Market square (Weimar)

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market
Place in Weimar
market
View of the east side of the market square
Basic data
place Weimar
District Old town
Created around 1300
Confluent streets Markt, Kaufstrasse, Windischenstrasse, Frauentorstrasse
Buildings Weimar Town Hall , Hotel Elephant , Weimar Town Hall , Cranachhaus
use
User groups pedestrian
Space design Fountain of Neptune
Technical specifications
Square area about 60 × 60 meters

The market square in Weimar is called the market and has been one of the most important public spaces in the city since around 1300. With the renaissance buildings on the east line of the market, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a whole , and other buildings such as the town hall , this is an important place and continues to be used for markets and festivals.

location

The square, which is around 60 × 60 meters square, is located in the southern old town of Weimar. The streets Kaufstraße, Windischenstraße, Markt and Frauentorstraße flow into it. In the immediate vicinity of the square are, for example, Goethe's house , Schiller's house , the Duchess Anna Amalia library and the Weimar City Palace .

history

Initially, Herderplatz, north of today's market square, was the center of Weimar, but with the expansion of the urban area from around 1300, today's market became the center of society and trade. The square received its striking shape in the 16th century, among other things, in the east with the town house and the semi-detached house, the left half of which is known today as the Cranachhaus , in the north with the farm pharmacy and in the south with the Gasthof Zum Schwarzen Bären .
During the Second World War , the market square was hit on February 9, 1945 during a bombing raid on Weimar. A large part of the north side and the northern part of the east side were badly damaged. In the post-war period, the entire north side, including the town house in the northeast, was demolished and initially left as fallow. In 1968, however, the reconstruction of the townhouse, true to the original, began, and from 1988 the reconstruction of the north side followed.

Events

Weekly market on the market square

When there are no special events, a weekly market with food stalls and stalls of all kinds is regularly held in the market . The first special event on the square starts in spring with the Easter market. This is followed by the flower market in May and the wine festival in August, around Goethe's birthday. In addition, there is a pottery market every year in September, at which around 65 potters offer their goods. The Weimar Zippelmarkt , which is held in October, is famous far and wide . It is Thuringia's oldest and largest festival. The year of the event closes with the Weimar Christmas market. A striking feature is an approximately 20 meter high Christmas tree, which has traditionally taken its place in the middle of the market since 1815.

Space design

Fountain of Neptune

To the north of the square is the Neptune Fountain, the oldest fountain in Weimar. It got its name from Martin Gottlieb Klauer's Neptune figure . In 1774, the Neptune figure replaced a lion figure that previously adorned the fountain.

Buildings

West side

Town Hall
The town hall of Weimar was built in 1841 on the west side of the square in neo-Gothic style. A Renaissance building followed, which burned down in 1837. The then Grand Ducal Saxon-Weimar building officer Heinrich Hess was commissioned to build the town hall.

North side

Hof-Apotheke
The Hof-Apotheke was built in the 15th century for Jacob Schröter, Weimar's mayor at the time. Around 1567, Lorenz Kreich, the first pharmacist, moved into the former mayor's house, which is why the Hof-Apotheke celebrated its 450th anniversary in 2017. However, it did not exist continuously in this place, because the building was largely destroyed in the Second World War and its remains, along with the entire north side of the market square, were later completely demolished. As early as 1946, the pharmacist Walter Hoffmann applied for the rebuilding of his pharmacy, but the city council refused permission and, with his death in 1967, nationalized the pharmacy that was temporarily continued in Frauentorstrasse. After the forced break, Christian Hoffmann was able to resume the family business at the turn of 1989 and in 1993 the pharmacy was able to return to its old location, because the north line of the market square was rebuilt and four town houses, including the Hof-Apotheke, were largely reconstructed true to the original.

East Side

Town House
The town house is a Renaissance building and was built in the 15th century. Since 1432 it has been owned by the city, which used it as a council and trading house from 1526 to 1547. It was destroyed in a bombing raid during the Second World War on February 9, 1945 and completely demolished in 1956. In 1968–1971 the exterior of the building was largely reconstructed and the interior was given a modern design. Today the building houses a tourist information office, a restaurant, a travel agency and apartments.

Cranachhaus
The Cranachhaus is a listed Renaissance building from 1549. Like its almost identical-looking outbuilding, it was built by Nikolaus Gromann for the ducal chancellor Christian Brück . The painter Lucas Cranach the Elder and his son Lucas Cranach the Younger lived here in the 16th century, and the house is named after them. The structure, which was damaged in World War II, was rebuilt true to the original.

South side

Hotel Elephant
The Hotel Elephant was founded in 1696 by Christian Andreas Barritig as an inn in an existing building on the market square. In 1937, however, the historic building was demolished due to alleged dilapidation and the architect Hermann Giesler built a new building for the hotel on the same site and on two neighboring properties. The new hotel had a car lift to the parking garage and was considered one of the most modern of its time.

Zum Schwarzen Bären
The building of the Gasthaus Zum Schwarzen Bären was built in 1540. During renovation work in 1926, a round arch was exposed, which has since graced the facade of the building again.

Web links

Commons : Marktplatz Weimar  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. https://www.architektur-bildarchiv.de/image/Stadthaus-und-Cranach-Haus-Weimar-15841.html - an ensemble of Renaissance buildings that has been included in the list of world cultural heritage by UNESCO.
  2. http://www.scrapbookpages.com/EasternGermany/Weimar/Markt.html - information on the origin of the marketplace.
  3. Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated December 22, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - Information on the development and destruction in WWII. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.baunetz.de
  4. http://www.weimar-weihnachtsmarkt.de/ - Christmas market in Weimar
  5. http://www.hof-apotheke-weimar.de/ueberUns/geschichte - Detailed history of the farm pharmacy.

Coordinates: 50 ° 58 ′ 46 ″  N , 11 ° 19 ′ 45 ″  E