Domberg Freising: Redesign by Latz + Partner

In Freising, Bavaria, Latz + Partner is redesigning the open spaces on the Domberg. The first construction phase, Domplatz and Domhof, was opened in spring 2024. In an interview about the project, Iris Dupper and Tilman Latz from Latz + Partner explain what makes their project special, what demands are placed on the cathedral square today and how they designed the facilities on the Domberg Freising to be more inclusive.

Editorial team G+L: In May of this year, you opened the first construction phase of your project on Freising Cathedral Hill: Domplatz and Domhof, both of which have been redesigned and further developed. What characterizes the project?

Iris Dupper and Tilman Latz: Walking through the archways to the new open spaces on the Domberg is a special moment thanks to the redesigns: with its continuous, bright surface, the cathedral square appears like a feast for the eyes between the surrounding facades of the cathedral, stables, residence, St. John’s Chapel and the gates to the Belvedere. Loosely scattered benches mark the edges of the square and today allow people to relax. A fountain rises in the middle, water falls from a horn of plenty from a great height. Gently rippling water fills the space and accompanies the everyday sounds of passers-by, visitors, music school and church events.

You can now experience the cathedral next to the cathedral fountain and residence, between the high cathedral towers, Otto von Freising in the greenery and the sweeping view over the Isar and Moosach floodplains along the river to the edge of the Alps. A unique resonating space has been created that invites you to linger. Here you can find peace and quiet before continuing on to the cathedral or the stables.

How did you arrive at the design of the central open spaces on the?

Three decisions were essential:

Firstly, a consistently contextual language is applied to the cathedral square and cathedral courtyard with appropriate materiality and formal language. It emphasizes the spatial conditions, such as the different architectural styles, dimensions and materiality of the boundary façades. With this approach, both spaces have formed a coherent unit. At the same time, this contributes to the new diversity of spaces on the Domberg. This diversity corresponds to the historically handed-down stock of buildings and architectural styles.

A change was then made from a roughly gravelled surface to a paved, finely structured cathedral square. This also significantly extends and improves the possibilities for use in terms of time and quality. A light-colored paving set diagonally in passé creates a restrained yet robust balance to the architecture. Wachenzell dolomite with formats of 8 x 8 to 12 x 12 centimetres with a finely crowned surface and split sides was used for the paving. It is traversed by strips of slabs of the same material set in a fan-like pattern. These strips bring together the asymmetrical façades of the cathedral and residence. Graduated, semi-circular and round frames emphasize the entrances facing the squares and the central fountain. The main protagonists – the cathedral, the residence and the cathedral fountain – were emphasized in a representative manner.

Finally, the cathedral square has been given back an attractive center in keeping with its importance through the re-erection of a central fountain.

What is the historical background to the rebuilt fountain?

The new fountain interprets the many manifestations that this watering place had until its removal during secularization in 1803: first a horse pond, then a baroque fountain, but from 1857 just a planting bed with a sculpture by Otto von Freising. A new round fountain made of split river pebbles is set on a horizontally fitted plinth. On it is the new fountain made of Untersberg marble with a tall column, at the top of which the historical figure of the “Moor” holds a horn of plenty as a source of water. The sculpture is actually the original of the emblem of the monastery of Freising. Together with the client, we decided to put the fountain back on the cathedral square. As a result, the figure of Otto von Freising by sculptor Kaspar Zumbusch was to be moved to the quieter cathedral courtyard, which was green for the first time. From there, he now looks out over the passageway to the cathedral square and the two cathedral towers, surrounded by beautiful flowers swarming with insects.

These changes created a new perception of the spatial sequences on the Domberg.

To what extent does a cathedral square have to meet different requirements than a secular town square? How is this reflected in the design of the Domberg in Freising?

Historically, both a cathedral square and a “profane” town square focused equally on representational possibilities, functionality and suitability for everyday use. In detail, however, the symbolism of a sacred and secular nature often differed. Ecclesiastical clients often formulated significantly higher demands in terms of design. In addition, they sometimes commissioned great Baumeisters and artists to design public spaces.

Today, both have to “rediscover themselves” to a certain extent and deal with often excessive legislation and standards, local monument and nature conservation and complex technical requirements in equal measure. Just think of underground pipelines or buildings and the increasing challenges of climate change. The public interests of a more diverse leisure society, square clichés and short-lived fashions are playing an increasing role.

