Market square

Last updated

A market square (also known as a market place ) is a square meant for trading, in which a market is held. [1] It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world. [2] A market square is an open area where market stalls are traditionally set out for trading, commonly on one particular day of the week known as market day.

A typical English market square consists of a square or rectangular area, or sometimes just a widening of the main street. It is usually in the centre of the town, surrounded by major buildings such as the parish church, town hall, important shops and hotels, and the post office, together with smaller shops and business premises. There is sometimes a permanent covered market building or a cloth hall, and the entire area is a traditional meeting place for local people as well as a centre for trade.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poznań</span> City in Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland

Poznań is a city on the River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's Fair, traditional Saint Martin's croissants and a local dialect. Among its most important heritage sites are the Renaissance Old Town, Town Hall and Gothic Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Market town</span> Settlement granted the right to host markets

A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural towns with a hinterland of villages are still commonly called market towns, as sometimes reflected in their names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shipley, West Yorkshire</span> Town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England

Shipley is a historic market town and civil parish in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull Ring, Birmingham</span> Major shopping centre in central Birmingham

The Bull Ring is a major shopping area in central Birmingham England, and has been an important feature of Birmingham since the Middle Ages, when its market was first held. Two shopping centres have been built in the area; in the 1960s, and then in 2003; the latter is styled as one word, Bullring. When coupled with Grand Central it forms the United Kingdom's largest city centre based shopping centre, styled as Bullring & Grand Central.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Town Hall, Vilnius</span> Building in Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius Town Hall is a historical town hall in the square of the same name in the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Town square</span> Open public spaces in cities or towns, usually rectilinear, surrounded by buildings

A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town, and which is used for community gatherings. A square in a city may be called a city square. Related concepts are the civic center, the market square and the village green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shopping center</span> Commercial trading complex

A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in Commonwealth English, shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza, or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tavistock</span> Town in Devon, England

Tavistock is an ancient stannary and market town in West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy, from which its name derives. At the 2011 census, the three electoral wards had a population of 13,028. The town traces its recorded history back to at least 961 when Tavistock Abbey, whose ruins lie in the centre of the town, was founded. Its most famous son is Sir Francis Drake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester city centre</span> Central business district in Manchester, Greater Manchester, England

Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England, within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way, which collectively form an inner ring road. The City Centre ward had a population of 17,861 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kraków Old Town</span> Old town of Kraków, Poland

Kraków Old Town is the historic central district of Kraków, Poland. It is one of the most famous old districts in Poland today and was the centre of Poland's political life from 1038 until King Sigismund III Vasa relocated his court to Warsaw in 1596.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottingham city centre</span>

Nottingham city centre is the cultural, commercial, financial and historical heart of Nottingham, England, and represents the central area of the Greater Nottingham conurbation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medina del Campo</span> Municipality in Castile and León, Spain

Medina del Campo is a town and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Part of the Province of Valladolid, it is the centre of a farming area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Square, Kraków</span> Large public space in the Old Town of Kraków, Poland

The Main Square of the Old Town of Kraków, Lesser Poland, is the principal urban space located at the center of the city. It dates back to the 13th century, and at 3.79 ha is sometimes called the largest medieval town square in Europe, but Charles Square in Prague is two times larger. The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) lists the square as the best public space in Europe due to its lively street life, and it was a major factor in the inclusion of Kraków as one of the top off-the-beaten-path destinations in the world in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Park, Bristol</span> Public open space in Bristol, England

Castle Park is a public open space in Bristol, England, managed by Bristol City Council. It is bounded by the Floating Harbour and Castle Street to the south, Lower Castle Street to the east, and Broad Weir, Newgate and Wine Street to the north. Its western boundary is less obviously defined and has been the subject of controversy, perhaps because the area around High Street and St Mary le Port Church, though not part of the park and always intended for development, is often considered at the same time as the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Toronto</span> Central business district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Downtown Toronto is the main city centre of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Street to the northwest, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don Valley to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west. It is also the home of the municipal government of Toronto and the Government of Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marketplace</span> Space in which a market operates

A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a souk, bazaar, a fixed mercado (Spanish), itinerant tianguis (Mexico), or palengke (Philippines). Some markets operate daily and are said to be permanent markets while others are held once a week or on less frequent specified days such as festival days and are said to be periodic markets. The form that a market adopts depends on its locality's population, culture, ambient, and geographic conditions. The term market covers many types of trading, such as market squares, market halls, food halls, and their different varieties. Thus marketplaces can be both outdoors and indoors, and in the modern world, online marketplaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrexham city centre</span> Central district of Wrexham, north Wales

Wrexham city centre is the administrative, cultural and historic city centre of Wrexham, in North Wales and is the area enclosed by the inner ring road of the city. It is the largest shopping area in north and mid Wales, and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough. Many of its streets are pedestrianised.

Drottningtorget is a major public square in central Malmö, Sweden. It lies between the main town square and Värnhem. The area dates back to at least the Middle Ages when the Adelgatan, one of the city's main streets, led to it and it became an important peasant trading centre. However, the modern square was built in the 1810s, when the old fortifications surrounding the town were removed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich Market</span> Outdoor market in central Norwich, England

Norwich Market is an outdoor market consisting of around 200 stalls in central Norwich, England. Founded in the latter part of the 11th century to supply Norman merchants and settlers moving to the area following the Norman conquest of England, it replaced an earlier market a short distance away. It has been in operation on the present site for over 900 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothic secular and domestic architecture</span> Medieval architectural style

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture.

References

  1. "Market square definition and meaning". Collins English Dictionary. Harper Collins Publishers. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  2. "The World's Best Squares (2005)". www.pps.org. Retrieved 2024-11-26.