Markt (Leipzig)
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The Markt (lit.: market) is a square of about in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
's district of
Mitte Mitte () is the first and most central borough of Berlin. The borough consists of six sub-entities: Mitte proper, Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Moabit, Tiergarten and Wedding. It is one of the two boroughs (the other being Friedrichshain-Kreuz ...
(neighborhood ''Zentrum''), Germany. It is considered the center of the city. The Old Town Hall stands on it, which demonstrates its particular historical importance. The square was named ''Platz des Friedens'' (lit.: Peace Square) from 1950 to 1954. Its paving is a listed heritage monument.


Shape

The Markt is an almost rectangular square, about long, with its larger extension running almost exactly from north to south. Its mean width is about , being about wider in the north than in the south. Seven inner-city streets lead to it. The square is paved in
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
with a
diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
pattern inlaid with darker stones. The average edge length of the rhombuses is about , with the size of the rhombuses adapting to the different widths of the square. The
coat of arms of Leipzig The coat of arms of Leipzig dates back to the 14th century and is based on the Wettin shield of Meissen. It had the lion from the start and to it was added a second field with blue pale (heraldry), pales around 1475. These are called the Landsberg ...
is inlaid in colored stones in the central diamond at the level of the town hall tower. Cobbled driveways named ''Markt'' run along the sides of the square which is a pedestrian zone. The only structures on the square are the entrances to the Leipzig Markt underground railway station located under the square. In front of the escalator part, the southern access leads from the square level first via the restored staircase of the former underground exhibition hall clad with
Rochlitz Rochlitz (; , ) is a major district town (Große Kreisstadt) in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. Rochlitz is the head of the "municipal partnership Rochlitz" (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Rochlitz) with its other members being the mu ...
porphyry Porphyry (; , ''Porphyrios'' "purple-clad") may refer to: Geology * Porphyry (geology), an igneous rock with large crystals in a fine-grained matrix, often purple, and prestigious Roman sculpture material * Shoksha porphyry, quartzite of purple c ...
. On the side facing the square, this bears a bronze relief by Frank Ruddigkeit (b. 1939) on the history of the square. On the north side of the market, the escalators reach square level and there is a passenger
elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...
.


History

The first market square of the
Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...
settlement Lipsk was further north, at the intersection of the
Via Regia The Via Regia (Royal Highway) is a European Cultural Route following the route of the Historic roads, historic road of the Middle Ages. There were many such ''viae regiae'' associated with the king in the medieval Holy Roman Empire. History ...
and the
Via Imperii Via Imperii (Imperial Road) was one of the most important of a class of roads known collectively as imperial roads (') of the Holy Roman Empire. This old trade route ran in a south–north direction from Venice on the Adriatic Sea and Verona i ...
, in the area of what is now '' Richard-Wagner-Platz''. After Leipzig was incorporated into the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, the market was moved to its current location. From then on it became the center of public life. Most of the goods handled by the
Leipzig Trade Fair The Leipzig Trade Fair () is a major trade fair, which traces its roots back for nearly a millennium. After the Second World War, Leipzig fell within the territory of East Germany, whereupon the Leipzig Trade Fair became one of the most importan ...
arrived here before being sold. At the end of the 19th century the Leipzig Trade Fair was transformed into a commercial samples fair and more than 20 exhibition palaces were created in the inner city, separate from the technical fairgrounds. Between 1925 and 2005, an underground exhibition hall was located under the square. Before 1500, twelve medieval
tournaments A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
and other cultural events took place on the market. Several houses were built in the 16th century, such as ''Hommels Hof'', ''Baarmanns Hof'' and ''Eckoldsches Haus'', where the lawyer and philosopher
Christian Thomasius Christian Thomasius (; 1 January 1655 – 23 September 1728) was a German jurist and philosopher. Biography He was born in Leipzig and was educated by his father, Jakob Thomasius (1622–1684), at that time a junior lecturer in Leipzig Univer ...
was born in 1655. In addition to the ''Königshaus'' (lit.: Kings' House), which still exists, the impressive
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
buildings were the ''Jöchers Haus'' (built in 1707), ''Stieglitzens Hof'' (built in 1733), ''Aeckerleins Hof'' (built in 1714) and ''Kochs Hof'' (built in 1735). The market was also a place where all public events were celebrated. According to city council sources, executions had been carried out on the market square since 1525. The last execution took place in the city in 1824, striking Johann Christian Woyzeck who had stabbed his mistress out of jealousy.


