Leopoldsplatz

The Leopoldsplatz (abbr. Leo) in Baden-Baden’s town centre is named after Grand Duke Leopold von Baden (1790–1852). Historically it links the Kurviertel, Altstadt and Bäderviertel. Until the Michaelstunnel was completed in 1989, the square was a major hub for car traffic. Since the tunnel opened it has been closed to through traffic and is now used as a roadway only by Baden-Baden’s public transport (buses, taxis).

The square and its surroundings

Today’s appearance is shaped by the surrounding 19th-century buildings, the fountain on the south-west side and the large flight of steps in front of the former post office building. Since the refurbishment from 2016 to 2018, large square concrete slabs in various shades of grey have covered the square.

Five streets radiate out from Leopoldsplatz.

• To the north-west, Luisenstraße leads into the Weststadt.
• Heading north, Gernsbacherstraße takes you into Baden-Baden’s Altstadt (old town) and the city’s central pedestrian zone.
• To the north-east, the square opens into the broad, tree-lined Sophienstraße. It leads to the Bäderviertel.
• To the south runs Lichtentaler Straße, which leads to the district of the same name.
• To the south-west, the continuation of Sophienstraße takes you into the Kurviertel with the theatre, the Kurhaus (spa house) and the Lichtentaler Allee.

Notable buildings

At the south-west end of Leopoldsplatz stands the neoclassical villa Palais Hamilton, built in 1808 by Friedrich Weinbrenner. It is the oldest villa in Baden-Baden. Its generous design set new standards in urban planning and prompted a rethink among builders, who until then had preferred building plots within the town walls.^[1]

Also significant for the square is the four-storey corner building Haus Victoria, erected from 1851 to 1853 by Heinrich Lang as a hotel. Owing to increasing traffic, it was converted into a residential and commercial building in 1912.^[2]

Traffic situation

Since the 1990s, Leopoldsplatz has been closed to through traffic. Only public-transport buses, delivery vehicles and emergency services are allowed to drive across the square. Goods deliveries are permitted between 7 and 11 a.m. or with special authorisation. For a long time the ban was enforced only by traffic signs, and not all drivers complied. The city administration therefore felt compelled to install bollards. These bollards automatically retract into the ground when a scheduled bus approaches. The system detects this with the help of induction loops in the ground. In addition, the system can also be operated remotely. The police, fire brigade and rescue services can likewise control it remotely. The first bollard installation was put in place in Luisenstraße and the northern Sophienstraße^[3] on 20 July 2011 and cost 140,000 euros.^[4] Since the installation, illegal traffic on Leopoldsplatz has been reduced considerably^[5], yet loopholes still remain and further bollards at the level of the kiosk may follow. No bollards are planned for Lichtentaler Straße, as too many cables apparently lie in the ground there, which would make installing the bollards excessively difficult.^[6]

Restaurants

The central restaurant on Leopoldsplatz is the Amadeus restaurant. In fine weather, guests sit at tables by the large flight of steps on the east side of the square and at the start of the tree-lined Sophienstraße. The neighbouring bakery Peter’s am Leo with its café also offers seating indoors and out. At the start of Luisenstraße is the Italian restaurant Garibaldi.

Shops

On Leopoldsplatz you will find the branches of the Sparkasse Baden-Baden Gaggenau, the Baden-Württembergische Landesbank and the Volksbank Baden-Baden Rastatt. Further retail shops located within 50 metres of the square are shown in the overview below:

Further shopping streets radiate out from Leopoldsplatz. These include Lichtentaler Straße, Sophienstraße, Gernsbacher Straße, Lange Straße and Luisenstraße.

History

Until the 19th century, the town wall with the Beuerner Tor gate stood on the site of Leopoldsplatz. The gate was demolished in 1822. In honour of the sovereign, Grand Duke Leopold, the town had a monument erected in 1861. This is how Leopoldsplatz got its name. From 1910, Baden-Baden’s trams ran across the square and the first car traffic appeared. During the Second World War, the Leopold monument was removed and melted down. The name of the square, however, was retained. After the war, the number of motorists increased markedly. At times a traffic policeman directed the traffic on the square. But it was only the construction of the Michaelstunnel that brought real relief.

