Alter Markt
Historic square in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord with a medieval-looking row of buildings — documented as Cologne's market since 922.
The Alter Markt (in Cologne dialect: "Alder Maat") is a square in the Altstadt-Nord district of Cologne. Its name is stressed on the first syllable and remains undeclined in German.
At a Glance
- Type
- Inner-city square
- Location
- Altstadt-Nord, central district
- Length
- 265 metres
- Area
- 5,460 m²
- Size
- One of the largest squares in Cologne's old town, alongside the Heumarkt
- First recorded
- 922, as "Mercatus coloniae" (Cologne Market)
- Access
- Rathaus U-Bahn station; closed to through traffic
During construction of the North-South subway line in 2007, a Roman transport vessel was recovered from twelve metres underground – it had carried building stones for the city of Cologne nearly 2,000 years ago and lay buried beneath the square, where a branch of the Rhine once flowed.
Things to do here
- Stroll across the historic square and admire the medieval-looking row of houses
- Photograph the colorful old-town houses on the "Aldermaat"
- Linger at a café on the square and watch the bustle go by
- Walk in the footsteps of over 1,000 years of Cologne market history
- Explore the car-free square on foot and turn off into the old-town lanes
Location and Access
The square stretches from Lintgasse in the south to Mühlengasse in the north and is closed to through traffic. Access is via Brigittengässchen or the Rathaus U-Bahn station. A 1938 carnival song, "Die Hüsjer bunt om Aldermaat", celebrated the medieval-looking row of houses that still lines the square today.
Relationship to the Heumarkt
Originally, the Alter Markt and the Heumarkt formed a single marketplace under the name Alter Markt, separated only when the Unterlan district was incorporated. From around 1250, the southern section became known as the "forum feni" (Heumarkt), while the name "Virnemarkt" still referred to this southern part until around 1400.
Roman Origins
During Roman times, the bed of a Rhine tributary ran some 13 metres below today's ground level beneath the Alter Markt area; the land to the east lay on a Rhine island roughly 1,000 metres long. During construction of the north–south city rail line in 2007, a Roman cargo ship was discovered twelve metres underground — it had carried stone for the city's building works. At the corner of Mühlengasse and Alter Markt, two large basalt weights used for measuring ships' cargo were unearthed, the larger weighing 40.93 kg.
Middle Ages
The square has been documented as Cologne's market since 922 and as a forum from 988; the Neumarkt does not appear until 1076. Through the late Middle Ages, the Alter Markt was a favoured residential quarter for the city's ruling class, owing to its position at the topographic heart of the city. After 1024, Archbishop Pilgrim established the archiepiscopal mint here; the "Cologne penny" minted on the site grew into one of the leading currencies of the Holy Roman Empire.
Timeline
- 50–100Roman transport ship (flat-bottomed barge) operating in the Rhine branch
- 3. Jh.Romans abandon the harbour; Rhine branch silts up
- 922First documented as Mercatus coloniae (Cologne market)
- um 950Cologne expanded to include the Rhine suburb on this area
- 988Registered as Forum (market)
- nach 1024Archbishop Pilgrim establishes the archiepiscopal mint
- 1142Hospital of St. Brigida founded next to Mühlengasse
- 1197Bread hall built on Alter Markt (in use until 1230)
Gallery
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Alter Markt
50667 Köln
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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