Marktkreuz
At the heart of the marketplace in Germany, Marktkreuz rises from a weathered three-step base. Its granite shaft probably comes from the late Roman era, with stone brought from the Odenwald.
Archbishop Heinrich I commissioned the monument around 958 as a visible sign of market rights and ecclesiastical authority. Above the shaft, a sandstone capital carries carved foliage in Carolingian style, while the cross shows the Lamb of God, Saint Peter with his key and halo, and traces of a medieval sundial. Holes in the column recall its later use as a pillory, where chains held prisoners. The monument moved here in 1906 and was hidden during the Second World War for protection.
The original cross top and capital now remain in the city museum, while a faithful sandstone replica crowns the marketplace. Its eastern inscription records the foundation and a restoration in 1724.
- City
- Trier
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