Redesign in the 1990s and attempts at refurbishment

The redesign of Leopoldsplatz began with a public tender in March 1989. In June 1989, the jury chose the design by the Freiburg architect Bernd Maier.^[7] It was carried out in 1990 and 1991. On its south side, Günther Hermann created a modern fountain with a seemingly floating stone slab and white marble. The entire square was laid out with granite slabs. In the process, too much attention was probably paid to the artistic design of the square and too little to its function as a bus hub. The unbonded slab construction proved to be a wrong decision. After only a few days of bus traffic, the slabs had shifted and showed massive damage.^[8] Moreover, it was apparently neglected to organise the many cables and ducts beneath the square and make them easily accessible.

In 1993, a complete refurbishment of Leopoldsplatz became necessary. A watertight asphalt base layer was created beneath the slabs. But this construction too could not withstand the loads from the buses, so that the area of the bus lanes had to be refurbished again as early as 1995. This effort, too, was ultimately unsuccessful. A further problem was now that water collected under the slabs, could not drain away and led to frost damage in winter. The forces acting on the slabs as a result of frost are many times greater than the loads from bus traffic.

The shortcomings of the redesign placed a considerable additional burden on the public budget. Between 2004 and 2009, the annual maintenance costs for the square ranged between 30,000 euros and 40,000 euros.^[9]

From 2009, a new method was tested, initially on a 10 m² test area. The watertight asphalt base layer was replaced with a water-permeable so-called drainage asphalt layer in order to counter the risk of frost damage. New types of mortar were also used. The method proved promising, so that in 2010 a 66 m² area in the entrance area of Lichtentaler Straße was refurbished using this method. As part of the bollard works, the method was also applied in 2011 to a 116 m² area in the access area from Sophienstraße onto the square. In 2012, a refurbishment of 126 m² followed in the area of the exit from the square onto Sophienstraße by the kiosk.^[10] In October 2012, pull-off adhesion tests were carried out with positive results. The status report of December 2012 / January 2013 rates the new method as “thoroughly positive”.^[2]

Refurbishment from 2016

See main article: Refurbishment of Leopoldsplatz 2016–2018

From September 2016 until an expected June 2018, Leopoldsplatz is being turned into a major construction site. In three construction phases, the pipes and channels underground are being refurbished and the square is being given a new surface of concrete slabs. The building work is expected to have considerable effects on bus services and the surrounding retail trade.

Sources

• Stadtführer Baden-Baden - Arbeitskreis für Stadtgeschichte der Stadt Baden-Baden e.V., 1994
• Council paper 13.023, subject: refurbishment of Leopoldsplatz - status report, meeting date: 17 January 2013 (online) (retrieved 31 October 2014)

References:

1. ↑ Ulrich Coenen Von Aquae bis Baden-Baden - die Baugeschichte der Stadt und ihr Beitrag zur Entwicklung der Kurarchitektur Aachen, Mainz 2008, ISBN 3-8107-0023-1, pp. 514 ff
2. ↑^2.1↑^2.2 Ulrich Coenen Von Aquae bis Baden-Baden - die Baugeschichte der Stadt und ihr Beitrag zur Entwicklung der Kurarchitektur Aachen, Mainz 2008, ISBN 3-8107-0023-1, p. 505
3. ↑ Article Mehr Poller: Gespräche finden statt by Patrick Frietsch in the Badisches Tagblatt, 6 July 2012
4. ↑ Video report on the installation of the bollards, Baden-Baden.tv, 20 July 2011 (no longer available, archived version)
5. ↑ Article Leo: Nur die Kehrmaschine stört… by Harald Holzmann in the Badisches Tagblatt, 14 August 2014
6. ↑ Article Keine Poller in Lichtentaler Straße in the Badisches Tagblatt, 14 August 2014
7. ↑ Article Leo-Brunnen erregte einst die Gemüter by Karl Reinbothe in the Badisches Tagblatt, 16 August 2013
8. ↑ Council paper 13.023, see above, p. 3
9. ↑ Council paper 13.023, see above, p. 7
10. ↑ Appendix site plan (public) to council paper 13.023, meeting date: 17 January 2013 (online) (retrieved 31 October 2014)