Lenauplatz
Neighbourhood square in Neuehrenfeld with the Max-and-Moritz Fountain — lined with lime trees and framed by Gründerzeit townhouses.
Lenauplatz is a neighbourhood square in the Cologne district of Neuehrenfeld, named after the Austrian writer Nikolaus Lenau. At its centre stands the Max-and-Moritz Fountain.
At a Glance
- Type
- Neighbourhood square, trapezoidal
- Location
- District of Neuehrenfeld, borough of Ehrenfeld
- Inner area
- approx. 1,500 m²
- Named after
- Nikolaus Lenau (1802–1850)
- Landmark
- Max-and-Moritz Fountain
- Status
- Listed monument in North Rhine-Westphalia
The current REWE supermarket on Lenauplatz was originally built around 1925 as a cinema, reopened in 1949 as the "Lenau-Theater," and after closing in the late 1960s was converted into a supermarket with barely any changes to its exterior – the stucco facade of the old cinema building survives to this day.
Things to do here
- Discover the leapfrogging Max and Moritz figures from Wilhelm Busch's tale at the fountain
- Rest on a bench beneath the lime trees and watch the neighbourhood go by
- Play a round of table tennis at the public table
- Try a game of pétanque on the dedicated playing area
- Admire and photograph the restored Wilhelminian-era facades around the square
- Grab a snack at the kiosk and read the Ehrenfeld history trail plaque
History
Neuehrenfeld was developed around the turn of the twentieth century as a planned neighbourhood, and Lenauplatz came into being with it. Unlike older squares in the borough, it was laid out not as a market square but as a tree-lined centrepiece of the new quarter. The land was donated by the landowner Alois Schlösser, who also profited from selling the surrounding plots as building land. Townhouses with ground-floor commercial units soon lined the square; Landmannstraße remains a commercial hub of Neuehrenfeld to this day.
Layout and Architecture
Four streets frame the trapezoidal square: Lenauplatz (the street of the same name), Landmannstraße, Lenaustraße, and Hauffstraße. The lime-tree-lined interior holds a kiosk, a table-tennis table, six benches, and the fountain, with a taxi rank at the southern corner. On three sides the square is enclosed by four-storey residential and commercial buildings whose Gründerzeit facades have largely been restored to their original appearance. On the north-eastern side stands a building erected around 1925 as a cinema, reopened in 1949 as the "Lenau-Theater"; after closing in the late 1960s it was converted into a supermarket and today houses a REWE branch. During the 2009–2010 refurbishment of the interior a quiet zone was created around the fountain alongside a pétanque court.
Max-and-Moritz Fountain
The 1.5-metre cast-iron fountain sculpture was created by Cologne artist Hein Derichsweiler (1897–1972). It depicts Max and Moritz from Wilhelm Busch's classic children's book in the act of leapfrogging. The fountain was installed in 1960 as a gift from the Ehrenfeld Civic Association. A plaque in the basin marks station 24 of the "Ehrenfeld History Trail".
Getting There
A tram once served Neuehrenfeld along Landmannstraße through the square and on to Iltisstraße; in 1958 it was rerouted to the parallel Nußbaumerstraße. The KVB stop "Lenauplatz" has since been located roughly 200 m away on Iltisstraße. During the day the square carries heavy shopping and through-traffic between Neuehrenfeld, Bickendorf, and Ossendorf heading towards Ehrenfeld via Iltisstraße and Hauffstraße. In urban planning terms, two axes converge here leading to the Neuehrenfeld churches of St. Anna and St. Peter — axes that today, due to one-way traffic restrictions, are only fully accessible on foot or by bicycle.
Timeline
- um 1900Lenauplatz laid out as tree-lined centre of the new Neuehrenfeld district
- Beginn 20. Jh.Four-storey residential and commercial buildings erected in Gründerzeit style
- um 1925Two-storey cinema building with stucco façade constructed on the north-east side
- 1949Building reopened as the 'Lenau-Theater' cinema
- 1958Tram line relocated from Lenauplatz to the parallel Nußbaumerstraße
- 1960Max-und-Moritz fountain erected and inaugurated by Mayor Theo Burauen
- Ende der 1960er JahreCinema closed; building converted into a Stüssgen supermarket
- 2007Roadway, parking areas and pavements around the square renovated
- Ende 2009 – März 2010Inner plaza renovated: new benches, fountain rest area and pétanque court added
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Lenaupl.
50825 Köln
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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