The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.The World's Best Squares
PPS website, Making Places, December 2005 A market square is an open area where market stalls are traditionally set out for trading, commonly on one particular day of the week known as ''market day''. A typical

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

market square consists of a square or rectangular area, or sometimes just a widening of the main street. It is usually in the centre of the town, surrounded by major buildings such as the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

, town hall, important shops and

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

s, and the

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...

, together with smaller shops and business premises. There is sometimes a permanent covered market building or a cloth hall, and the entire area is a traditional meeting place for local people as well as a centre for trade. File:Wrocław - fotopolska.eu (293941).jpg,

Market Square, Wrocław The Market Square, Wrocław ( pl, Rynek we Wrocławiu, german: Großer Ring zu Breslau) is a medieval market square in Wrocław, in southwestern Poland. The square is rectangular with the dimensions and now serves as a pedestrian zone. It is one o ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

File:Sukiennice and Main Market Square Krakow Poland.JPG, Main Square, Kraków,

File: Main square of Ostrów Wielkopolski (Rynek i ratusz w Ostrowie Wielkopolskim).jpg, Market square in Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland File:Helsinki - Eteläranta Södra Kajen - Marketplace - Uspensky Cathedral in the background - Marketplace - Uspenskin katedraali taustalla - panoramio.jpg, Market Square, Helsinki,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

File:Alte Markt Dortmund.JPG, Market Square in

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

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 ...

File:Market Square, Cambridge - geograph.org.uk - 3490535.jpg, Market square in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

File:Saturday market in Red Lion Square - geograph.org.uk - 3551701.jpg, Market square in Stamford, Lincolnshire,

File:Plaza Mayor de Madrid 06.jpg, Market square in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

References

{{Authority control Town squares Retail markets

See also

References