Bärenplatz

The Bärenplatz is a wide, open plaza bordered by the jagged stone wall of the former city fortifications. Beneath the pavement lie the remnants of the Käfigturm, the old prison tower that once held city debtors and criminals behind heavy iron doors. In the mid-nineteenth century, the city authorities decided to tear down the medieval ramparts to clear space for this public market. Workers unearthed old bear pits during the demolition, exposing the city's namesake animals to the daylight for the first time.