Markets, Germany

Alexanderplatz has always been one of the liveliest places in Berlin, with shops, cinemas, restaurants, and many attractions within walking distance. Alexanderplatz in Mitte is one of the best-known public squares in Berlin – and it’s certainly the biggest. Named after Tsar Alexander I, who visited the Prussian capital in 1805, most people simply call it Alex. Also in the winter you will find several Christmas markets at Alexanderplatz: at the Rotes Rathaus, at the Alexa shopping centre and around the world clock. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/alexanderplatz

Marienplatz is the central square in Old Town, Munich’s urban heart and the central point of the pedestrian zone. To the north is the magnificent neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus (“New Town Hall”), to the east the Altes Rathaus (“Old Town Hall”), and the passageway to Tal and the Viktualienmarkt (farmers’ market). To the south, the square is bordered by stores, office buildings, and restaurants. To the west, the pedestrian zone opens to Kaufingerstraße, which ends at the Karlstor (gate) located at the square known by locals as Stachus. Marienplatz has been the center of Munich since it was founded in 1158 and is the heart of the city. In the first few centuries, the approximately 100 x 50 meter large area was used as the central marketplace, which is attested to today by the fish fountain on the northeast corner of Marienplatz. In 1638 Elector Maximilian I had the Mariensäule (Mary’s Column) erected in gratitude for the city being spared during the Thirty Years’ War; Marienplatz takes its name from the Mariensäule. The column is used as a reference point in land surveying as the topological center of Bavaria. Today Marienplatz is a center for festivities and political, cultural, or sports events. During Advent, Munich’s oldest traditional Christmas market (“Christkindlmarkt”) takes place here. https://www.muenchen.de/int/en/sights/attractions/marienplatz.html

The baroque backdrop for the market held here three times a week is formed by the ensemble of the old town hall and the parish church of St. Sebastian - which is incidentally Mannheim's oldest building. If you happen to lose track of time in the hustle and bustle of the market, two clocks and a bell tower are on hand to bring you back to the here and now. What's more, a glockenspiel sounds from the tower three times a day, charming more people than merely the wedding couple exchanging vows inside the walls. You can immerse yourself in Mannheim's internationality directly behind the marketplace. The predominantly Turkish-influenced district with its small shops and delicacies like baklava and pide can easily turn your thoughts to your next holiday. The huge selection of bridal and evening wear on offer here draws customers from over 150 kilometers away. https://www.visit-mannheim.de/en/Media/attractions/old-town-hall-and-st.-sebastian-church

The Old Town Hall can truly be said to live up to its name - the cornerstone was laid in the year 1556. Since 1909, and still today, it has served as the Museum of City History. https://english.leipzig.de/leisure-culture-and-tourism/tourism/leipzigs-tourist-attractions/the-old-city-hall-and-the-market-place/

The market square (Marktplatz) is in all probability the best-known square in Karlsruhe. Situated on it is the city's hallmark, the pyramid, built in 1823 as well as the municipal protestant church, the town hall, and the market fountain. Images Information https://www.karlsruhe-tourismus.de/en/overview-map/Sights/Highlights/Market-Square-Marktplatz-and-the-Pyramid

While in particular large department stores are located around the market square, the lower part of the Leipziger Straße accommodates Halle’s fashion centre, with many well known fashion companies having their boutiques here. http://www.halle.de/en/Culture-Tourism/Points-of-Interest/Halles-City-Centre-06044/

The route from Johannisburg Palace to the town hall is a labyrinth of narrow alleys, where traditional bars and quaint restaurants occupy pretty little half-timbered buildings. https://www.info-aschaffenburg.de/en/tourism/tourist-attractions.html

Behind the heavy entrance doors of this grand art nouveau building a paradise of lucullan pleasures is hidden: Aceto Balsamico and honey mead, Baklawa and exotic spices - a touch of the Mediterranean and the Orient blows through the spacious halls. Poultry, fish and meat of a high quality are always a standard in the market hall. https://www.stuttgart-tourist.de/en/a-market-hall

In the heart of Bielefeld’s old town lies the Old Market Square, surrounded by imposing historic facades and ornate gables. The impressive Patrician houses are well worth seeing, a main attraction being the Crüwell House with its late Gothic stepped gable dating from 1530. https://www.bielefeld.de/en/attractions/places/

Located between the Puppenbrunnen, the city hall and the Bahkauv, the Hof square has something to offer everyone, and is a good place to spend a few hours with its restaurants, bars and cafés. Take a break here, lean back and take it easy, Aachen-style. Starting from the Hof, walk down the Medieval-style Körbergasse, past the traditionalist Plum’s Kaffee coffee roasting house and the basket weaver’s “Korb Bayer”, which first opened its doors in 1865, until you reach a symbol of the city: the “Printenmädchen”, or “little gingerbread girl”. Now enter Aachen’s oldest coffee shop, the Alt Aachener Café-Stuben van den Daele, which was founded in 1890. The rooms, which are full of nooks and crannies, and the many stairs in this historic building, give the café its particular charm. https://www.aachen-tourismus.de/en/discover/sights/hof/

Here the city hatched from the egg in 1825. Today, the idyllic district with the Apostelkirche in the middle is the romantic heart of the city center, which keeps its seclusion a bit off the shopping streets next door. http://www.guetersloh.de/Z3VldGVyc2xvaGQ0Y21zOjIwNjE2.x4s

Arnsberg's historic heartbeats at the Old Market Square with its belfry, Old Town Hall (1710), "The Crimea" and Maximilianbrunnen (1779). The Madonna in the niche at the town hall has survived many city fires and bears witness to an eventful history. On the side of the town hall is the symbol of Cologne rule in Arnsberg. The wonderfully renovated patrician building "Zur Krim" is reminiscent of a dark chapter in legal history, because the witch judge of Arnsberg once lived in it. The bell tower - the symbol of the city - forms the "parlor" Arnsberg with the old town hall (1710) and the Maximilianbrunnen, framed by patrician and half-timbered houses. The bell tower was part of the former city fortifications in Arnsberg and is one of the oldest buildings in Arnsberg. He found a first written mention in a document by Count Gottfried III. from the year 1236, in which it was about the expansion of the city area towards the monastery Wedinghausen. With the execution of this plan, the tower lost its function as a defensive tower and served only as an inner-city gate. For centuries, the top of the tower consisted of a tent-like roof with four small corner towers. It was only around 1723 that the tower received its baroque onion dome after a city fire, which was preserved until 1945. http://www.arnsberg-info.de/geschichte/sehenswuerdigkeiten/alter-markt/