Universitätsplatz: University Square
The Unversitätsplatz or University Square is one of the more important squares in the city centre (Altstadt) of Salzburg. It is near the oldest core of the Altstadt and was once the site of the garden of the Petersfrauen. That was the name of the nunnery associated with the monastery Stift St. Peter between 1125 and 1583. At that time, it was not unusual to have a "two-in-one” monastery in which nuns and monks formed two wings of the same entity. After the dissolution of the nunnery, the garden became property of the nearby Franciscan Monastery.
Only with the construction of the Old University Campus in the early 17th century and later the associated Kollegienkirche, the garden was made a square. Until then, the entire area was part of the Fürstenstadt (Prince′s Town, associated with the Prince Archbishop rather than with the laymen or burghers). The border ran along the second row of houses in the Getreidegasse - read our article on the Hagenauerplatz for further details.
Universitätsplatz as Main Market Square of Salzburg
The Universitätsplatz is known as a site for a farm market, the Grünmarkt (Green market). This is a traditional farm market that goes back to the 18th century and which was formalised in 1857. Since then, it has long turned into a tourist attraction - at the cost of its authenticity. There are several noteworthy buildings that frame the University Square and the area of the Wiener Philharmoniker Gasse, which links the square with the Festival Hall.
Most of the burgher houses date back to the 14th century (many are even older; such as the Ritzerhaus) and were later equipped with Baroque facades. The dominant feature of the square, the Kollegienkirche, was built according to plans by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach around 1700. One of the most recent additions to the square. The neighbourhood around Universitätsplatz belongs to the most exclusive shopping areas of Salzburg and is effectively an extension of the Getreidegasse.
Hidden Treasures of Salzburg
Links
http://www.salzburg.com/wiki/index.php/Universit%C3%A4tsplatz
German Wikipedia on the Universitätsplatz
http://www.uni-salzburg.at/
Salzburg University - Official Website
