Kirchplatz and Gerichtskellerplatz, Freyburg/Unstrut

The church square of the St. Marien city church is an important part of the old-town area of Freyburg/Unstrut. Accentuation of the church as an important Romanesque construction is part of the application for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Despite the intensive remodelling of today‘s church square, traces of its former design and use as a cemetery and its reshaping according to Baroque design have been preserved in fragments, enabling specific insights into the history of the location. The church square, kept free in contrast to its peripheral areas, becomes a ‚projection surface‘ on which the results of archaeological investigations of graves lying just below the paving can be seen. The stones are provided with a sawn surface at the sites of discovery, and the resulting impression is not planned in advance but will be created during its implementation. At the same time the arrangement of rows is provided with lawn gaps in a transverse direction. In this way the intensity of use in the various sub-areas (e.g. parking, use for events) becomes apparent. The ‚Gerichtskeller‘ square is designed as an urban public garden. A framework of small-crowned trees reflects the historical contour of the street and delineates the square.