Square, Plaza sights in Europe
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Praça do Município
Just off the Praça do Comércio's northwestern corner, the smaller Praça do Município is dominated on the eastern side by the 1874 Paços do Concelho (town hall) where the republic was proclaimed from its balcony on 5 October 1910; on the southern side by the former marine arsenal; and centrally a finely carved, 18th-century pelourinho (pillory).
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Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere
Trastevere’s focal square is a prime people-watching spot. By day it’s full of mums with strollers, chatting locals and guidebook-toting tourists; by night it’s the domain of foreign students, young Romans and out-of-towners, all out for a good time. The fountain in the centre of the square is of Roman origin and was restored by Carlo Fontana in 1692.
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Casa Fontana Silvestri
Block out the Vespa traffic and shoppers hauling Dolce & Gabbana bags, and you can imagine from this classic Lombard edifice what this street must've looked like eight centuries ago. Ornamental cotto (baked clay) window frames attributed to Bramante grace the spare exterior, while scowling masks in the capitals above the stone door make a dramatic entrance.
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Piazza Sant'Ignazio
When we say that Filippo Raguzzini's 18th-century square steals the stage, we're serious. Resembling a theatrical set, complete with exits into 'the wings' at either end of its northern side, it's also home to 17th-century Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola (h07:30-12:30 & 15:00-19:15) and its deceptive trompe l'oeil ceiling perspective by Andrea Pozzo in the 'dome'.
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Charlotte Square
At the western end of George St is Charlotte Sq, the architectural jewel of the New Town, which was designed by Robert Adam shortly before his death in 1791. The northern side of the square is Adam's masterpiece and one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture anywhere. Bute House, in the centre at No 6, is the official residence of Scotland's first minister.
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Glavni trg
Maribor's marketplace in the Middle Ages, Glavni trg is just north of the river and the main bridge crossing it. In the centre of the square is perhaps the most extravagant plague pillar found anywhere in Central Europe. Behind it is the town hall built in 1565 by Venetian craftsmen living in Styria. Running north from Glavni trg is pedestrianised Gosposka ulica.
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Krasnaya pl
The foot of ul Lenina opens into Krasnaya pl , surrounded by imposing Stalinist buildings - the House of Soviets on the east side, the post office on the west, the Hotel Tsentralnaya on the northwest and the matching city council building on the northeast. At the south end of the square is Kursk's most distinctive building, the domed 1816-28 Assumption Cathedral.
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Luisenplatz
Luisenplatz is dominated by the baroque Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate). From this square, the pedestrianised Brandenburger Strasse runs due east to the Sts Peter und Paul Kirche (Church of Sts Peter and Paul, 1868). Just to the southeast on Charlottenstrasse, and once the seat of the town's Huguenots, is the Französische Kirche (French Church, 1753).
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Piazza XV Marzo
This elegant square is fronted by the Palazzo del Governo and the neoclassical Teatro Rendano. Smack bang in its middle is a 1914 statue of hero-philosopher Bernardino Telesio. The northwest corner has his Accademia Cosentina and, within it, an excellent library and museum. South of the piazza stretches shady Villa Vecchia, a huge and welcome oasis of green.
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Piazza delle Erbe
Originally the site of a Roman forum, this piazza buzzes with life. With permanent market stalls in its centre, the square is lined with some of Verona's most sumptuous buildings including the baroque Palazzo Maffei, at the north end, and the adjoining 14th-century Torre del Gardello. On the east side is Casa Mazzanti, a former Della Scala family residence.
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Vrijthof
Vrijthof is the heart of the city, a large square surrounded by lively cafes and photogenic churches. It's dominated by Sint Servaasbasiliek (Basilica of St Servatius), a pastiche of architecture dating from the 11th century. Sint Janskerk, a small 17th-century Gothic church, is one of the most beautiful in the country. Climb to the top for gorgeous views.
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Place Igor Stravinsky
The Place Igor Stravinsky is perhaps Paris' most vibrant open space. Dominated by the vivid inside-out architecture of the Centre Georges Pompidou, it is filled with modern sculpture and street performers. The fanciful mechanical fountains of skeletons, dragons and a big pair of ruby-red lips, created by Jean Tinguely and Niki de St-Phalle, are delightful.
