Altmarkt (Kassel)
| Old market | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 View of the old market from the street "Freiheit" |
|
| Basic data | |
| place | kassel |
| District | center |
| Created | middle Ages |
| Newly designed | 1957 |
| Confluent streets | Brüderstraße, Kurt-Schumacher-Straße, Weserstraße, Freiheit, An der Fuldabrücke (Leipziger Straße) |
| Buildings | Financial center |
| use | |
| User groups | Pedestrian traffic , bicycle traffic , car traffic , public transport |
| Space design | Zisselbrunnen |
Altmarkt is the name of a square and traffic junction in the north Hessian city of Kassel . Located directly on the Fulda , it forms the nucleus for the city and was the center of the city of Kassel until the post-war reconstruction . In the course of this, its shape was fundamentally changed in the 1950s and expanded to become a traffic junction, which was handed over to its destination on August 26, 1957.
history
From the early Middle Ages to the beginning of the 19th century, the Altmarkt was the center of urban life in Kassel. The square was the center of the original three districts of Old Town, Untereustadt and Freiheit. A market was held here, and the old Kassel town hall stood on the edge of the square from 1408 to 1837. In the 13th century, a bridge was built on the eastern Fulda at the site of the Fuldafurt, connecting the Altmarkt with the Lower New Town, which was founded at the same time.
As the city grew in the 19th century, the old market gradually moved from the center of the city to the edge of the city, the new city center and later the market square became Königsplatz . During the air raids on Kassel in October 1943, the old town of Kassel was badly damaged. Hardly anything has been preserved of the old and formerly dense development around the Altmarkt; the ruins and the damaged buildings were demolished in the post-war period.
traffic
Four Kassel main axes meet at the Altmarkt. Bundesstrasse 3 and Landesstrasse 3237 intersect here , some of which also form the inner city ring of Kassel. These streets have been trade and military routes towards Frankfurt, Leipzig, Hanover and Cologne since the early Middle Ages. The Leipziger Straße leads over the Fulda bridge to the east of Kassel , the Weserstraße leads north towards Wolfsanger and Fasanenhof , the Brüderstraße leads towards the south of the city center and Zwehren . Kurt-Schumacher-Straße is the connection to the northern city center and on to the main train station . The traffic load at the intersection is correspondingly high due to individual traffic . It is assumed that 60,000 vehicles per day.
The square is also a public transport hub in Kassel. This is where the bus and tram lines meet, leading from the east and north of Kassel towards the city center. Lines 4 and 8 cross the Fulda in the direction of Bettenhausen and lines 3, 6 and 7 go towards Wesertor .
Crossing and underpass (1957-2015)
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In the 1950s, as part of the rebuilding of Kassel, the old market was expanded into a traffic hub suitable for cars . With its right-turn lanes separated by traffic islands, which enabled traffic to flow independently of traffic lights, the Altmarkt was considered to be the most modern intersection in Germany in the late 1950s. At that time, pedestrians did not have priority in the StVO. In order not to endanger their safety, a tunnel system was created below street level , which offered pedestrians a weather and traffic light independent crossing and provided access to the tram. A guidance system with four colors signposts at the entrance and leads to the correct exit.
The acceptance for buildings from the 1950s, especially for traffic structures, is low. Thus, the necessary maintenance of the underpass was omitted. Damage caused by vandalism was not eliminated and investments such as the subsequent installation of an elevator were not made. The city of Kassel decided to remove the structure for a total of 4.2 million euros. The demolition was completed in mid-2015.
Space design
Since its conversion to a traffic junction and the intersection with the tram route, the design of the square only refers to a few peripheral areas.
The connection to the Fulda has so far been reinforced by the somewhat recessed police building, with this area being lined with a row of trees. After its demolition and the new construction of the financial center, only a normal sidewalk creates the connection to the Fulda.
A connection to today's city center begins on the western side of the square. The confluence of the street, here designed as a pedestrian zone, is accentuated by stairs and the Zissel fountain on the edge. The rest of the area has no special design.
The stairs leading to the underpass, which were placed on all four sides, should also be mentioned as a defining element.
Development on the edge of the square
The building structure of the old market was changed as early as the 1930s to improve the traffic infrastructure. Between 1933 and 1936, the buildings on the southwest corner of the square were demolished and the Freiheiter breakthrough was created. This should provide a faster connection to the main train station. The short street has only been free for pedestrians since the post-war period; it connects the Altmarkt directly with the streets of the former old town. After the remaining substance was destroyed in the Second World War, the square was rebuilt in the style of functionalist economic miracle architecture.
The police headquarters with the associated departments of the Kassel Ordnungsamt was demolished in favor of a financial center of the State of Hesse that was newly built in 2006 .
On the south-western part of the square is the Zisselbrunnen, a fountain system from the 1950s. The round fountain basin surrounded with sandstone is crowned by a stylized herring, the symbol of the Kassel festival Zissel . The two heads of two Kassel originals can be found under the herring, "Ephesus and Cupilla".
Zisselbrunnen
Zisselbrunnen
Additional information
literature
- Berthold Hinz and Andreas Tacke: Architectural Guide Kassel . Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-496-01249-8 .
- Multimedia CD-ROM The Altmarkt Kassel . An interactive journey through time through Kassel's city history, Freunde d. Stadtmuseum Kassel , 2002, ISBN 978-3-928571-08-1
Web links
- Christian Günther (ed.): The old market Kassel. A multimedia presentation . Wernigerode 2002: City of Kassel, Harz University of Applied Sciences. (PDF) (5.01 MB)
- Article on www.kassel.de: Freedom - The Altmarkt
- The Altmarkt in the Kassel Wiki
- Article of the mirror for the inauguration of the new intersection
References
- ↑ Chronicle of the years 1945 - 1989. City of Kassel, April 24, 2007, accessed on August 8, 2014 .
- ↑ Ellen Schwaab: Kassel Altmarkt will soon become a major construction site. HNA, April 28, 2011, accessed August 8, 2014 .
- ↑ Altmarkt. City of Kassel, July 15, 2014, accessed on August 8, 2014 .
Coordinates: 51 ° 18 ′ 57.1 " N , 9 ° 30 ′ 19.2" E