The Marktplatz is Heidelberg's oldest square, a cobbled space on the Hauptstraße with the Church of the Holy Spirit on one side and the baroque Town Hall on the other. It has been the town's market since the Middle Ages, and the statue of Hercules in the middle tells the story of how Heidelberg rebuilt itself after it was burned down in the 1690s.
Heidelberg Marktplatz at a glance
- Where: in the old town (Altstadt), on the Hauptstraße between the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Town Hall, a short walk from the Old Bridge.
- Created: a market square since the town was founded in the Middle Ages; the buildings around it date mostly from the rebuilding after 1693.
- What it is today: a pedestrian square with a twice-weekly open-air market, café terraces in the warmer months and the Christmas market in winter.
- Hercules Fountain: built between 1703 and 1706; the statue on the column today is a copy.
- Time needed: 15 to 20 minutes for the square, about an hour if you also go inside the church and climb its tower.
Market, courtroom and town stage
Markets have been held here for as long as Heidelberg has existed, and for centuries the square was also where justice was done in public. In 1572 the theologian Johann Sylvan was executed here for his views on the Trinity, and as late as 1812 the robbers known as Hölzerlips and Mannefriedrich were executed here. Next to it the Church of the Holy Spirit went up from 1398; for two centuries it was the burial church of the Palatine electors, and its galleries held the famous Bibliotheca Palatina until Tilly's troops carried the library off as war booty in 1622.
The great turning point came with the War of the Palatine Succession, when French troops burned the town in 1689 and again in 1693. Almost everything around the square was destroyed. The baroque Town Hall was built from 1701 to 1703, and the Hercules Fountain followed, a reminder that rebuilding the town had been a labour worthy of Hercules. Later the square served for decades as a car park, until the Hauptstraße became a pedestrian zone at the end of the 1970s and the Marktplatz went back to people on foot.
What to look for
- Hercules on his column in the middle of the square, the symbol of the town's rebuilding after 1693. The original statue is kept in the Kurpfälzisches Museum.
- The Church of the Holy Spirit, with its late Gothic body and baroque roof and spire, rebuilt after the fire of 1693. Inside is the tomb of Elector Ruprecht III, the only electors' tomb to survive the destruction.
- The little shop booths (Krambuden) built between the buttresses of the church, a reminder that trade and worship have long sat side by side here.
- The Haus zum Ritter on the Hauptstraße opposite the church tower, built in 1592 for the Huguenot cloth merchant Charles Bélier. Look for the bust of the armoured knight on the gable and the portraits of Bélier and his wife on the façade.
- The baroque Town Hall at the eastern end of the square, completed in 1703 and still the seat of the city government.
One church, two faiths
The Church of the Holy Spirit has an unusual history of division. From 1706 a wall split it in two, so that Catholics and Protestants could hold services at the same time, each in their own half. The wall was taken down and put back up several times as politics changed, and it was only finally removed in 1936. Today the church is Protestant, and the nave is once again a single space.
Tips for your visit
- Come on a market morning to see the square as it has been used for centuries, with stalls selling vegetables, flowers and local produce.
- Climb the church tower for a view over the roofs of the old town, the Neckar and the castle; the viewing platform is 208 steps up.
- For the best photo of the castle above the town, walk a few steps towards the Kornmarkt and look up the hill.
- In December the square fills with the Christmas market; come early in the evening if you want space to look around.
Nearby
- The Old Bridge: the stone bridge over the Neckar with its twin-towered gate and the bronze Bridge Monkey, a few minutes' walk north.
- The Kornmarkt: the neighbouring square with its baroque Madonna column and the classic view up to Heidelberg Castle.
- Heidelberg Castle: the red sandstone ruin above the old town, reached by the Burgweg or the funicular from the Kornmarkt.
- The Hauptstraße: one of Germany's longest pedestrian streets, running west from the square towards the University Square and Bismarckplatz.
See Heidelberg with World City Trail
Our Heidelberg scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 38 minutes of walking. It includes Bismarckplatz and the Bridge Monkey on the Old Bridge.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Heidelberg.
Play the Heidelberg scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Heidelberg →
Play the outdoor escape game in Heidelberg →
Facts checked in October 2026.