Weinplatz

Weinplatz as seen fromLimmatquai,Rathausbrücke in the foreground, Storchen hotel to the left, Schwert tower to the right.
Interactive map of Weinplatz
Type	pedestrian
Owner	City of Zürich
Addresses	Weinplatz
Location	Zürich-Lindenhof,Switzerland
Postal code	8001
Coordinates	47°22′19″N8°32′31″E / 47.372°N 8.542°E /47.372; 8.542

Weinplatz (literally:wine square) is a popular public square adjacent to theGmüesbrugg bridge and the historicalSchipfe quarter.

Weinplatz is situated in the historical center of Zürich, previously known asCeltic-RomanTuricum, on the southeastern foothill of theLindenhof, right westerly of theRathausbrücke bridge-plaza, north of theMünsterhof plaza, and south of theSchipfe quarter on the eastern bank of theLimmat.

Located next to the Rathausbrücke,^[1] public transport is provided by theZürich tram lines 2, 4, and 15. At theStorchen stop,Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft provides also public transportation towardsBürkliplatz andZürichhorn. Individual transportation usually is prohibited.^[2] The area is part of thepedestrian zone in the old town of Zürich, hence, vehicle traffic is limited between lowerLimmatquai downstream and theBellevueplatz square upstream.

In 70/75 AD a harbor district rose on the newly acquired lands on the Limmat riverbank at the foot of the formerOppidum Lindenhof at theSchipfe–Weinplatz area, and the settlement area of the Gallo-RomanTuricum was extended on the right bank of the Limmat at the presentLimmatquai. Public buildings made of stone and paved roads were built. Suggested by the recent archaeological evidence uncovered during construction atMünsterbrücke, the present Weinplatz may have been the site of the civilian harbour of theCeltic-RomanTuricum.^[3] At the site of the present Weinplatz towardsSt. Peterhofstatt the remains of remarkable 2nd to 4th century ADThermae were excavated.^[4]

Being part of the ancientKornhausplatz (Rathhausbrücke) plaza, Weinplatz was used as a grain and vegetable store in medieval times, and became in 1630 the public market for local wines, the presentWeinplatz square. Despite the relocation of the market to theMünsterhof plaza in 1647, the name is still the same.^[5] Some medieval sources mention theRother Turm building, meaning the "red tower" which was used by theHouse of Rapperswil as its seat in Zürich in the early 13th century; much later it became a 'literature café' and was demolished. Weinplatz now is a popular tourist destination, nearby the Münsterhof plaza, and it is the location of some small shops and cafés.

TowardsSt. Peterhofstatt, the remains of the RomanThermae were discovered on occasion of archaeological excavations in 1983/84. The site is partially open to the public and illustrated by information boards, as well as replicas of some of the artefacts that were found at the site.

First mentioned in 1265, the Zürich knight Jakob Mülner handed over his residential towerzum Schwert (literally: sword tower) to theFraumünster Abbey, and returned it as a fief. From the daughters of Gotfried II, in 1406 the complex came to Hans Brunner who set up an inn. Today, the former tower is an accommodation building and houses a shop at its ground floor.

The origin of the name "Zum Storchen" (literally: To the Stork) is unclear, but a local legend tells that the name comes from several of rare black storks that brooded on its roof long ago. In 1357, the building "Hus zum Storchen" (literally stork house) was mentioned for the first time in tax records of the city. About 100 years later, it was designated as a hostel, a tradition that lasted for several hundred years. In 1938 the medieval structure was rebuilt to house the present hotel, bar and restaurant.^[6] The building also serves as the guild house of theZunft zur Schiffleuten, a medieval guild of the fishermen and boatmen, whose name is perhaps a reference to the ancient harbour at theWeinplatz square near the hotel.

• Regine Abegg, Christine Barraud Wiener:Die Kunstdenkmäler des Kantons Zürich. Band II.II:Stadt Zürich. Wiese Verlag, Basel 2003.ISBN 978-3-906131-87-0.

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• History of Zurich

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