Main Square (Graz)

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Grazer Hauptplatz in the direction of Sackstrasse

The main square is a square in the first inner city district of Graz . The Sporgasse , Herrengasse , Schmiedgasse, Murgasse and Sackstrasse branch off from it.

History, development

Around 1160 the main square of Graz was used as the central market place by Duke Otakar III. created. This makes it the most important square in the city, both historically and in terms of urban planning. Forming the historic center of Graz, the trapezoidal main square used to extend to today's Landhausgasse. Only around 1550 was its area almost halved due to the new building of the town hall in the Renaissance style . The houses that surround the square have a medieval to late Gothic core. Especially the facades, some of which are late Gothic, Baroque, Biedermeier and late historical shape the appearance of the square. There are also elaborate stucco decorations and sculptures of the Virgin Mary on some houses that testify to popular piety.

In 1878 the Archduke Johann fountain monument was erected in the middle of the square. The redesign of the town hall between 1887 and 1893 gave the main square a “ new monumental accent ”. Originally, at the confluence of the main square with the Sackstrasse, the Holy Trinity Column , donated by Emperor Leopold I as thanks for having survived the plague, was located . Due to the changed traffic situation, the column had to be relocated to Karmeliterplatz .

Besides Jakominiplatz , the main square is the only other place in Graz that is served by all tram lines. Around the Erzherzog-Johann-Brunnen there are a number of stalls that keep the square's original character as a medieval marketplace. Around 1990 these market stalls were individually built by the respective operator. Around 2002 these were reduced in number at the instigation of the city after political, commercial and technical disputes and replaced by a uniform model. They are mobile thanks to hydraulically liftable wheels and supports, are supplied at installation shafts and only moved or removed for particularly large celebrations. The area between the fountain and the town hall is often used for events or by two of its own "night sausage stands".

In July 2013, a bronze punk in the form of a life-size bronze statue was set up on the main square in Graz . The sculpture by the artist Gustav Troger is intended to give the viewer food for thought and to raise awareness of so-called fringe groups. The sculpture was positioned where the punks were evicted.

A ban imposed by the city on drinking alcoholic beverages , including on the main square, expressly does not apply to consumption in outdoor dining areas, at temporary or permanent stalls or at certain events.

drinking fountain

A long-standing well for drinking water on the edge of the road at the time to the left of the town hall portal was abandoned in the course of the redesign of the square with large-format reinforced concrete- granite composite panels in 2001/2002. In the northern part, a toilet was built that can be reached via a staircase. Three shelters with benches at the tram stop have backlit advertising space. The two western shelters were each equipped with a niche with a glass mirror and a small stainless steel basin with a grid. On the left behind the basin opening there was a (cold water) outlet fitting and on the right a small fountain drinking fountain with a push button. The sheet metal door fell off, fittings became loose, ended their function and were dismantled. The old free-standing cast-iron well worked for decades even in winter, because its valve was frost-proof like a hydrant in the underground, had a robust about 25 cm long pivot lever, which about 1 second after firmly pressing a strong water jet down towards the drain grate in the ground generated. The finely designed later replacement was already closed due to the risk of frost in the cold half of the year and was dismantled after it fell into disrepair. Ultimately, in August 2013, the basins were permanently sealed with riveted aluminum checker plates. So after decades of year-round and a few years half-yearly supply with freely accessible drinking and washing water on the surface of the square, there is no longer any.

traffic

Around 1965, the main bridge (today the Erzherzog-Johann-Brücke ) was widened in order to direct vehicle traffic through a Murgasse to be widened via Hauptplatz and Herrengasse . Only then did a rethink in order to preserve the old town and its character as valuable.

In the - now - pedestrian zone Hauptplatz, cycling is allowed - with the exception of barriers for events, a sometimes close togetherness has established itself, a bicycle parking facility is in front of the right front of the town hall. The adjoining Herrengasse can only be cycled at night from 8 pm to 8 am, the steep Sporgasse not all day. A certain amount of bicycle traffic still takes place here; whoever drives risks a penalty. The polluted Pomeranzengasse is the narrowest connecting street and built over on the square like the Franziskanergasse. On weekdays during the day there are passages through the town hall and house no. 3, Schmiedgasse begins in between - there is a taxi stand here. Cycling is exempt from one-way regulations in the area.

Installations

Before the redesign from 2001 on, archaeological excavations were carried out in front of the town hall. A last lamp mast with a conical widened cast-iron base was removed in front of house number 3 and several lights with upwardly directed spotlights and facetted mirrors above were installed by Bartenbach . To the south of the Archduke Johann Fountain there is a sampling point for groundwater, and to the south-west there is a shaft for receiving the trunk of a May or Christmas tree. In the north of the square there is an underground toilet facility. Shelters were created as a tunnel in the nearby Schloßberg during the Second World War . Numerous installation shafts with connections for electricity, water and sewage are available under small stone slabs for organizers and mobile market stalls.

The Weikhard clock has been on the square in front of the clock shop since 1930, a popular meeting point; the clock at the top of the town hall, which is also illuminated inside, is visible from afar.

