Bismarckplatz, Heidelberg

The Bismarckplatz (pronunciationⓘ) in Heidelberg is a square named for Otto von Bismarck, located at the western end of the Hauptstrasse, which forms the boundary between the old city and the suburb of Bergheim.

It is one of the main squares of Heidelberg and one of the central nodes of the public transport system, along with Willy-Brandt-Platz in front of the train station.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the city's botanical gardens were located to the south of the modern square (these are now the Stadtgarten, but were St Anna cemetery until 1845).

[7] As part of mayor Reinhold Zundel's [de] modernisation programme in late 1970s, the tram network was removed from the neighbouring Hauptstrasse, which became a pedestrian zone.

The resulting changes led to Bismarckplatz's current layout, which included renovations to the facade of the Horten shopping centre and the installation of a fountain sculpture by the couple Matschinsky-Denninghoff (popularly known as the Spaghettisäule, "spaghetti columns"), in 1985.