English Translation: , The Church of Our Lady on the market square of Halle, also known simply as St. Mary's Church or the Market Church, is more than 450 years old. It is one of the most significant church buildings in Central Germany from the transitional period between the Late Gothic and Renaissance eras. Its towers, together with the Red Tower, a freestanding bell tower dating from the 15th century, form the symbol of the city, the Five Towers., Did you know that around 1500 there were two churches on Halle's market square?, The image shows an imagined view of the market square around 1500. Since the archaeological excavations on Halle's market square in 2004–2005, it has become clear that this depiction must be corrected in many respects., St. Gertrude's Church is documented as early as the 11th century. It served as the parish church of the salt workers of the Valley at Halle, the area around today's Hallmarkt., To the east, St. Mary's Church was built in the 12th century. It served as the parish church of the merchants and craftsmen of the so-called Hill Town surrounding the market square. , Halle around 1500, showing the Church of St. Gertrude and St. Mary's Church before their demolition – reconstructed image of the market square based on G. F. Hertzberg (1889)., Why Does Halle's Market Church Have Four Towers? , Today's Market Church was built between 1529 and 1554 between the pairs of towers belonging to its predecessor churches, St. Gertrude's and St. Mary's. The decision to construct a larger and more magnificent church was made under the influence of a powerful prince of the Church: Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg. As Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg, he sought to develop Halle into his residence city and to halt the spread of the Reformation from Wittenberg. Advisors to the archbishop, members of the city council, and church wardens met in 1529 and decided to demolish both churches except for their towers and connect the four towers with a single church hall., After the demolition of the old church naves, only the "Blue Towers" of St. Gertrude's Church, dating from around 1400, remained. At the beginning of the 16th century, these towers had just received new spires. From St. Mary's Church came the "Hausmann Towers," whose lower stories date from the Late Romanesque period. Between 1551 and 1554, they were fitted with new upper sections and connected by a bridge so that a tower watchman, then known as a Hausmann, could warn the city's inhabitants of fires and other dangers., Tip: The Tower Tour , The climb of 220 steps up the Hausmann Towers of the Market Church is certainly a challenge. But at the top, fascinating stories about the daily life of the tower watchman's family await visitors. And we cannot praise the view highly enough!, Look Closely! Can you discover the traces of St. Mary's Church?, Floor plans of the High and Late Medieval church buildings of St. Mary's Church from the 12th to the early 16th century. State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt., Floor plan reconstruction of both churches based on R. Hünicken and H. Schuster, 1933/34. State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt., Phase drawings of both churches: Romanesque I and II, as well as Gothic. © State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt., What Does Archaeology Reveal About the History of the Market Square? , From 2004 to 2005, Halle's market square was redesigned. During the work, portions of the foundation walls of St. Mary's Church were discovered and excavated by the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt. Shown here is a view from the Hausmann Towers of the Market Church overlooking the archaeological excavations. A fortunate opportunity for archaeology!, Out of fear of epidemics, it was decided in 1529 to abandon the cemeteries located beside the city's churches. A new burial ground was established on Martinsberg outside the city walls. The City God's Acre (Stadtgottesacker) is considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture and can still be visited today., In the Middle Ages, people wished to be buried as close as possible to the holy relics preserved within the altar stones of each church. Archaeological excavations revealed that the cemetery surrounding the old St. Mary's Church was especially densely occupied along the church walls (fig. left). Family and communal graves were also identified (fig. right)., Tip: The Stadtgottesacker Tour , This cemetery is something truly special. Not only because some of Halle's most famous citizens found their final resting place here, among them August Hermann Francke, Christian Thomasius, and the father of George Frideric Handel. Built in the 16th century after the model of the Italian Camposanto, Halle's Stadtgottesacker is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, unmatched anywhere north of the Alps., Exterior wall foundations of the southern side aisles of the Gothic hall church (left) and of the Romanesque basilica of St. Mary's Church in the area of the Hausmann Towers. © State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt., View from the Hausmann Towers of the foundations of the Gothic main choir, as well as the apse and crypt of the Romanesque basilica. State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt., View from the Hausmann Towers of the excavated, multi-phase ground plan of St. Mary's Church. State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt., Late medieval burials with wooden coffins. The graves are clearly oriented toward the eastern side of the main choir of the Gothic St. Mary's Church. During the construction of a wooden water pipeline in the 17th/18th century, the skull areas of the graves were destroyed. State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt., Section of the High and Late Medieval cemetery north of St. Mary's Church, showing exceptionally well-preserved wood remains. The oldest graves are covered with two oak planks each, while the more recent burials predominantly contain wooden coffins. In the foreground on the right are two children's graves. State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt.