Marketplace Apolda

A parking lot that was considered important had to give way, as did a few linden trees that had been neglected. - A friendly open space was created, which communicates with the beautiful buildings of the market just as excellently as the people do with their new market place.

The design of the marketplace builds on the results of the 2001 competition.
The aim was to recreate the original character of the marketplace for Apolda's town centre, but to interpret it in a modern way.

The historic building fabric with its 2-3-storey buildings and the striking town hall now once again form the visible spatial edges of the open space. Purposefully left and also newly inserted, trees accentuate the spatial structure, support edges, emphasize corner situations. Their shade invites you to linger.
The separation between the sidewalk and the drive aisles, which previously existed in the area due to surrounding curbs, has been eliminated. The shops with their individually designed front zones are now closer to the central market activity.

The historic fountain was moved to the western side of the market and is the starting point of a radial pattern in the natural stone pavement, which structures the entire square.
Despite its lateral arrangement, it forms the central element of the square. The corners of the surrounding building edges are target points of the pavement rays.
The benches and furnishings of the market are oriented to the fountain and emphasize the rays.
The new marketplace was designed for pedestrian traffic, market activity, and festivals. The motorized traffic recedes strongly in its effect. The necessary access for resident traffic is regulated along the south side, unobtrusively limited by bollards.
The reduction of parking spaces now eliminates the usual parking lot search traffic. For larger parties, all equipment elements can be removed.

For the paving, used granite, which has been well prepared, was used. The tops of the stone were sawn and flamed, and the sides were cleanly split. This makes the surface smooth but non-slip and easy to walk on in all weather conditions. The colour and format of the paving stones as well as the chosen paving pattern quote the original local limestone paving.