Naumburg Cathedral: surroundings redesigned for UNESCO World Heritage Site

The city of Naumburg, Saale in Saxony-Anhalt is known for its cathedral “St. Peter and Paul”. Together with its surroundings, it is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, the design of the open space has become outdated and is barely able to withstand the existing pressure of use. Naumburg therefore launched a single-phase, non-open design competition with an ideas section. You can see who won the competition and what the redesign of the surrounding area will look like here.

In 2018, the cathedral and adjacent buildings in the ensemble were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Three years later, the adjacent squares and streets were also designated as a heritage area. They were said to be of particular urban, cultural-artistic and technical-economic importance. As a result, Naumburg quickly gained tourist appeal. Naumburg Cathedral and its surroundings are now one of the highlights along the “Romanesque Road”. However, this also brings with it growing demands, such as increasing visitor numbers. It is now necessary to respond to these changed conditions in terms of design.

The “Redesign of the surroundings of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Naumburg Cathedral” was therefore part of the federal program “National Urban Development Projects”. This means that the city can draw on 600,000 euros in funding to prepare and implement the project. The redesign of Naumburg Cathedral Square follows the motto “Preserving history – shaping the future”. Lord Mayor Armin Müller (CDU) describes the project as a “premium project, also for us as a city administration”.

Ten years ago, there were plans to redesign Naumburg Cathedral Square. However, this failed due to a dispute over the removal of the avenue of lime trees. “We learned a lot from the process back then. For one thing, early public participation is a matter of course nowadays. And, of course, the issue of urban climate has also gained enormously in importance,” said Ute Freund, head of the construction department. The challenge of the project therefore lies not only in monument protection, but also in reconciling conflicting usage interests. This is because Naumburg Cathedral Square is sometimes surrounded by a school, a daycare center and restaurants.

This time, Naumburg actively involved the local community with tours and workshops. Together, they worked out the requirements of the competition. One example of this is the preservation of Lindenallee and the Ekkehardbrunnen fountain. The participants included people from the parish, local residents and citizens, the Inclusion Advisory Board, politicians and businesses as well as many other initiatives. The aim was to ensure that as many interests as possible were represented in the working groups and that they would help to win the competition.

Today, Naumburg Cathedral Square is in great need of renovation. The street layout forms a caesura and the existing mix of materials is not worthy of its history. So what must the area around the cathedral and the side streets offer in the future?
What is needed is a high-quality urban and design restructuring towards multifunctionality. We need to combine monument protection and accessibility, car traffic and high-quality recreational areas. But environmental protection – keyword eco-services and resource economy – also plays an important role. The master plan serves as the basis for the long-term and sustainable development of Naumburg Cathedral Square. And not only that. It is also intended to be an initial spark for the city quarter and the whole of Naumburg.

The jury chose UKL Ulrich Krüger Landschaftsarchitekten from Dresden as the winner. Second place went to plandrei Landschaftsarchitektur from Erfurt. Levin Monsigny Landschaftsarchitekten from Berlin was awarded third prize.

UKL has opted for a uniform and intuitive design language for Naumburg Cathedral Square. On the one hand, the existing pavement mix is being reduced. On the other hand, the edge areas are designed with small-scale mosaic paving. The cathedral and adjacent areas of the square are embedded in limestone paving. Instead of kerbs, paving channels and tactile guidance systems separate the pavements, thus ensuring accessibility. UKL is also continuing this paving system in the adjacent alleyways. The edges of the square carpet are enhanced by long wooden benches, from which there are excellent views of the UNSESCO site. In general, bicycle racks and car parking spaces have been placed unobtrusively at predestined locations.

On the other hand, the two parts of the square are more strongly defined in their respective characters. The eastern area as the “front cathedral square” remains similar in its structure and spatial effect. The western area, on the other hand, is subject to a major change. It is intended to allow people to walk around the west choir. You are guided through the cathedral garden, past a sculpture garden and a pretty café with seating. The end point of the tour of the Naumburg building ensemble is the “rear cathedral square”. The existing Simson Fountain there is given a new look with a fountain field and steps.

The green areas of Naumburg Cathedral Square are now also clearly visible. In the north-west, the two rows of “historic lime tree avenue Domlinden” have been preserved. The “front cathedral square” is enlivened by two green islands. These frame the Ekkehard fountain with the tree of the gods and the peace lime tree. The existing trees therefore continue to shape the space. A row of trees is planned as the southern boundary of the “rear cathedral square”. The choice of tree species has a historical reference: the cherry tree echoes the early Gothic sculptures of the west rood screen. The vine-covered pergola also found its inspiration here. In general, the green areas also serve to drain rainwater.

But now we have to be patient a little longer. The redesign of Naumburg Cathedral Square is not expected to start until 2026.

The surrounding area is not only to be redesigned at Naumburg Cathedral, but also at Schötmar railroad station. And here, too, there was a competition. Read all about it here.