Marktplatz

Stuttgart's Marktplatz (Market Square) sits in the heart of the city center, right in front of City Hall and next to the flagship store of the Breuninger department store. Its history goes back to 1304, when the city's central market was established here, although the square is documented as a civic center as early as 1290. The area was heavily damaged during World War II. Unlike in many other historic city centers, the old buildings were almost entirely torn down afterward rather than rebuilt in their original form, a decision that was already being criticized in the 1950s. Only the Bletzinger shoe store was restored. The postwar architecture followed the old floor plans and lot sizes in the rebuilding, working the character of the medieval building widths into the modern facades. The current City Hall building on the square dates from the postwar period and replaced the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall), which had been built in the Flemish Gothic style.

From 2020 to 2024, the Marktplatz underwent a fundamental redesign. The paving was replaced with a lighter, beige-yellowish granite, and the square was made fully accessible. One of the most striking new features is a large fountain field with 36 illuminated water jets in the northern part of the square. The historic Marktbrunnen (market fountain), originally built for Duke Eberhard Ludwig and decorated with hunting scenes, was also restored and raised to the level of the square. The steps leading to City Hall were fitted with seating and light stelae, while a square grove of plane trees with the fountain at its center was laid out in the southern part. Five new planters with Persian ironwood trees add to the greenery, since planting directly in the ground was not possible because of the underground bunker complex and the space needed for markets.

For visitors, the Marktplatz is a lively meeting point designed as a pedestrian zone. A farmers' market selling only locally produced goods takes place here on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. The square also hosts major events, including the Stuttgarter Weindorf (wine village) in late summer, the large Christmas market during Advent, as well as the Festival der Kulturen and the Hocketse celebrating Christopher Street Day. Beneath the square lies a historical secret: a bunker from 1940 that served as a shelter during the war. Between 1945 and 1985, the complex housed a hotel with ventilation shafts instead of windows. Today, the decaying rooms of the former bunker hotel can be visited once a year during the Lange Nacht der Museen (Long Night of Museums), offering a fascinating glimpse into the site's underground history.