Neumarkt, public square in Osnabrück, Germany
Neumarkt is a central square and pedestrian zone in the heart of Osnabrück, flanked by shops, cafes, and the regional court building. The open paved area connects several streets leading into other parts of the city, making it a natural crossing point for people on foot or by bicycle.
The Alte Pforte, a gate of the old town, stood here until the incorporation of the Neustadt in 1306 made it redundant. From 1287 the Augustinian monastery occupied the site; its last four monks left in 1544 after the Reformation. In 1628 Bishop Franz Wilhelm opened a Jesuit college to the east, and in 1752 Johann Conrad Schlaun built a prison where the monastery chapel had stood; it gave way to the regional court building in 1875.
The square owes its name to the weekly markets held here between 1866 and 1913. During the Nazi period it was renamed Adolf-Hitler-Platz, and on the evening of the 5 March 1933 state election, flags of Weimar-era democratic associations were burned on the square. The name Neumarkt was later restored.
Neumarkt sits in the center of Osnabrück and is easy to reach on foot from the surrounding shopping streets. Several bus lines stop nearby, and the flat, open paved area is fully accessible for people with different mobility needs.
A pedestrian tunnel ran beneath the square for decades, allowing people to cross safely under the busy traffic above, before being closed and filled in relatively recently. Almost no trace of it remains visible at street level today.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,559 contributors worldwide.