Republic Square (Wuppertal)
The Republic Square is an inner-city square in the Ostersbaum residential area in Wuppertal .
The 13,200 m² square on the Engelnberg hill was leveled in 1825/26 and used as a parade ground for the Landwehr . In the square or in the immediate vicinity of an old should Wallenburg have been, the castle Engelberg , whose existence is not assured. The square, which was still described as a “desolate place” in 1856, was not only used for military purposes but also as an Elberfeld fairground for folk and Easter celebrations . Towards the end of the 19th century, the town of Elberfeld grew to the heights of Engelnberg and the square became the center of a densely populated residential area.
The square was expanded in 1899 and August von der Heydt donated the fountain of justice in the middle of the square in 1910 on the occasion of Elberfeld's three-hundredth anniversary . The place got its name Platz der Republik during the Weimar Republic .
In the time of National Socialism , the square was again used as a parade ground. In addition, a bunker was built in the north of the square , which protected the population from bombing and served as an emergency shelter until 1957 after the Second World War . This bunker, which was briefly known regionally as the jazz cellar , was a defining feature of the cityscape. The demolition of the bunker began on February 9, 2009 and the square was redesigned for 1.6 million euros. In addition, the statue on the Fountain of Justice was restored by private donors.
To the west of the square, separated by a street, is the Wuppertal Free Church Cemetery and Chapel.
Individual evidence
- ^ Wolfgang Stock: Wuppertal street names . Thales Verlag, Essen-Werden 2002, ISBN 3-88908-481-8
- ^ Paul Clemen : Die Kunstdenkmäler in der Rheinprovinz , Volume III², 1894
Coordinates: 51 ° 15 ′ 53 ″ N , 7 ° 9 ′ 4 ″ E