Domsheide

Domsheide is a major square in the city of Bremen, Germany. It is located east of the Marktplatz and south of Bremen Cathedral. Streets leading to it include Ostertorstraße, Dechanatstraße, Balgebrückstraße and Violenstraße. It contains a number of important buildings, including the main post office, the courthouse, the cathedral precinct with the bell, and the annex to the stock market building. It is one of three main hubs of the public transport network, with most tram routes and two important bus lines crossing the square. The design of the Domsheide is relatively uneven, characterized by materials such as sandstone, dark red brick, red and yellow clinkers, render, concrete and marble.HistoryIn the Middle Ages, the open area south of the cathedral was known as Wulverickesheide (Wulverick Heath), probably from the name of the owner, Wulverick. Later, it was simply known as Heide and from the 16th century as Domsheide (Cathedral Heath), no doubt because the archbishop held court there under a lime tree. The Domsheide belonged to the Dombezirk (Cathedral District), an enclave which until 1803 was under the sovereign and legal control of the Bishop of Bremen, not the Free City of Bremen. The small Cathedral District was originally surrounded by a wall which was torn down in the 11th century.Die Glocke (The Bell), an octagonal bell-shaped building belonging to the cathedral chapter, stood south of the cathedral in the Middle Ages. It was the venue for the meetings of the chapter and, from 1648, for the deliberations of the court. In 1737, a new octagonal building was constructed on the site, coming under the authority of the City of Bremen in 1803. Since 1857, it has belonged to the Künstlerverein (Artists Association). In 1642, the Kapitelhaus (Chapter House) to the south of the cathedral became the Lutheran Grammar School or the Domschule und Athenaeum Bremen.