A bustling market unfolds before you. This is Nordmarkt in Dortmund’s heart.
Nordmarkt isn’t just a square. It’s a living testament to Dortmund’s industrial past and resilient spirit. Imagine this space in 1909. Its current form emerged then a carefully planned green expanse. This was no accident. The rapidly growing Nordstadt needed more than just houses. It needed open spaces. These were planned as ‘Schmuckplatze’ or ornamental squares. Nordmarkt was one of only a few to be realised.
Its story begins much earlier though. In 1858 Dortmund appointed a city architect to manage the booming Nordstadt. Ludwig König introduced early building regulations. His successor Brandhoff envisioned a grid layout with these eleven squares. Nordmarkt’s initial design was even more ambitious. The city council planned a rectangular market square. They even began acquiring land.
But the market’s development took a surprising turn. A crucial agreement in 1893 between the city and Heinrich Schulte-Witten altered the plan. His family owned extensive land along the projected North-South axis. In return for infrastructure improvements a crucial sewer relocation the city received this land. It was initially called Nordplatz. It marked the northern edge of the expanding suburb.
The four-hectare square was initially a simple landscaped area. fenced-off lawns. It became what we see today after a 1907-1909 redesign. This design came from the Cologne garden inspector Hermann Robert Jung. His ‘Geometry’ design won a competition. The resulting X-shaped path system extends outward from the roads that feed into the square. This opened up the central space.
Nordmarkt gained its current name despite initial markets on nearby Borsigplatz and Steinplatz. Names like Nordplatz and even Schulte-Witten-Platz failed to stick. The name Nordmarkt reflects its function as the northern market.
Through the years Nordmarkt witnessed significant events. In 1919 the Weimar Republic renamed it Platz der Republik. The March Uprisings of 1920 saw a worker killed here. A memorial on the south side commemorates this. The square’s name changed again to Horst-Wessel-Platz during the Nazi era. It reverted to its original name in 1945. A 2005 attempt to rename it Opa-Wille-Platz failed. This refers to Opa Wille’s courageous resistance against the Nazis on this very square.
Nordmarkt wasn’t simply a backdrop to history. Its development mirrors social changes. Initially a place for leisure a public toilet and a kiosk were added. One of Dortmund’s five playgrounds in 1904 was here. It was expanded in 1971. The weekly market appeared only after World War II. It opened in 1950.
Renovations from 1993-1996 aimed to restore the original purpose. The decline of the mining industry and rising unemployment brought challenges. Alcohol and drug use became an issue. The city social organizations and local groups work to balance diverse uses.
An attempt to establish a family cafe was unsuccessful. ‘Salon Fink’ remains though and is now part of the club scene. The Diakonisches Werk runs a social work and addiction counselling service. Improved management and increased police presence helped reduce conflicts. So here you stand on Nordmarkt. It’s more than a square. It’s a vibrant reflection of Dortmund’s past present and future.