Around the market place

The town hall

The town hall was built in 1425 by the citizens and served as a market hall and granary. On the ground floor was space for the market stalls of local traders and craftsmen. Customers were able to compare the goods on offer and the authorities could control quality and prices. Anyone who did not follow law and order found themselves in the town hall's detention cell. In the rear part of the building there was a passage that was used to unload the carriages delivering grain. The first floor, at that time only accessible via an outside staircase, consisted largely of a Gothic hall for representational purposes, but there was also the council chamber, the mayor's office and a clerk's room. The attics were used as the town's granary.

The market place

In the Middle Ages the market square was the center of the town. But things only got really busy in 1557, when through Duke Christoph's order the road between Urach and Ulm became the main trade route. Blaubeuren was now linked with the long-distance transit route which connected Vienna with Paris. This gave the inns, hostels and trade an enormous boost as the haulage carters had to stop and unload their goods. 
With the emergence of the automobile and especially with the sharp increase in private transport after the Second World War, Duke Christoph's blessing became a curse. Until the 1980s, all traffic on the B 28 was forced through the town center, an intolerable situation with regard to urban development. Quite often large trucks and buses would meet here bringing the traffic to a standstill with loud horn-hooting and angry shouts from all parts. Sometimes only the mayor could solve the problem by directing the traffic from high above, i.e. the window of his office. Thanks to the opening of the bypass in 1983 and the ensuing renovation measures the old town regained its charm.

The market fountain

The fountain represents the town's water wealth. Originally essential for the water supply of the citizens, it lost this function with the installation of water pipes in private households. So the dismantling of the fountain was planned, but the citizens successfully prevented its demolition. By 1816, the stone basin had become leaky and therefore had to be replaced with modern cast-iron plates. The mighty lion on top of the stone column holds the ducal coat of arms in his right paw and the town's coat of arms in his left paw and thus tells passers-by who is in charge.

The town's coat of arms

The town's coat of arms shows the Blaumännle, a little man dressed in blue, who proudly carries the deer antlers of Württemberg. His head is decorated with a green wreath, a reference to the town's wealth of forests. The coat of arms of Württemberg  consists of four segments: the deer antlers of Württemberg, the diamonds of Teck, the Reichssturm flag and the barbels of Montbéliard.