We begin our hike on the 3,000-year-old Westenhellweg, which was a trade route from the Meuse to the Memel and also served for salt production. We then walk to the Freistuhl, which has been mentioned in Dortmund's historical sources for 1,000 years. From here, we head to the Krügerpassage, where stock exchange activities took place and many events were held until 1943.
We will walk along Kampstraße and around the venerable Protestant St. Reinoldi Church. Here, you can hear a lot from the guide about Dortmund's financial and commercial history and, if the church is open, also see quite a bit. The beginnings of the Brückviertel district in front of us date back to the time of Charlemagne (768–814). Of the Burgtor (castle gate) and the nearby Königshof (royal court), only the names have been preserved. We read the place name Gnadenort. An older name from 1610 is “Quaden Ort” or “Quaemort”. This means something like “nasty, swampy, gloomy, bad place.”
As early as the 9th century, Brückstraße was Dortmund's main thoroughfare thanks to its favourable location as an crossroads between the Hellweg and a major north–south trade route. The street market that had previously been held there was moved to the market square on Trisselgasse, now known as Alter Markt, due to space constraints. Dortmund was faced with the problem that all the roads were often under water, and “bridges” and beams were laid to allow the merchants' carts to pass. Balkenstraße was first mentioned by name in 1342 as “Lohus (Lohhaus) subter Trabes” (under the beams). At the end of the 14th century, in addition to the name “Balkenstrate”, it was also called “Gruetstrate”. This name was derived from the Grüttehaus, the council brewery located opposite. Balkenstraße used to be a corduroy road for the merchants' wagons, hence the name Balkenstraße (Beam Street). After all, the name Dortmund means “Throtmanni”: a settlement by gurgling waters.
Our walking tour ends at the old market on Trisselgasse: Minor crimes and acts of deception during market trading were publicly condemned here:
The dishonest market trader was “trisselled,” meaning he was put in a cage that was visible to all, the Trissel.