Kornmarkt

Kornmarkt is a historic square in Heidelberg’s Altstadt, close to the Marktplatz and Hauptstrasse. Ingrimstrasse and Karlstrasse mark its southern side, while Burgweg climbs towards Heidelberg Castle. The Rathaus stands to the north, with Palais Graimberg southeast and the former Prinz Carl hotel west.

A medieval hospital, the Heilig-Geist-Spital, occupied this site during the thirteenth century. In 1557, the city demolished its buildings and created a milk and vegetable market called Neuer Markt. Archaeological work for an underground car park uncovered hospital walls and a cemetery used between the late thirteenth and early fifteenth centuries. Excavators investigated about 270 of roughly 800 graves, including a fourteenth-century shared grave containing two women around thirty years old.

At the centre, the Kornmarkt-Madonna rises above a three-basin fountain, created by Peter van den Branden in 1718. Mary stands on a globe and dragon-snake, while the infant Jesus pierces its head with a sceptre. Four cherubs support the globe, and a crown of stars presents Mary as Queen of Heaven. Christmas markets bring lights, stalls and a nativity scene among the surrounding historic buildings.