Marketplace (Basel)
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The market square ( Baseldeutsch Märtblatz ) is located in the center of the Swiss city of Basel . He is next to the Barfüsserplatz and the Münsterplatz as well tester Place Basel.
The market square is in front of the Basel town hall . The Eisengasse (connection to the Schifflände), the Marktgasse (connection to the fish market), the Martinsgässlein (connection to the Martinskirche ), the entertainment streets Freie Strasse and Gerbergasse , as well as the Hutgasse , the Sattelgasse and the Stadthausgasse as connections to the suburbs all flow into the square .
history
The place was first mentioned in 1091. Until probably 1260, the square was divided into two by the Birsig stream and was originally called Kornmarkt. The citizens of Basel met at the Kornmarkt and did their important business every day. Until the 15th century, only grain , wine , wood , hay and straw were traded here, whereas fruit, vegetables, eggs, butter, chickens and geese were for sale on the Münsterplatz . The square was lined with houses with shutters that could be folded down on the ground floor . The local shopkeepers were allowed to offer their goods through the window and in this shop, such as boiled and roasted meat , sausages , tripe , herrings , venison , birds and gingerbread .
Since 1290, the Richthaus ( town hall ) built on the corner of Sporengasse has also been the center of political life. The Basel earthquake of 1356 destroyed the Richthaus with all files and documents, and a 'Palace of the Lords' was built in its place as the new town hall. After Basel joined the Confederation of Confederations in 1501 , the unrepresentative town hall was replaced by a new building - part of today's town hall.
The Kornmarkt was also the city's court square . In front of the 'Haus zum Pfauenberg' court house, there was a heavy, flat stone, the 'hot stone', on which the death sentences of political criminals were carried out, diatribes were burned and foreclosures were carried out. In the vicinity were also a gallows , the collar or the humiliating column, the wooden horse and the trill. From 1610 to 1830 wrongdoers and evildoers had to climb the pillar of shame, were tied around the neck and hand with a chain and had to surrender to the people with a plaque on the neck with their family names and crimes. The offenders fared no differently on the wooden horse, which they had to ride in chains, or in the Trille, a rotating frame for fruit thieves, which was turned by hand until the guilty were nauseated.
In 1887 the idea was to expand the Kornmarktplatz, which was only 2360 m² in size, and in 1891 the houses in the Marktplatz-Marktgasse-Stadthausgasse-Sporengasse square were demolished. Now the town hall was vacant and considerably more space was available for market operations. In 1892 the square was covered with paving made of fir wood, which dampened the noise of the carts . In 1895 the square was opened up by tram. Over time, the tall, narrow houses with wooden lifts around the square also disappeared and were replaced by spacious commercial buildings. In connection with the expansion of the town hall, the new market square was given its purpose in 1903. In 1908 the square was leveled and the wide stone stairs that overcame the height difference of the market square disappeared.
Tram lines
With seven tram lines crossing it , the square is one of the most important tram hubs in the city.
| line | Tram lines |
|---|---|
| 6th | Allschwil ↔ Riehen border |
| 8th | Neuweilerstrasse ↔ Kleinhüningen |
| 11 | St. Louis Border ↔ Aesch ( BLT ) |
| 14th | Dreirosenbrücke ↔ Pratteln |
| 15th | Messeplatz ↔ Bruderholz |
| 16 | Bruderholz ↔ Schifflände |
| 17th | Wiesenplatz ↔ Ettingen (BLT) |
literature
- Eugen A. Meier : Basel - then and now . 3. Edition. Buchverlag Basler Zeitung, Basel 1995, ISBN 3-85815-266-3
- Rolf d'Aujourd'hui: Around the market square . Coop Basel ACV, undated (approx. 1982), ISBN 3-905300-01-X
