Rathausmarkt (lit. ''City Hall Marketplace'') is the central square of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, located in the

Altstadt ''Altstadt'' is the German language word for "old town", and generally refers to the historical town or city centre within the old town or city wall, in contrast to younger suburbs outside. '' Neustadt'' (new town), the logical opposite of ''Al ...

(''old town'') quarter right in front of the

Hamburg Rathaus Hamburg City Hall (german: link=no, Hamburger Rathaus, ) is the seat of local government of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. It is the seat of the government of Hamburg and as such, the seat of one of Germany's 16 state parlia ...

.Rathausmarkt
Ffhsh.de, in German Framed by shopping arcades of Alsterarkaden at Alsterfleet, there are many events taking place here, amongst them open air cinema in summer, the ''Stuttgarter Weindorf'' (''Stuttgart wine village''), the music festival of Rockspektakel, and the Christmas market in December.

History

The Rathausmarkt was built after the Great Fire of Hamburg in 1842, which destroyed also the old city hall near the bridge of Trostbrücke and the buildings near the new city hall, with the exception of the building of Hamburg Stock Exchange. Shortly before the fire, the old St. John's monastery and also the old church of St. John, located on the southern end of the square, which were situated in the area of today's Rathausmarkt, had been demolished. The square was created pursuing a plan and designed after the model of

Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco (; vec, Piasa San Marco), often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as ''la Piazza'' ("the Square"). All other urban spaces in the city (exc ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, which is also opening to the waterfront. The new city hall was completed in 1897. In 1933, the Rathausmarkt had been renamed to ''Adolf-Hitler-Platz'' (

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

square), as many squares and streets in Germany at that time. It was renamed after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in 1945.Rathausmarkt
Hamburg.de, in German Until the 1970s the square was a transport hub for the

Trams in Hamburg The Hamburg tramway network (german: Straßenbahnnetz Hamburg) once formed part of the public transport system in the city and federal state of Hamburg, Germany. Opened in 1866, the network lasted until 1978. Overview Hamburg's first tram servic ...

. After tram operation had ceased in 1978, the square was fully renovated and surfaced with red granite until 1982 under the aegis of mayor Hans-Ulrich Klose, wherefore it was jokingly dubbed

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...

.Roter Platz
Der Spiegel, 26 May 1980

Monuments

The former monument for

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

, which had been erected on the square in 1903, was removed in 1930. The remaining parts can be found at ''Holstenwall/Sievekingplatz'' today. The two large flagpoles are remnants of this ensemble. Also today, the

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

Monument, made by

Waldemar Otto Waldemar, Valdemar or Woldemar is an Old High German given name. It consists of the elements ''wald-'' "power", "brightness" and ''-mar'' "fame". The name is considered the equivalent of the Slavic name Vladimir, Volodymyr, Uladzimir or Włod ...

, can be found on the square.

Hannes Wader Hannes Wader (born Hans Eckard Wader on 23 June 1942) is a German singer-songwriter (" Liedermacher"). He has been an important figure in German leftist circles since the 1970s, with his songs covering such themes as socialist and communist resis ...

wrote a song about in 1989.

References

External links

Rathausmarkt
Hamburg.de, in German {{Authority control Squares in Hamburg Tourist attractions in Hamburg Hamburg-Mitte