Weinplatz is a popular public square adjacent to the Gmüesbruggbridge and the historical Schipfe quarter. and Weinplatz, and the present Limmatquai, Altarbilder by Hans Leu d.Ä., 1498 , c. 1895
Geography
Weinplatz is situated in the historical center of Zürich, previously known as Celtic-Roman Turicum, on the southeastern foothill of the Lindenhof, right westerly of the Rathausbrücke bridge-plaza, north of the Münsterhof plaza, and southernly of the Schipfe quarter on the eastern bank of the Limmat.
In 70/75 AD a harbor district rose on the newly acquired lands on the Limmat riverbank at the foot of the former Oppidum Lindenhof at the Schipfe–Weinplatz area, and the settlement area of the Gallo-Roman Turicum was extended on the right bank of the Limmat at the present Limmatquai. Public buildings made of stone and paved roads were built. Suggested by the recent archaeological evidence uncovered during construction at Münsterbrücke, the present Weinplatz may have been the site of the civilian harbour of the Celtic-Roman Turicum. At the site of the present Weinplatz towards St. Peterhofstatt the remains of remarkable 2nd to 4th century ADThermae were excavated. Being part of the ancient Kornhausplatz plaza, Weinplatz was used as a grain and vegetable store in medieval times, and became in 1630 the public market for local wines, the present Weinplatz square. Despite the relocation of the market to the Münsterhof plaza in 1647, the name is still the same. Some medieval sources mention the Rother Turm building, meaning the "red tower" which was used by the House of Rapperswil as its seat in Zürich in the early 13th century; much later it became a 'literature café' and was demolished. Weinplatz now is a popular tourist destination, nearby the Münsterhof plaza, and it is the location of some small shops and cafés.
Points of interest
Thermengasse
Towards St. Peterhofstatt, the remains of the Roman Thermae were discovered on occasion of archaeological excavations in 1983/84. The site is partially open to the public and illustrated by information boards, as well as replicas of some of the artefacts that were found at the site.
Haus zum Schwert
First mentioned in 1265, the Zürich knight Jakob Mülner handed over his residential towerzum Schwert to the Fraumünster Abbey, and returned it as a fief. From the daughters of Gotfried II, in 1406 the complex came to Hans Brunner who set up an inn. Today, the former tower is an accommodation building and houses a shop at its ground floor.
Hotel Zum Storchen
The origin of the name "Zum Storchen" is unclear, but a local legend tells that the name comes from several of rare black storks that brooded on its roof long ago. In 1357, the building "Hus zum Storchen" was mentioned for the first time in tax records of the city. About 100 years later, it was designated as a hostel, a tradition that lasted for several hundred years. In 1938 the medieval structure was rebuilt to house the present hotel, bar and restaurant. The building also serves as the guildhouse of the Zunft zur Schiffleuten, a medieval guild of the fishermen and boatmen, whose name is perhaps a reference to the ancient harbour at the Weinplatz square near the hotel.
Literature
Regine Abegg, Christine Barraud Wiener: Die Kunstdenkmäler des Kantons Zürich. Band II.II: Stadt Zürich. Wiese Verlag, Basel 2003..