Schillerplatz is a square in the old city centre of
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
,
Germany named in honour of the German poet, philosopher, historian, and dramatist
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...
. Schillerplatz stands to the south west of Stuttgart's main square,
Schlossplatz.
Buildings around Schillerplatz
Starting in the south west corner, Schillerplatz is surrounded by the
''Stiftskirche'' (Collegiate Church), the ''Fruchtkasten'' building, the ''Prinzenbau'' (which now houses the
Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Justice, the ''Alte Kanzlei'' (Old Chancellery) and
''Altes Schloss'' (the Old Castle).
A
street market takes place twice a week on Schillerplatz. The square is also used for major events taking place on ''Marktplatz'' (Stuttgart's Market Square) such as the annual
Christmas Market. Hidden underneath Schillerplatz's
cobblestone
Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings.
Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...
s is an underground car park.
The late
Gothic ''Fruchtkasten'' building in the corner of Schillerplatz is now used by the State Museum of Württemberg to house a collection of musical instruments.
The Schiller memorial
At the centre of the cobblestone square is a memorial to
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...
which was erected in 1839 by the Danish sculptor
Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish and Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in ...
. Thorvaldsen's statue was the first memorial to Schiller to be erected in Germany.
History
The first known brick building in Stuttgart - the ''Stuthaus'' or mare house - stood next to the adjacent
Stiftskirche (collegiate church). It is therefore supposed that the square was originally used as a horse breeding area around 1000 years ago (in keeping with Stuttgart's
history). After the 12th century the square was probably covered in simple houses before other stone houses such as the ''Fruchtkasten'' were built. In the mid-14th century the ''Dürnitzbau'' wing of the Old Castle (next to Schillerplatz) was erected. The Old Chancellery was built in 1542 shortly before completion of the ''Arkadenflügel'' wing of the Old Castle. The area between the Old Castle and the Chancellery became a
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
.
In 1594
Duke Friedrich I asked his master builder Heinrich Schickhardt to turn today's Schillerplatz into a
Renaissance square
Renaissance Square is a high-rise complex located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The complex includes two towers: One Renaissance Square at with 26 floors, and Two Renaissance Square at with 28 floors. Although a part of the same complex, To ...
. Residents' houses were bought and demolished. The new square was laid with cobblestones and called 'Castle and Chancellery Square'. The dimensions of the square have not changed since.
In 1607 work began on the ''Gesandtenhaus'' (a type of ambassador's house) which is now known as the ''Prinzenbau'' and was finally completed in 1677. In 1711 the Prinzenbau was extended behind the Old Chancellery with an arch in the northernmost corner of Schillerplatz. On the opposite, southern side of the square between the
Old Castle and
Stiftskirche In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...
the first Stuttgart Café opened in 1712. It was replaced in 1798 by the ''König von England''
inn (King of England Inn). This was shortly after the moat surrounding the Old Castle had finally been filled in leaving the square the way it stands today.
The square was officially renamed Schillerplatz in 1934 in memory of one of
Baden-Württemberg's most famous writers and intellectuals.
During the
Second World War of the buildings around Schillerplatz were burnt down but all were reconstructed after the war with the exception of the ''King of England Inn''.
The underground car park was built in 1972-3.
Image:Stuttgart-fruchtkasten.jpg, The ''Fruchtkasten'' building
Image:AltesSchlossStuttgart.JPG, The Old Castle
Image:Stiftskirche stuttgart.jpg, Schillerplatz around 1900
Image:Schillerplatz.png, Schillerplatz in 1839
References
*
Harald Schukraft
Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to:
Medieval Kings of Denmark
* Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986)
Kings of Norway
* Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933)
* Harald Greycloak (died 970)
* Harald Hardrad ...
: ''Stuttgarter Straßen-Geschichte(n)''. German.
Silberburg Publishing,
External links
Stuttgart Tourist information on Schillerplatz
{{Authority control
Squares in Stuttgart
Buildings and structures in Stuttgart
Landmarks in Germany
Tourist attractions in Stuttgart