Marketplace Halle/Saale

Halle's market square has become a center worthy of the city thanks to a new conceptual orientation. The square was designed as a generously proportioned, coherent space. Targeted interventions have created a cultural space that both fulfills everyday functions in an appropriate manner and develops a new urban quality.

The design is inspired by themes that played a formative role in the development of the city of Halle - rejection, salt, trade, art and the Red Tower. The character of the city of Halle as a trading center is impressively presented by the size and use of the market square. The public transport, pedestrian, bicycle and delivery traffic was reorganized and the streetcar stops were specially developed for the location.

Design concept

The design concept is open to many uses. The reorganization of the tramway on the market square resulted in a disentanglement of the previous mix of uses of market trade, special events, recreation and quiet zones as well as city tours.



The new transition to Hallmarkt

The connection between Hallmarkt and Obermarkt was realized as an open staircase based on the historical staircase before the construction of the transformer building. This significantly improved pedestrian accessibility and the visual connection between the two squares. Around St. Mary's Church, the paving of the edge zone was continued in small stone paving. The tree locations, which are more in line with the direction of travel after the staircase conversion, are better integrated into the pavement with tree slice covers. Benches at St. Mary's Church allow people to rest.



Furniture and greenery

Street furniture such as benches, bicycle stands, information boards etc. are provided in the transition from the square to the edge area. This creates a basic order that keeps the center of the square free for the actual market uses and puts the Händeldenkmal and the Red Tower in the center.

The equipment and furnishings are designed in simple, timeless simplicity. Lighting masts, passenger shelters, seating and other elements are visually restrained and allow the diversity of the building façades to take effect.

Due to the considerable amount of existing technology underground and the intended flexible distribution of use on the square, there will be no fixed, large-volume planting on the square.

The plan is to integrate greenery by means of mobile plant elements in various sizes and different planting to delimit the areas of outdoor catering and in connection with the seating in the peripheral area.



"Gold brine"

The "Goldsole" is a modern market fountain that thematizes the extraction of salt and the resulting prosperity of the city of Halle. The base is made of bronze plates, which make it accessible and functional even in winter. Slit-shaped openings in the slabs symbolize the salt springs scattered throughout the city. A golden shimmer is created by the gold bowls underneath. Like the "brine springs", salt water emerges from the water jets to the surface. A drinking water inlet is located between the side stone blocks.



Geoscope

Both the natural and the economic and cultural structure of the entire region are essentially based on the "geological sensation" of the Halle marketplace fault and the salt extraction that this made possible. With the reconstruction of the market square, the opportunity was seized to show the "deep fissure" previously hidden beneath the square and thus establish a link to the city's history. The specially developed "Geoscope" is a special observation instrument that uses an optical system to transform the geological situation onto the surface.



Lighting concept

During the night, the entire spatial composition of the market square is shown to its best advantage undisturbed. The basic lighting of the square is provided by pole-mounted luminaires arranged around the edges. The facades of St. Mary's Church, the Stadthaus and the Ratshof are illuminated separately. The Red Tower is of particular importance within the lighting concept. Combined exterior and interior lighting provides a wide range of staging options. The walking zone at St. Mary's Church is illuminated by light steles arranged between the trees. The "golden brine" is also staged at night with a lighting design.