Castle and Market Square (Erlangen)

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The Schloßplatz in front of the Erlangen Castle

The Schlossplatz in Erlangen , together with the neighboring market square, forms today's center of the city. Together they are part of Erlangen's pedestrian zone and the venue for numerous markets (weekly market, Christmas market, etc.) and festivals (spring festival, etc.).

history

The design of Erlanger Neustadt with the Grande Place by JM Richter

The two squares were laid out in 1686 as the Grande Place to the west of the newly built Erlanger Palace according to plans by the margravial chief architect Johann Moritz Richter . The 91 × 91 meter square Grande Place was crossed in the middle of the main street. At the corners there were originally seven-meter-deep wells that are no longer available today.

The Schlossplatz around 1900

In 1745, the Grande Place was divided up in order to provide different functions with their own space. The eastern part was used as a palace square for representation and parades. The western part was used for trade and was successively named Grüner Markt , Obst Marckt , Grüner Obstmarkt , Obstmarkt and Viktualienmarkt before it was given its current name Marktplatz .

The statue of the university's founder, Margrave Friedrich von Brandenburg-Bayreuth, has stood in the center of the Schloßplatz since 1843 . The counterpart to this on the market square is the Paulibrunnen, inaugurated in 1889. In 1933, as in many other German cities, there was a book burning on Schloßplatz, a memorial plaque set in the floor commemorates this.

In 1976 plane trees were planted on the northern and southern sides of the two squares and in 1982/83 on the western side of the market square. In 1977, today's Schinkel lighting was installed and in 1982/1985 the entire area was paved and integrated into the pedestrian zone.

description

Margrave monument

The margrave monument on the Schloßplatz

The Margrave Monument is the first statue in Germany to honor a university founder. It was donated by King Ludwig I in 1843 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Friedrich Alexander University . The design comes from the Bavarian court sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler , the execution was carried out by Johann Baptist Stiglmaier . The monument shows Margrave Friedrich von Brandenburg-Bayreuth larger than life with armor, pompous coat and the founding document of the university in hand.

Paulibrunnen

Paulibrunnen in the middle of the market square

The Paulibrunnen, financed by the Paulistiftung, was built in 1889 in the middle of the market square by the sculptor Georg Leistner , the ore caster Christoph Lenz and the stonemason Georg Suter based on a design by Friedrich Wanderer . The late Renaissance fountain shows two allegorical figures clad in antique robes above the main basin . The Erlangia with the symbols of the local industry and trade and the Alma Mater with the symbols of science. The structure in the middle of the fountain shows relief portraits of the Margraves Christian Ernst and Alexander and the Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria .

Adjacent structures

The Stutterheim'sche Palais

Next to the dominating castle is the Cafe Mengin on Schloßplatz, a business founded by Huguenot descendants. In the house at Schloßplatz 3 , a plaque commemorates the former workshop of the university mechanic Erwin Moritz Reiniger , which is considered to be the origin of Siemens medical technology . On the south side of the market square is the Stutterheim'sche Palais , built in 1728 , which served as the town hall from 1836 to 1971 and today houses the art palace and the city library. A plaque on the house on Marktplatz 4 commemorates the poet August von Platen .

Events

Due to their central location, the two squares are the venue for a number of popular festivals and events. This includes:

  • the weekly market
  • the light measurement market
  • the carnival festival
  • the spring festival with the family fun day
  • the castle beach
  • the August market
  • the Erlanger forest Christmas

literature

Web links

Commons : Schloß- und Marktplatz (Erlangen)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 49 ° 35 ′ 51.9 ″  N , 11 ° 0 ′ 14 ″  E