Am Sande (Lüneburg Market Square)

The square is surrounded by gothic gabled houses. The name "Sande" derives from the then unpolished place.

Wide street, almost a long square with house facades from different eras.
The mighty tower of St. Johannis Church stands in the east and determines the impression.

Next to the market square, the second large central square in Lüneburg. It didn't always look like it does today. When I met him there was an oval in the middle with parking spaces for cars and bicycles. There was a big problem when redesigning the square: where to go with the buses? This place is also a central place for regular buses. So a pure pedestrian zone could not prevail. However, there is space for table and chairs on the wide footpaths.

It has a lot to offer. It is very busy with shopping and gastronomy. Next to the old Renaissance houses, there is the old Chamber of Crafts on the top and St. Johannes below. Very close to the water tower. On the Ilmenau the new "Museum Lüneburg" and the Ratsmühle.

The square was first mentioned in 1229 as "in harena". The square was originally not fortified, hence the name Am Sande. The place was created as a connection between the Modestorpe settlement, the Kalkberg settlement and the salt works. In addition, the trade route to Magdeburg and Braunschweig as well as to Hamburg and Lübeck ran here. The stacking right that Lüneburg received in 1392 required space for the traders within the walls. So this offered itself and through the trade routes the place became a goods handling center. A fee schedule is known from the year 1500, from which the importance of the space can be read. The salt trade took place in the house at Am Sande 45, it was a white load. It is also documented that Am Sande traded beer from 1421 and grain from 1570. The fish trade and timber trade are also recorded in documents.