The Wenigemarkt is a small market square in the old town of Erfurt. It is located at the eastern end of the Krämerbrücke and is surrounded by 19th century town houses, the modern fountain in the middle of the square shows "Raufende Knaben". These were created in 1975/76 by the Magdeburg sculptor Heinrich Apel and moved to their current location in 1990.
This square was once the easternmost marketplace in the Franconian Empire. The Franconian and Slavic merchants met here for trade and exchange. In the later Middle Ages, however, the square lost its importance as sales shifted to permanent stores and other markets. From the west, the Wenigemarkt could only be reached via the Krämerbrücke. For pedestrians there was still the Mühlsteige, a wooden bridge that ran parallel to the Krämerbrücke and had to give way to the Rathausbrücke in 1895.
Today most of the square is a pedestrian zone, populated by street cafes and restaurants. The dominant building of the Wenigemarkt is the Agidienkirche with its passage to the Krämerbrücke.
The market has had different names over the centuries:
1217: in parvo foro
1391: Wenygemaarte
1666: Little market
1817: Mönnichsmarkt
1831: Little market