Holm, Central pedestrian zone in Flensburg, Germany.
Holm is the main pedestrian zone in Flensburg's downtown with traditional buildings and cobblestone streets. Shops and cafes line both sides of the wide walking area.
This area began in medieval times as a marketplace and grew from a simple trading spot into the city's main commercial center over centuries.
The street name Holm is recorded since 1284 and comes from an old Nordic word for a rise or something jutting out, later meaning a small island. The east side was called the Groschen side and the west side the 5-Pfennig side, after their relative value. The merchant courtyard at Holm 45 is mentioned in records from 1436 as the home of the Sankt Knuds guild.
The Holm runs from Südermarkt to Rådhusgade, where it continues as Große Straße. It has been car-free since 1968, and the tram line was withdrawn in 1973. The paving was renewed in 2007–2008 with weather-resistant Chinese granite from Shandong province.
The east side of Holm was the "Groschen-Seite" (groschen side), the west side the "5-Pfennig-Seite" (5-pfennig side), because the harbour-facing plots cost twice as much. Merchant houses and packing houses lined the east; craftsmen and carters settled on the steep western slope. The Dethleffsen-Hof from the 18th century is among the courtyards still visible.
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