The new generosity University Square and Borgias Square in Fulda

At the interface between the historic old town and the Wilhelminian quarter, Universitätsplatz brings a generously usable and openly designed urban space to the old town. It mediates between the small-scale medieval layout of the old town and the clear grid of the Wilhelminian-style urban expansion towards the railroad station.



The striking solitaire of the listed Karstadt building by Sepp Ruf dominates the square. The new construction of the dilapidated garage gave rise to the opportunity to redesign the university square and thus to reorganize the delivery and access routes elsewhere.



The clear layout of the square with a reinterpreted Ruf grid is accentuated by a square grove of plane trees that emerges from the sloping square. It is a shady place to spend time, a haven of peace in the hustle and bustle of the city and offers a beautiful overview of the diverse activities on the square. Illuminated seating elements and fountains are lined up along the row of stores, offering further reasons to linger. The new building opposite the historic building of the former university, now a school, integrates stores and a café, which in turn contributes to the revitalization of the square. Benches are placed on the sides of the square and in the slightly elevated grove of trees in the same dimensions as the square. Their side walls are made of



the light-colored shell limestone of the



pavement and have wooden supports, some of which have built-in LED lines. The steps to the grove of trees are made of dark basalt as a contrast to the shell limestone of the square.


The fountain sculpture of the revised Brenninger fountain in front of the Karstadt building stands in a slightly raised fountain basin, also made of dark basalt, with seating blocks of different heights at the corners. The second water feature on the square is a fountain field with nine fountains that gush from stones the size of the square's slabs at ground level. Both water features offer cooling and an opportunity to play.