too small.
The historic town hall of the imperial and Hanseatic city stood on the old market until it was demolished in 1955 . The building, which was documented until 1240, was considered the oldest stone town hall in Germany. In the Middle Ages, the historic guild and guild houses of the Dortmund Hanseatic merchants were grouped around the market . Here is also the headquarters of the private brewery Dortmunder Kronen ("Wenkers") , which has been guaranteed since 1430 . The Adler pharmacy building from 1914, which was in a historical location , was also rebuilt. The oldest building still preserved today is Markt 11 on the north side from 1905.
During the Second World War, the historic city center was almost completely destroyed. As part of the reorganization of the inner city during the reconstruction, the market square was moved several meters to the south and the edges of the square were straightened. This resulted in individual demolitions of buildings that were still preserved. In place of the old architecture, modern purpose-built architecture was built. The western flank is completely occupied by the former Althoff department store , now Karstadt . In the middle of the market a kiosk with an underground toilet was built.
At the end of the 1980s, the old market was completely renovated. The lavatory disappeared, the market was paved with light and in the western part seating with individual trees was created. After the city and state library was demolished, the Karstadt AG sports store with a light sandstone facade was rebuilt in its place. Afterwards, all the other residents also invested in their facades, so that the old market is now uniformly surrounded by bright, friendly facades.
The old market forms the center of the Dortmund Christmas market .
Around the old market today, the gastronomy dominates, which seats almost the entire square in the summer months. The old market is still often used for city festivals. The fan life pulsates here before and after football matches. During the 2006 soccer World Cup , hooligans rioted at the game between Germany and Poland on the Alter Markt.
The urban weekly market no longer takes place on the Old Market, but on the Hansaplatz, which adjoins it to the southwest .
For centuries the market fountain was located in the southwest of the square. The market fountain is classified as a ground monument and is on the list of monuments of the city of Dortmund . Today an inscription on the floor reminds of the location.
photos
Historical views
Old town hall with gables to the old market, picture postcard around 1920
The main building of the Kronenbrauerei around 1860. The tall building in the background was the former brewery.
The old market in 1875, view to the west
Historical view of the old market to the north-east, around 1922
Memorial plaque for the location of the old town hall on a commercial building on the south side of the old market
Alter Markt, view from the direction of the Old Town Hall to Reinoldikirche
Web links
- Dortmund - Alter Markt (with town hall) in 1909 - 3D tour by Christopher Jung, December 22, 2017 (YouTube)
- Virtual tour: Take a stroll through the old market in 1909 , Ruhr Nachrichten Dortmund, January 13, 2018
Individual evidence
- ↑ Norbert Reimann: The becoming of the city . In: Stadtarchiv Dortmund (Hrsg.): History of the city of Dortmund . Harenberg Verlag, Dortmund 1994, ISBN 3-611-00397-2 , p. 36 .
- ↑ No. B 0011. List of monuments of the city of Dortmund. (PDF) (No longer available online.) In: dortmund.de - Das Dortmunder Stadtportal. Monument Authority of the City of Dortmund, April 14, 2014, archived from the original on September 15, 2014 ; accessed on June 18, 2014 (size: 180 kB). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 '49.4 " N , 7 ° 27' 57.9" E