Rathausplatz (Augsburg)
The Augsburg Rathausplatz is the square in front of the Augsburg Town Hall in the center of Augsburg . It is often used as a venue for rallies, demonstrations or other events.
location
Rathausplatz is located in the heart of Augsburg in the city center district and is lined with Maximilianstrasse in the east and Philippine-Welser-Strasse (formerly known as “Heumarkt” at this point) in the west. In addition, the streets "Eisenberg", "Fischmarkt", "Steingasse" and "Unter dem Bogen" flow into the town hall square.
The approximately 80 x 80 m square has an irregular shape that resembles a quarter circle. It is surrounded by buildings on all sides. Particularly striking are the Augsburg town hall and the Perlach tower in the east and an elongated administrative building of the city in the south. The Augustus Fountain is located in the northeast of the square .
History of the town hall square
The town hall square in its current size and location was only created in the 20th century and is a product of war destruction. Before that, there were only two smaller squares that were more to the side than in front of the town hall. In the 13th century, the city's Eiermarkt was located on the area in front of the Perlach Tower, diagonally in front of the town hall, which was then still made of wood. Between the Perlach tower and the town hall, there was another small square, the fish market, whose area was still used as a place of execution and shame in the 17th century.
The Augsburg town hall was replaced by a Gothic stone building in 1385. The Augustus Fountain , one of Augsburg's three magnificent fountains , was built on the square in front of the Perlach from 1588 to 1594 . From 1615 to 1624 the Gothic town hall was replaced by the larger Renaissance building created by Elias Holl . From 1806 to 1972 the square in front of the Perlach was named Ludwigsplatz - named after King Ludwig I of Bavaria .
Up until its destruction in February 1944, there were around half a dozen buildings on the southern part of today's Rathausplatz, including the Augsburg Stock Exchange . The war ruins of the stock exchange building had already been torn down to the ground floor in 1949, the remains of the building were finally removed in the early 1960s. At that time, the city council had already approved the plans of Stadtsparkasse Augsburg to build a new headquarters at the former location of the stock exchange under the title "Project L".
The now unobstructed view of the western town hall facade in its entire width, however, inspired a number of Augsburg citizens who, in a citizens' initiative, demanded an undeveloped town hall square. The broad approval of the citizens and the journalistic support of the idea in the local press resulted in a public vote, in which 55,348 of the 56,707 Augsburg residents involved voted for a free town hall square. On February 14, 1962, the city council decided unanimously to drop "Project L". The excavation pit that had already been excavated was leveled again and the site was added to Ludwigsplatz. The “Kanzleigäßchen”, which once connected Maximilian and Philippine-Welser-Strasse and ran between the stock exchange and the municipal administration building, has since been part of the new town hall square.
The town hall square today
The town hall square is now a popular meeting place for the citizens of the city and also serves as the starting point for most of the tourist tours. No other place offers such a good view of the town hall ensemble with the Perlach tower.
On the sides of the square there are some street cafes that are visited by hundreds of guests on sunny days. There are also public sanitary facilities, telephone booths, a kiosk and several shops, including a clothing store with a long tradition.
Events
Every year on August 8th the celebrations for the High Peace Festival take place on the Rathausplatz . Since this day is a public holiday in Augsburg , they are very popular. In the week around September 29, the Turamichele festival is celebrated in front of the Perlach Tower, especially by children . The square is home to one of the oldest and most beautiful Christmas markets in Germany, the Augsburg Christkindlesmarkt . Here, on the four weekends in Advent, the “angel game” on the balcony of the town hall cast a spell over thousands of visitors.
traffic
The Rathausplatz is part of an extensive pedestrian zone in the center of Augsburg and is therefore only used by delivery vehicles from the adjacent shops. At the eastern end is the AVG stop “Rathausplatz”, which is served by tram lines 1 and 2 and therefore has excellent connections to local public transport (see: Augsburg tram ) .
Attractions
- Augustusbrunnen - one of the three magnificent Augsburg fountains
- Town hall - the most important secular building of the Renaissance north of the Alps, landmark of the city of Augsburg and until 1917 the tallest building in Germany
- Perlach Tower - 70 m high watchtower redesigned by Elias Holl , today a lookout tower
- Perlach Church or St. Peter am Perlach - a hall church built in the Romanesque style with the pilgrimage picture of Maria Untouching
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 22 ′ 7 ″ N , 10 ° 53 ′ 54.9 ″ E