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Plaça del Poble
Plaça del Poble 'People's Square', just south of Plaça de Rebés, occupies the roof of a modern government office building. Giving splendid views of the valley and mountains, it's a popular local gathering place, especially in the evening. The lift in the southeastern corner whisks you down to the car park below on Carrer del Prat de la Creu.
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Piazza Civica
Piazza Civica is just inside the Port a Mare (Sea Gate) and was once the administrative heart of Alghero. This busy, uneven square is still faced by reminders of Alghero's late-medieval splendour. It was from the window of the Gothic mansion Palazzo d'Albis that Charles V leaned out during his 1541 stay to declare in generous mood, 'You are all knights.'
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Carmelite church
The baroque 'Viennese Gate Sq' is dominated to the south by the Carmelite church built in 1725. On the north and northwest side of the square and cutting it off from the river are the fortifications built in the 16th century to stop the Turkish onslaught, and a bastion that has served as a prison, a chapel, a shop and, until recently, even a restaurant.
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Morića Han
Come for the history, stay for the coffee. This cafe was once a tavern when Sarajevo was a stopover on the ancient crossroads between East and West. Although wickerwork chairs for coffee drinkers have replaced benches for weary travellers and a carpet shop with waist-high stacks of rugs fill former stables, a historic ambience still permeates the place.
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Town Hall
Széchenyi tér, a square so large it's a park, houses the neobaroque town hall. With its graceful tower and colourful tiled roof, the town hall dominates the square, while statues of Lajos Tisza, István Széchenyi and the kubikosok (navvies) who helped regulate the Tisza River take pride of place under the chestnut trees.
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Plaza Mayor
The shady Plaza Mayor is the nerve centre of old Segovia, lined by an eclectic assortment of buildings, arcades and cafés and an open pavilion in its centre. It's also the site of the catedral and the tourist office. The road connecting Plaza Mayor and the aqueduct is a pedestrian thoroughfare that locals know simply as Calle Real.
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Senaatintori
From the market square walk up the cobbled Sofiankatu to Senaatintori, Helsinki's majestic central square. Surrounded by early 19th-century buildings, the square was modelled after St Petersburg's.
CL Engel's stately Tuomiokirkko, finished in 1852, is the Senate Square's most prominent feature and the steps are a favourite meeting place.
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Wedekindplatz
The heart of Altschwabing (Old Schwabing) - Wedekindplatz - still preserves a boho touch thanks to the nearby small stores, gritty bars and alternative theatres. While living here from 1899 to 1901, Thomas Mann penned his famous novel Buddenbrooks. Beatniks and hippies invaded in the '60s, fuelling a minor spin on the 1968 revolution.
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Grote Markt
Large Grote Markt, with its flanks of restaurants and cafés and a clutch of historical buildings, is a good place to start an exploration of Haarlem. In the centre of the square stands the 17th-century Vleeshal, a former meat market, and the Verweyhal, an old fish market; both serve as modern art annexes of the Frans Hals Museum.
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place Garibaldi
At the northeastern corner of Nice's old town lies arcade-lined place Garibaldi, built during the late 18th century and named after Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-82). Born in Nice to a fishing family, Garibaldi went on to become a sailor, merchant captain, guerrilla fighter, leader of the Red Shirts and popular hero of Italian unification.
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Piazza Bellini
Just to the north of the western end of Via dei Tribunali, lively Piazza Bellini is a hotspot for the city's bohemians. Each night, its ivy-clad cafes and bars hum with jazz-loving writers, left-leaning students and a healthy dose of flirtatious glances. At its centre, 4th-century ruins of the Greek city walls add a classical touch.
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Galleria Doria Pamphilj
Just north of Piazza Venezia is the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, home to the Galleria Doria Pamphilj. You wouldn’t know it from the grimy exterior but this palazzo houses one of Rome’s richest private art collections, with works by Raphael, Tintoretto, Brueghel, Titian, Caravaggio, Bernini and Velázquez.
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Piazza Garibaldi
On the site of the ancient Roman forum, Piazza Garibaldi is a lively hub bisected by Parma's main east-west artery, Via Mazzini, and its continuation, Strada della Repubblica. On the square's north side, the façade of the 17th-century Palazzo del Governatore, these days municipal offices, sports a giant sundial, added in 1829.
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