Old Market Square

Urban public space. Diverse, multifaceted, everyday and yet special. The Old Market Square is understood and designed as one of the places of Gladbach's urban society, as a place of everyday life, as a place for large celebrations and as an open space for art, culture and education. The Abteiberg as a whole is a special place for Mönchengladbach. The atmospheric contrast between the green hillside and the dense urban space is the starting point for the design. Free of traffic and stretching from façade to façade, the Old Market is reinforced in its role as the heart of Gladbach's old town. It takes up the connections from the context and slows them down via a centrally fitted tableau. This acts as a stage for urban life. The historical motif of segmental arches is retained in the paving and gives the square a pleasant structure in terms of its dimensions. Catering facilities continue to find their place under the shade of tall trees – ideally with seasonally staggered expansion of the outdoor seating areas. The new mirror fountain references and interprets the rich variety of forms found in the façades and vaults of the cultural and sacred buildings on the Abteiberg.