The Stadtplatz (english: city square) in Wels originated in the 13th century and stretches for about 400 metre in east-west direction, parallel to the river Traun in the south. Here we see ca. 350 metres of the north side of the Stadtplatz between the Ledererturm in the west and the Stadtpfarrkirche in the east. Some of the historic buildings along the square still originate from the 13th century. Running from the square to the north we see the Pfarrgasse left of the church and a bit further left the shopping street Schmidtgasse.
The Ledererturm at the left edge is a landmark of Wels today and the last remaining tower of the former city fortifications. The name goes back to the Lederer (tanning workers), which settled nearby. It’s current shape dates back to the early 17th century. At the right edge we see Wels’ oldest church, the Stadtpfarrkirche, which was mentioned first in 888 (then wooden). It is devoted to the holy Johannes. Left of the centre we see the Stadtbrunnen (city fountain) in the foreground. It is placed in front of the Magistrat building which stands on the south side of the Stadtplatz.
Wels itself is already 2.000 years old and was designated a city with the name Ovilava by the Romans which later made it a capital of the province. Similar to most austrian cities, the Stadtplatz was dominating the city structure and hence here the buildings of the influential and rich citizens could be found. This panoramic view of the Stadtplatz was presented in week 6 of our project 101 weeks 101 cities.
