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14 streets lead into its somewhat 16 000 square metres.
This is where commerce and other intercourse has customarily
been carried out. On this site, already in the 12th century,
arose the first building for use by the grocers, drapers
and merchant tailors; not illogically, the first newly
purpose-built department store to be constructed in what
had been East Germany was erected here for Kaufhof.
The focal point of the square is occupied by the Handel
memorial given to the city and dedicated to the composer,
born in Halle in 1685, by friends of music on the occasion
of the centenary of his death in 1859.
The Marktplatz is famous for the silhouette of its
five towers: the Blue spires and the Hausmann towers of
the Church of St. Mary built between them as from 1529
form, along with the 84 metre high Red Tower, the typical
image of the city.
The Red Tower was built as a freestanding belfrey at the
crossing of the roads used for long-distance trade in
1418 and is probably unique of its kind in Germany. It
presented itself as a symbol of the newly self-confident
rising bourgeoisie, who wished to be free and independent
of the power of the Church. With its 81 bells, weighing
a total of some 46 500 kg, it houses, since 5th June 1993,
what is presumably the largest carillon in the world.
Various interpretations of "red" have been offered:
in all likelihood reference is made to the blood shed
at its foot; for this is where judgement was done and
executions were carried out with the sword.
A statue of Roland, where this took place, is known to
have existed in Halle as early as the middle of the 12th
century, though its position in the area round the market
underwent its vicissitudes. The present sandstone copy
(1854) of the copy made in 1718 of the wooden original
of 1250 now stands as before on the east side of the tower.
An unusual feature is that Halle's Roland appears to be
the only such figure not dressed in military uniform of
some kind.
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