Münsterhof (Zurich)
The Münsterhof is a square in the Lindenhof district in the old town of Zurich .
location
In the south the square borders on the eponymous Fraumünster . The square is separated from the Limmat by the Zunfthaus zur Meisen . From the square, the Münsterbrücke leads to the right bank of the Limmat, the Stadthausquai and the Fraumünsterstrasse to the south, the Storchengasse to the north and the Poststrasse, the Waag- and Storchengasse to the Paradeplatz . The almost pentagonal Münsterhof is the largest free-standing public area in the old town on the left bank. Except for the access roads, it is surrounded by groups of houses.
Until the early Middle Ages , the area south of the Lindenhof was a swampy basin, flooded by a Sihl arm that flows into the Limmat , so that the area was probably first settled at the beginning of the 9th century. The first buildings during the Gallo-Roman settlement phase between the 1st and 4th centuries are not excluded, but the archaeological and geological findings point to the Lindenhof as the center of the Celtic settlement Lindenhof and the Roman Vicus Turicum .
View from the Fraumünster (2010)
View from Poststrasse (2010)
December 2018
history
Until the early Middle Ages, the Münsterhof was a swamp area. With the backfilling of bed load from the Sihlarm, the first wooden buildings were built in 873 with the construction of the Fraumünster. After that, the site was used as one of the three newly created cemeteries in high medieval Zurich after the deceased were no longer buried in the cemetery of the Gallo-Roman settlement Turicum .
At the beginning of the 12th century, the first citizen's buildings were made of stone, presumably mostly with material from the late antique Zurich fort and its successor buildings on the nearby hill of the Lindenhof. Probably around 1300 the Münsterhof became an open space when the cemetery was closed except for a small strip along the Fraumünster. On the night of February 23 to 24, 1350, bitter street fighting between the parties of the night of the murder in Zurich took place in the Münsterhof .
Evidently from 1504 until the beginning of the Reformation, the Passion Play took place here in honor of the city saints Exuperantius , Felix and Regula . The square served as a pig market until 1667. In 1676 it was paved and thus essentially got its present appearance. In the years 1627 to 1835 there were shop stalls along the northern wall of the Fraumünster, who were supervised by the guild of the Kämbel . A public fountain adorned the square from 1766. Since the water pipes applied too little pressure, it was demolished again in 1811. The basin was used for the fountain on the Stüssihofstatt in Niederdorf .
In 1938 the Münsterhof was given its present form by being redesigned on the south-western side towards Poststrasse. On September 19, 1946, Winston Churchill gave a short address in the Munsterhof.
Münsterhof around 1300; left behind the Grendeltor
The fighting on the night of the murder in Zurich , stained glass from the second half of the 17th century, National Museum Zurich
The Münsterplatz on the altarpieces by Hans Leu the Elder , end of the 15th century
View from the Münsterbrücke, on the left the market stalls at the Fraumünster, watercolor from 1833
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Attractions
The most important sight is the Fraumünster with its interior and its cloister at the adjoining town house, the faience exhibition in the Zunfthaus zur Meisen and the numerous medieval buildings around the Münsterhof. It is also worth mentioning the higher price class hotels and restaurants, such as the Zunfthaus zur Waag and the Zunfthaus zur Meisen.
traffic
In the 19th century, cars drove for the first time from Limmatquai over the Münsterbrücke to Paradeplatz . In order to give the street space, the cemetery wall around the church, which had existed since the 13th century, was torn down. The Münsterhof is one of the few public spaces in Zurich that is not served by the Zurich Transport Authority . The tram line between Paradeplatz and Helmhaus via Münsterhof and Münsterbrücke was replaced in May 1901 by the newly opened line across the Quaibrücke. The stops of tram lines 4 and 15 at the Wasserkirche and Paradeplatz with access to seven tram lines are in the immediate vicinity .
Redesign
With the public design plan “ Sechseläutenplatz - Theaterplatz (Opernhaus-Parking), Zurich-Altstadt”, it was decided to cancel the parking lot at Münsterhof in connection with the “Opéra parking garage” completed in 2012. The associated redesign of the square was carried out by the municipal civil engineering department and the commissioned planners together with representatives from local residents and the trade. The redesign is intended to emphasize the historically evolved geometry of the square and the atmosphere of the old town and to strive for a representative and lively city square with a flexible usage concept. The focus is on everyday use, so that the shuttle service to the businesses is maintained.
Since April 2016, the square has been presented with new paving, a new fountain and free of parking spaces. The continuous cobblestone paving is designed without gradations and sidewalks. The modern fountain was designed by the Zurich architects Romero and Schaefle; the cost was around half a million francs. At times wine should flow from the well.
Events
With the interim use as a parking lot, the Münsterplatz was largely robbed of its former function as a marketplace and public space for events. Since 2009, more and more major events have taken place in the public square, including the pan-European LGBTQi event Europride '09 , a cultural festival on the occasion of the Dalai Lama’s visit in 2010, the anniversary of Protection and Rescue Zurich and the Fraumünster Medieval Spectaculum under the Patronage of the Gesellschaft zu Fraumünster as a recurring event.
The newly designed Münsterhof is to be hosted all year round with "rather quiet, high-quality events that fit the historical ensemble" and the Münsterhof is to be positioned as a cultural space. A total of 100 days of use for events should not be exceeded.
Solidarity rally on the occasion of the Dalai Lama's visit to Switzerland (2010)
Fraumünster Medieval Spectaculum (2011)
10 years of protection and rescue (2011)
«Island in the City»
In the summer of 2019, the Münsterhof was the scene of the art campaign “Insel in der Stadt” by the Bernese Oberland artist Heinrich Gartentor, who was invited in autumn 2017 as part of the study contract “Art for the Münsterhof”. In 2018, Gartentor planted several hundred square meters of lean meadow in 4200 flower boxes and placed them on the Münsterhof on August 22, 2019. The square can be crossed via wooden walkways, there is seating under the trees and on three platforms. More than 50 different plants grew in the boxes. The two weeping willows come from Lake Thun .
The components of the promotion will be auctioned on September 17th. The meadow should multiply in private gardens and parks, said Gartentor.
Web links
- City of Zurich, Civil Engineering and Waste Management Department: Münsterhof
- Overview photo of the redesigned square (April 2016) on the Neue Zürcher Zeitung website
Individual evidence
- ↑ Anita Siegfried: The Iron Age . In: History of the Canton of Zurich, Volume 1, Early to Late Middle Ages. Werd-Verlag, Zurich 1995, ISBN 978-3-85932-444-2 .
- ↑ a b Website Gang-dur-Alt-Züri: Der Münsterhof , accessed on March 20, 2013.
- ↑ Tages-Anzeiger, March 8, 2016, p. 17.
- ↑ Mirjam Fuchs: From "hideous" to "beautiful": reactions to the Münsterhof. In: Tages-Anzeiger , April 15, 2016.
- ↑ Tages Anzeiger from April 15, 2016.
- ↑ http://zurichpridefestival.ch/geschichte/ - Verein Zurich Pride Festival (official successor of the CSD Zurich association, which was the organizer of Europride '09)
- ^ Website City of Zurich, Civil Engineering and Waste Management Department: Sechseläutenplatz - Theaterplatz (Opera House Parking), Zurich Old Town: The new Münsterhof. ( Memento of the original from March 29, 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. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- ↑ nzz.ch
- ↑ tagesanzeiger.ch
Coordinates: 47 ° 22 '12 " N , 8 ° 32' 28" E ; CH1903: 683270 / 247158