A specific feature of Domplatz Freising is that it was commissioned by a culturally highly ambitious private client who also acts responsibly and is socially committed. In 2022, the Archbishop’s Ordinariate of Munich (EOM) commissioned us to work on the public spaces on the Domberg: Domplatz with Belvedere, Domhof and Kreuzgarten, areas in and around the Residenz, the new Cardinal Döpfner House (KDH) and around the Diocesan Museum as well as the long Anger. The Domberg is the spiritual center of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. The EOM was concerned with a contemporary design which, on the one hand, could offer an appropriate response to the complex spatial situation from various centuries. On the other hand, it was also a question of integrating various public and private usage requirements and difficult questions of monument protection. The special history of the site and its significance for Freising also had to be taken into account.

What did you have to pay attention to during the redesign and what did you implement as part of your project on the Domberg in Freising?

On the one hand, it was important for the client to have visual and pathway connections, especially between the residence and the cathedral, which are important for processions, for example. On the other hand, uses for festivals with music, events and markets were relevant. The location of the fountain is explained, among other things, by the simultaneous importance of direct connections and the staging of such movements. In the end, the emphasis on the main reference façades from the point of view of monument preservation also made the placement of trees appear fundamentally problematic. Added to this were difficult subsoil conditions that did not allow for sustainable tree planting.

The accentuation of the main and secondary players in the area required an intensive examination of the topography and orientation of the square. We developed a regular concave design for the square that emphasizes the facades around the square and supports the fountain in the middle. With a clearly sloping, unsealed square surface – an important sustainability goal – we therefore had to switch from point drainage to linear drainage.
The central cathedral square, as a listed monument and main access to the cathedral and residence, and the cathedral courtyard, as a side entrance to the cathedral library and barrier-free access to the sacristy and cloister, were completed for the start of the Bavarian State Exhibition on May 7, 2024. Now there are places on the Domberg to linger in the moment and without the pressure to consume.

During the final construction phase, we will still be dealing with the problem of the road leading to the parking garage access, which runs across the upper square area. However, its integration and the simultaneous securing of the square against uncontrolled parking will only take place once the construction work on the Residenz has been completed.

Anyone who has ever been up the Domberg in Freising knows that it is a steep climb. Accessibility is an important aspect of your project. How were you able to improve this during the redesign of Domplatz and Domhof? And where did you reach your limits and why?

A topographically exposed and listed site such as the Domberg only allows small but significant steps to be taken towards an accessible site.

In addition to fortifying the cathedral courtyard and cathedral square and moving away from a trickling area, there are mainly small measures. These include, for example, installing handrails on all stairs, ramp-like entrances and level walkways with a maximum gradient of 5 percent in the individual areas. For us, accessibility also includes the provision of public toilets in the passageway to the cathedral courtyard and the positioning of sufficient benches for resting.

Nevertheless, there will still be areas that can only be reached via steps or much steeper ramps, such as the Domberggasse. This includes the Belvedere, whose fencing cannot be changed. Nor will we be adding any ramps to the Anger to improve access between Domberggasse and the various squares. The tree population also has an effect on the microclimate.

Of course, the EOM’s most important decision was to install an inclined elevator on the south side of the Domberg. This connects the general city level directly with the Diocesan Museum, conveniently located between the station and the pedestrian zone. In fact, the inclined elevator can already be seen as a further attraction of the Domberg.

Client: Archdiocese of Munich and Freising

Concept: Latz + Partner Prof. Tilman Latz and Iris Dupper

Project management: Dennis Pytlik, Dörte Dannemann

Collaboration: Roland Jakob, Junyue Deng, Vera Margasova

Planning since 2022, realization BA1 May 2024

LPH 6-8: NU Stefan Huber Landscape Architecture

Area: approx. 1 hectare

Iris Dupper, landscape architect, is a partner and managing director of Latz + Partner. She previously founded Studios Îlot for Landscape Architecture, Munich. In 2006, she was the first Villa Massimo Rome Prize Fellow for Landscape Architecture.

Tilman Latz, landscape architect, architect and urban planner, has been the owner and chief designer of Latz + Partner since 2011. He has held the professorship for planning and design in landscape architecture at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences since 2022.

Editor’s note: The term “Mohr” or “Freisinger Mohr”, which can also be found in the district’s coat of arms, is commonly used in the name of the fountain and in reporting on it. An explanation of the background to the coat of arms and the use of the term can be found on the Freising district website.

Other sources take a more critical view of the term, such as the Institute for European Ethnology at the Humboldt University of Berlin’s explanation of the renaming of “Mohrenstraße”.

In connection with the term, there are always debates about renaming, such as in the aforementioned case of Berliner Straße and the subway station with the same name, “Mohrenstraße”.

Read more: In the October 2024 issue of G+L, we focus on places of faith. The magazine is available in our store. Theresa Ramisch gives a first insight into the issue in her editorial.