Development

To the east, the square is flanked by the Old Town Hall, built in 1556. It is the oldest surviving structure on the site. Its arcades made of stone were added in 1909. The historic buildings on the north side were rebuilt after the war, including the historic
Alte Waage Alte is a village and civil parish in the municipality of Loulé, in the Algarve region in the south of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 1,997, in an area of . Situated away from the coast, Alte is known as one of the most typical and unspoi ...
. In addition to the preserved buildings, the ''Königshaus'' and the ''
Barthels Hof Barthels Hof is a former trade court building complex in Leipzig in Germany, located in the borough Mitte. It is the last “through courtyard” that was preserved almost in its original condition. That means, the carts drove in, the goods were u ...
'', new buildings and renovations from recent years dominate the southern side and the southern part of the western flank, which are intended to recall the silhouettes of the historic buildings. Since 1581, the square had the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
-style golden fountain in the northeast corner, which was demolished in 1826. The Victory Monument had stood in the northern half of the square since 1888. It was designed by
Rudolf Siemering Rudolph Siemering (10 August 1835, Königsberg - 23 January 1905, Berlin) was a German sculptor, known for his works in both Germany and the United States. Biography He attended the art academy in Königsberg and then became the pupil of Gustav ...
and commemorated the
Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
of 1870/1871. It survived
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, but not the broad rejection of Wilhelminian patriotism after 1945. By decision of the city council, it was removed in December 1946.


Usage

The Leipzig Christmas Market, one of the most traditional in Germany, takes place every year on the market square. The
street market A street market or open-air market, with alternative names such as: market square and sometimes charity market, in cases where the sale is made for charity reasons, is a market that is set up on certain days of the week, generally on the street i ...
s, the Easter market with the medieval market and the
Bachfest Leipzig The Bachfest Leipzig (Leipzig Bach Festival) is a music festival which takes place annually, in the month of June, in the city of Leipzig, where J. S. Bach worked as the Thomaskantor from 1723 until his death in 1750. The current artistic direct ...
are also held here every year. From 1995 to 2017, the multi-day ''Classic Open'' organized by Peter Degner (1954–2020) took place annually. It was a combination of gastronomy and classical music, partly live, partly from tape. The follow-up event is called ''Leipziger Markt Musik''. At the demonstration against right-wing extremism on 21 January 2024, for which 5,000 participants were registered, the marketplace turned out to be far too small for the 60,000 participants
Ticker: Zehntausende Sachsen gehen gegen Rechtsextremismus auf die Straße.
' In: '' mdr.de.'' 21 January 2024, retrieved 21 January 2024.


Public transport

In 1896 the market was connected to the tram network. On the south side, a two-track line led from St. Thomas Church to
Augustusplatz The Augustusplatz is a square located at the east end of the city centre of Leipzig, borough Leipzig-Mitte. It is the city's largest square and one of the largest squares in Europe. It is also part of the city's inner-city ring-road and a centra ...
. Lines 6 and 7 ran on this route until 1951. A second connection, coming from
Katharinenstrasse Katharinenstrasse (in English: ''Catherine Street'') is a street in the north of the central quarter inside the Inner City Ring Road of Leipzig, Germany. It runs slightly curved in a north–south direction between Markt and Brühl. Its length ...
, ran directly along the town hall on a single track, most recently with lines 1 and 21. It was downgraded to a
non-revenue track Non-revenue track (or trackage), or a non-revenue route, is a section of track or transport route that is not used to carry revenue-earning freight or goods nor for scheduled passenger services. The term is used to refer mainly to sections of tra ...
in 1936 and closed in 1951. Since 1999, bus line 89 has a stop on the south side of the market. Since the inauguration of the
Leipzig City Tunnel The City Tunnel is a twin-bore railway tunnel for the city-centre S-Bahn in Leipzig. It links Leipzig Hauptbahnhof with the central Markt station, Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz station and Bayerischer Bahnhof. Construction began in July 2003. The ...
in 2013, the Markt can also be reached directly from numerous locations in the surrounding area via the Leipzig Markt station.


See also

*
Saxon Renaissance The Saxon Renaissance (in German: ''Sächsische Renaissance'') is a regional type of architecture from the Renaissance particularly in the area of the Electorate of Saxony on the middle Elbe. Influences that formed the style came primarily from ...
*
List of arcade galleries in Leipzig The arcade galleries in Leipzig developed in connection with the emergence of inner-city exhibition centers of the Leipziger Messe at the turn of the 20th century and are often based on old passageways. But the tradition of building passages has al ...
* Barfußgäßchen


Footnotes


External links

* * * "Markt" is at page 1804 {{Squares in Leipzig Squares in Leipzig Execution sites in Germany