Universitätsplatz (Heidelberg)

Universitätsplatz, photographed from the north-west.

The University Square (formerly Paradeplatz , Ludwigsplatz , 1928 University Square , 1937-1945 Langemarckplatz ) is at the Heidelberger situated main street public space . On the north side the main street runs past, on the west side the Grabengasse, which marks the course of the first city fortifications. The east and south sides are bounded by the university buildings , which give the square its name.

history

Ludwigsplatz with college building and Kaiser Wilhelm monument (around 1910)

The Augustinian monastery, first mentioned in 1279, stood on the site of today's square. In 1518 Martin Luther stayed in the monastery and justified his theses in the Heidelberg disputation . In the Palatinate War of Succession , the monastery was destroyed in 1693 and not rebuilt. The ruins of the monastery were torn down to a height of 1.70 m at the beginning of the 18th century, the rooms were filled and the square leveled. Elector Karl Theodor bought the site in 1753 and had it redesigned into a parade ground, which was called Paradeplatz . From around 1830 it was called Ludwigsplatz (after Grand Duke Ludwig I ).

In 1901 a bronze equestrian monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I was erected in the middle of the square . It was a copy of a statue created by Adolf Donndorf for Stuttgart . It was dismantled and melted down on May 4, 1918.

From 1928 the square was called Universitätsplatz . In 1937 the square was renamed Langemarckplatz (based on the myth of Langemarck ) at the request of the Reichsstudentenführer . On May 17 and July 16, 1933 , students burned “Marxist and un-German writings” on the university square.

Since 1945 the square has been called Universitätsplatz again . In 1978 it was redesigned and like the main street into a pedestrian zone.

Current condition

View to the east

The square itself is paved. There are two square groups of trees and several advertising pillars are set up. Commemorative plaques commemorating Luther's disputation in 1518 and the book burnings in 1933 are embedded in the pavement.

To the north is the building of the Old University , which was built from 1712 to 1735. Opposite it on the southern edge of the square is the building of the New University , which was erected in the 1930s to replace the so-called Kollegienhaus .

In front of the main portal of the Old University stands the lion fountain, which used to play an important role in the city's water supply. It probably dates from the early modern period and is crowned by a lion, the heraldic animal of the Electoral Palatinate .

The bus stop at Universitätsplatz is the central point of the city and makes it an important traffic junction, especially for students (especially those in the humanities who work in the old town ), but also for tourists, who can quickly reach many sights from there. In summer, a kind of street café is usually set up there by the adjacent restaurants. The square is regularly used for events such as the Heidelberg Literature Days or the Christmas market.