To spot Hugenottenplatz, look for a broad, open square framed by leafy trees and modern buildings, with a busy bus station on one side and a fountain and plenty of bicycles on the other.
Welcome to Hugenottenplatz, one of Erlangen’s most important crossroads-both for buses and, believe it or not, for stories! Take a moment to soak in the lively scene: on the west side, buses line up like soldiers at parade rest, while on the east, café umbrellas pop open like cheerful mushrooms on a spring morning. Over three centuries ago, this square looked very different. Imagine standing here when it was called Place devant le Temple et la Douane-a smaller sibling to the grand market squares nearby. The architect Johann Moritz Richter must have had quite a headache designing it, since his job was to create a planned baroque city for the French Huguenots who fled persecution and found a new start right here. Picture a procession of French families, carrying hopes, dreams, and probably some very good recipes.
From 1695 until 1812, market stalls bustled across these cobbles as the "French Market," or, on some days, the less glamorous but crucial "Timber Market"-where people bartered for wood. The square has had more name changes than a runaway nobleman: for a while, it was Luitpoldplatz, named after a Bavarian prince, before finally reclaiming its Huguenot heritage in 1936 for the Neustadt’s 250th birthday. The dominant building, just across the square, is the Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche-once simply called the Temple-its rectangular shape fitting neatly into the careful layout like the ultimate game of city-building Tetris.
But the square you see today is a mix of old elegance and modern hustle. On the west, the bus station forms Erlangen’s main public transport hub, with buses shuttling students, workers, and the rare confused tourist (don’t worry, you’re not alone). The east side is sprinkled with trees and bike racks, a favorite spot for locals to park before diving into street cafés or grabbing a snack from the kiosk. In 1997, a sparkling fountain claimed the square’s heart-though, fair warning, in 2025 it had a rather rough time with vandals. Every building here tells a tale: the old post office, sleek new offices disguising a parking garage, and the meticulously restored Richthaus, rescued from a cloak of stone. Streets branch off like storylines-toward the station, the market, or winding alleys filled with surprises. So whether you came for history, a bus connection, or just a bit of shade on a sunny day, you’re standing at the crossroads where Erlangen’s stories all come together-sometimes with a sneeze of dust, a splash from the fountain, and always a sense of arrival.
