church square
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church square
The public square located directly in front of a church or around it. It is often the central place of a village or district.
Der Wochenmarkt findet jeden Samstag auf dem Kirchplatz statt.
The weekly market takes place every Saturday on the church square.
“Kirchplatz” is made up of “Kirche” (church) and “Platz” (square/place). So it is literally the square by the church. The article “der” is taken from the head noun “der Platz” (the square/place).
Die alte Linde auf dem Kirchplatz ist über 200 Jahre alt.
The old lime tree on the church square is over 200 years old.
Pay attention to the case after the preposition “auf”: “auf dem Kirchplatz” (on the church square; dative) describes a location, while “auf den Kirchplatz” (onto/to the church square; accusative) indicates a direction.
Die Kinder spielen auf dem Kirchplatz.
The children are playing on the church square.
Public events often take place on a church square. Typical verbs are “stattfinden” (to take place) for markets and festivals, or “sich treffen” (to meet up).
Jedes Jahr findet hier ein Weihnachtsmarkt statt.
Every year a Christmas market takes place here.
churchyard
'der Kirchhof' and 'der Kirchplatz' both refer to an area directly by a church. The most important difference is how the area is used. A 'Kirchhof' is the enclosed area around the church and was traditionally often a cemetery. A 'Kirchplatz' is a public square in front of or around the church, where people can meet or events can take place. The words can be confused because both are spatially connected to the church. If graves or an old cemetery are meant, 'Kirchhof' fits. If an open square in a village or district is meant, 'Kirchplatz' fits.
Am Sonntag verkaufen die Vereine Kuchen auf dem Kirchplatz.
On Sunday, the clubs sell cake on the church square.
Auf dem alten Kirchhof stehen noch viele Grabsteine aus dem 19. Jahrhundert.
There are still many gravestones from the 19th century in the old churchyard.