Naming

In its original name, the facility was called " on the square ". It was not until 1665 that the name “ Hauptplatz ” appeared in the chronicles for the first time . Because of the Hauptwache located in the town hall, the square was also called " Hauptwacheplatz " in the 19th century . From 1870 until the annexation of Austria in 1938 and from the end of the Second World War to the present day, it bears the name “ Hauptplatz ” again. Between 1938 and 1945 it was still called “ Adolf-Hitler-Platz ”.

List of important buildings and monuments

The list includes the house number that the building has, the proper name, notes on the history and architecture and a picture for illustration.

House number Proper name Remarks image
1 Graz City Hall The Renaissance building from 1550 was replaced by a classicist building at the beginning of the 19th century . The town hall got its current form after a renovation between 1889 and 1893, during which it got its late historical facade design. The town hall is the seat of the Graz city government. Graz City Hall edit.jpg
3 White House The Weißsche House was built in 1710. It consists of a monumental five-storey building block with an inner courtyard. The arched stone portal is closed off by a wrought-iron skylight grille and has sheet metal-fitted gate leaves. The front side with colossal pilasters hides a sandstone relief with the depiction of the Mother of God Mary with baby Jesus from the year of construction. Weißsches Haus Grazer Hauptplatz.jpg
4th Adler pharmacy The house on the corner of Hauptplatz and Neue Welt-Gasse dates from the 16th century. The front facade is dominated by a polygonal corner bay window that rests on columns and was built in the 17th century. A carved eagle with the house coat of arms is attached to the facade (1535). The arched stone gate (1778) has sheet metal-fitted gate leaves and a wrought-iron skylight grille. The Adler pharmacy is located on the ground floor. Adler Apotheke Grazer Hauptplatz.jpg
6th Community center to the great Christoph The house on the corner of Hauptplatz and Franziskanergasse dates from the 17th century. Two rectangular bay windows on corbels are embedded in the front facade. The facade fresco with the depiction of St. Christopher comes from P. Scholz and is surrounded by a stucco frame with foliage and banding . The sandstone relief of the miraculous image of Mary (1975) is designed in the style of Lucas Cranach and has a plait decoration. Graz main square number 6.jpg
11 Luegg House The core of the Luegg-Haus on the corner of Hauptplatz and Sporgasse dates from the 15th and 16th centuries and is in the Baroque style. The rich stucco ornaments based on the model of Domenico Boschos on the facade and the arcade in the arched style around the building are particularly worth seeing . Luegg-Haus Graz main square Sporgasse.jpg
17th Stürgkh Palace The palace was originally owned by the Stürgkh family of merchants, who were raised to the nobility in 1532. The palace was built and supplemented in various styles, ranging from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. On the outer facade there is a round arch niche with a Madonna figure. On the right and left above the portal are two coat of arms reliefs, which were only uncovered after plastering in 1937, but incorrectly added heraldically. Palais Stürgkh Graz Hauptplatz.jpg
no Archduke Johann Fountain Monument The fountain with a larger than life bronze statue of Archduke Johann and the allegorical depictions of the four rivers Mur , Enns , Drau and Sann was designed by Franz Pönninger and unveiled on September 8, 1878. Well bowls are bordered at the four corners. The bases are decorated with allegorical bronze reliefs. Originally, the fountain was supposed to be set up in the Joanneumsgarten or at the Iron Gate. Archduke Johann Brunnen Grazer Hauptplatz.jpg

literature

  • Karl A. Kubinzky, Astrid M. Wentner: Grazer street names. Origin and meaning . Leykam, Graz 1996, ISBN 3-7011-7336-2 , pp. 166-167 .
  • Horst Schweigert: DEHIO Graz . Schroll, Vienna 1979, ISBN 3-7031-0475-9 , p. 73-75 .

Web links

Commons : Hauptplatz, Graz  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Schweigert: Dehio Graz. P. 73.
  2. ^ Schweigert: Dehio Graz. P. 73.
  3. ↑ Kubintzky, Wentner: Grazerstraße name. P. 167.
  4. ↑ http://www.gat.st/news/1991-neugestaltung-des-grazer-hauptplatzes Redesign of the Graz main square Markus Pernthaler Competition 1991 Realization 2001-02, gat.st August 4, 2004, accessed March 12, 2015
  5. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) 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. Graz main square: storm threatens maypole, graz.net (May 15, 2014). Retrieved March 12, 2015  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.graz.net
  6. ↑ http://www.kleinezeitung.at/s/steiermark/graz/4011630/Treffen-wir-uns-bei-der-WeikhardUhr Do we meet at the Weikhard clock? Kleine Zeitung, December 22, 2012. Accessed March 12, 2015
  7. ↑ http://www.uncut.at/movies/film.php?movie_id=9528 Around the Weikhard Clock, uncut.at (October 29, 2014). Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  8. ↑ Kubintzky, Wentner: Grazerstraße name. P. 167.
  9. ^ Schweigert: Dehio Graz. Pp. 55-56.
  10. ^ Schweigert: Dehio Graz. Pp. 73-74.
  11. ^ Schweigert: Dehio Graz. P. 85.
  12. ^ Schweigert: Dehio Graz. P. 74.
  13. ^ Schweigert: Dehio Graz. P. 74.
  14. ^ Schweigert: Dehio Graz. P. 75.
  15. ^ Schweigert: Dehio Graz. P. 109.

Coordinates: 47 ° 4 ′ 15.2 ″  N , 15 ° 26 ′ 18 ″  E