Plac Mikołaja Kopernika (Opole)
The Plac Mikołaja Kopernika (German Nicolaus Copernicus Square ) is a square in the center of the city of Opole (German Oppeln) in the Opole Voivodeship . It is named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543).
history
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prehistory
The area of the square is on the so-called "Kalkberg", which used to be outside the city walls. The former castle of Prince Ladislaus II of Opole, the so-called Upper Castle , and the former Dominican monastery with the mountain church bordered this area . In the Middle Ages, attempts were made to grow wine here. However, this has not yet been proven. Around the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century there was a quarry in the southern part of the square. Today only the street names remind you of this: Kalkstraße (today Ulica Piwna ) and Steinstraße (today Ulica Kamienna ).
Origin and development until today
The 19th century brought the city a period of development and economic growth. This also resulted in spatial growth. After the removal of the fortifications and the conversion of the monastery to a hospital, there was extensive development in what is now the area of the square. The Pringsheim brewery settled in the northern part, the southern and eastern areas were built on with residential buildings. At the same time the square was renamed Wilhelmsplatz. In the next decades the square itself had no purpose. A market was only created here in the years between the world wars. A short time after the war, the market was moved to the theater, but this function was returned to it in the 1960s. The focus in this market was on the fruit and vegetable trade. It was only at the beginning of the 21st century that the market was moved to Ulica Reymonta.
After Opole was placed under Polish administration in 1945, the square was initially named after Marshal Stalin , and later after the Red Army . The brewery, which was badly damaged in the war, was demolished in the 1970s. Today the square itself is used as a parking lot for cars. The “Solaris Center” shopping center is located on the former area of the brewery.
The square was completely redesigned between 2018 and 2019. The parking spaces have been moved to a two-storey underground car park with access from ul. Żeromskiego. The square also received trees and a ground-level fountain system on the west side of the square. At the same time, the Solaris Center was expanded towards. The official opening of the square and the center extension took place on June 21, 2019.
literature
- Andrzej Hamada: Architecture of Opole in the historical cityscape. Oficyna Piastowska, Opole 2008, ISBN 978-83-89357-45-8
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 50 ° 40 ′ 10.3 " N , 17 ° 55 ′ 35.3" E