Rheydt market place

In 2009, the Berlin office PLANORAMA Landschaftsarchitektur won the planning competition for the redesign of the market square in the Rheydt district of Mönchengladbach. The measure was embedded in the urban development program 'Socially Integrative City Rheydt', in the framework of which further sub-projects were implemented in the city area. The new market place was the focus of these efforts to reactivate the inner city.

On an area of approx. 1.7 ha, a lively square has been created for a total volume of around EUR 5.7 million, which is now available to the citizens and visitors of the city for numerous events and festivals, but above all for regular market use.

Thanks to the city of Mönchengladbach as the client and excellent construction companies, all essential elements of the original design could actually be implemented in the general planning by PLANORAMA, despite difficult general conditions.

Underneath the square is an underground car park from the 1970s, which was extensively renovated in the course of the redesign. Numerous special construction methods were required, as the type and design of the structure no longer meet today's standard requirements. Access roads were reduced in size, partially demolished, an additional underground car park was reconnected and new stairways were integrated into the square.
The square itself is characterised by the two buildings of the main Protestant church and the historic town hall. The remaining simple peripheral buildings date from the post-war period. During this time, historic square edges were also negated. In the 1970s, typical pavilion buildings were added in front of the houses, which completely cut off the ground floors from the square. The pavilions were removed as part of the redesign. They were replaced by the slightly raised 'market terraces', which enclose the square and take up historical references again. As a counterpart, a plateau was formed around the church, which gives the square a second frame and emphasizes the north-south orientation to the town hall.

In the centre there is a paved area of approx. 3,000 sqm which, with the symbolic image of a well-worn carpet, lends a certain liveliness to the redesign. The setting with a circular brass fountain in front of the town hall forms the highlight and invites people to linger and play.
High-quality natural stone coverings made of large-format slabs and paving stones significantly determine the high quality of the new square space. Numerous seating options made of high-quality prefabricated concrete elements with wooden supports at the edges of the square invite you to linger and observe.

A completely new underground infrastructure provides state-of-the-art technology for the supply of markets and funfairs. The square lighting with staging of the buildings was completely renewed. In spring, 25 white Tokyo cherries blossom on the market terraces, which feature fiery red foliage in autumn. New green areas have been created directly at the edge of the square and valuable old trees have been integrated. All areas are barrier-free. Roadway cross-sections have been changed and can now be crossed more easily and shops can be connected closer to the square.

AppreciationGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2015

Jury verdict: The redesign of the market square in Mönchengladbach-Rheydt was embedded in the urban development programme "Social City Rheydt". On an area of approx. 1.7 ha - above an underground car park - a lively square space has been created, which is available to citizens and guests alike for events and regular market use.

With a clear language of form and sensitivity for the urban space, the authors provide evidence of the importance and function of an empty space in the urban structure, which is thus flexible for various urban forms of use.

The functional arrangement with lounges and cafes - slightly elevated at the edge - as well as the long bench and lawn landings on the opposite side marks and reinforces this respect for the space and at the same time points to the importance of the church and the historic town hall in the cityscape.

The height differences on two sides as well as the new positions of the pavilion buildings at the stairs show the genius of the spatial design. This square topography and the darker paved carpet in the center create the association that the marketplace is a sunken garden; enhanced by the well-placed circular brass fountain in the line of tension between the town hall and the church. The choice of materials and the execution as a whole and the precision in detail show a very high quality.